Heartby Akatsuki GodChaptersPrologueChapter 1: A New a BeginningChapter 2: Welcome UlquiorraChapter 3: Adjustments to be MadePrologue{???} It was dark out in the middle of a seemingly never ending desert that had surrounded an enormous stone building with a somewhat ominous crescent moon situated high in the night sky and very few clouds which were dark a loosely dispersed. On the center of the giant stone mass, were five huge pillars which were all destroyed except for one. A man with short spiked orange hair who was wearing torn black clothing to the point that his abdominal region along with his left arm and most of his left leg were bare stared in shock at another man which was taller and slender with pale skin, long black hair, black fur that covered everything below his waste and most of his arms, two horns that perturbed from the sides of his head, large black wings that resembled that of a bat, and a large hole in his chest which, at a glance, seemed to have a black substance seeping down out of the circular hole along with his eyes which were yellow with the whites of them being green and his pupils resembling that of a cat's. He was injured with a long, deep cut extending from his left shoulder to his right hip and he was missing most of his left arm and leg, half of his left horn was missing, and his entire left wing. The tall man was close to a girl with long straight orange hair in white clothing which had tears around her neck and upper body and leaving her shoulders bare. He was also standing next to and stared blankly at another man with black hair that extended to the bottom of his cheeks on either side of his face who wore glasses and white long sleeved clothing which had tares all over and was missing half of its left sleeve and had a long, thin black sword stabbed through his chest and narrowly missing his heart. The orange haired man stared at the man with the sword in his chest in disbelief. "Uryu..." He said aloud to himself, silently hoping he was okay. In response, the man he was looking at made an effort to smile as he looked back at him. "I see you finally...snapped out of it." He said, using up much of his dwindling strength. The orange haired man was now in greater shock. "Am I the one...responsible for that wound?" He asked in worry as he continued stare wide eyed at the man with the sword in his chest. "You're a hard guy to kill." Said the taller man in a calm and dark voice, causing the orange haired guy to turn to meet his gaze and with his focus now fixed on him, he only stared, painfully taking in the aftermath of what he had done while he was apparently unconscious. "Ulquiorra..." Was the only thing he could bring himself to say at the moment, receiving his cold stare. Ulquiorra then seemed to disappear before instantly re-appearing in front of Uryu, who had the sword go through his chest, which startled him. He grabbed the sword before quickly and forcefully tugging on it, dislodging it from his chest and causing him to cringe and yelp for a short moment from the sudden jolt of pain as he turned to throw the sword, causing it to land in front fo the orange haired man with the narrow blade now loosely stuck in the ground with the handle pointed slightly away from him. "Pick it up." The man he called Ulquiorra demanded calmly to him right after tossing it into the ground, and for a moment, things were silent. "Let's finish this battle now." He continued as he held his arm in the same bent position after tossing the sword. "The one who stabbed Uryu...was it me?" The orange haired man then asked. Ulquiorra turned completely to the side, making only the left side of his body visible to him while not taking his gaze off of him. "What difference does it make?" He questioned as he visibly brought up his right forearm with his palm open as a light green fire appeared in it before forming a long and narrow rod which was now sharp on both ends and without loosing its color or luminosity. "Am I also the one responsible for...cutting off your left arm and leg?" The orange haired man continued to question without taking his eyes off him as his expression became even more serious. "If that's what happened then you should cut off my left arm and leg." He then suggested without confusion or hesitation. This gesture caught everyone else by surprise with all of them reacting in their own way, the girl's expression became grim and her eyes widened. "What are you talking about!?" She demanded. Ulquiorra's eyes also widened but only slightly as he dispersed to rod that he formed in his and before turning his body a little in the direction of the orange haired man and the orange haired man continued to speak in a serious tone. "The entity fighting you earlier was a hollowfied being with no consciousness, it was not really me. If were going to settle this fight, I have to be in the same condition as you or we won't be evenly matched." He then explained. Upon hearing his explanation, Uryu's eyes widened as his irises shrunk. "Hold on Ichigo!" He pleaded. "Are you crazy!?" He then asked. "You can't be serious about this; it's suisidal!" He then suggested to him. The taller man stared in surprise, still caught off guard by Ichigo's request. He regained his composure shortly after to his normal expression as he turned again, this time almost fully, to have his body face Ichigo, showing no emotion as he did so. "I'm fine with that, if that is what you want, that is what you will get." He agreed, showing no remorse. He then raised his wing as he repaired to engage and fulfill Ichigo's request. After raising his wing however, it started to deteriorate into ash, catching him and everyone else by surprise as he froze, looking back to his wing as the surprise had disappeared from his face. "Agh, so this is how it ends." He then stated before turning back to Ichigo. "Kill me, Ichigo." He said blankly, receiving stunned and confused looks from everyone around. "You don't have much time left. I won't resist you; I no longer have the strength to even walk. If you don't take this opportunity now, our duel will remain unsettled forever." The taller man explained in urgency without raising his voice. Ichigo stood still as he began to look to word the ground with a beat of sweat forming just above his left cheek. "I can't do it..." He replied. Ulquiorra stared in disappointment. "What are you saying?" He asked. At this Ichigo gritted his teeth. "I don't want to; not like this." He replied. "It's...wrong..." He then stated. "This is not the way I want to defeat you!" He yelled at the top of his longs before breathing heavily to catch his breath. The taller man widened his eye as the color in them began to shift, the irises from yellow to a light green and the area around from green to white. He then closed them as he lowered his head to the side as he continued to slowly deteriorate. "To the very end...you just won't do what I want." He then concluded softly in defeat before reopening them a moment later to look at the girl. "...And just when I was finally becoming...a little bit intrigued with the way you people behave." (Flash back) The girl was standing in a white room with several columns lining the sides and she was with the man who was taller than her friends. But he was in a completely different form which was slightly shorter than her as he wore white clothing and instead of long horns on either side of his head, he had what appeared to be a partially broken off helmet on covering the left side of his head. He stood with his hands in his pocket as he kept his attention on her. "Are you afraid?" He ask her. "It's over. You will die here. You will die all by yourself with no one to witness it." He then said without getting a reaction from her even as he stared her down with his green and white eyes. "So I want to know. How frightened are you?" He then asked her. "I am not...at all." She said in a calm and collected manner. "You see...now I know that my friends came to rescue me...so right now...my heart...my heart is with them." She then explained. "What nonsense." He replied. "You're not scared because you're friends have come for you?" He questioned without him losing his composure. "You can't be serious. You really think they can save you?" He then asked. Her eyes relaxed. "Absolutely." Was her only response. "Tell me. What is a heart? (Present) Ulquiorra's hand reached out at the girl in a moderate pace. A gesture he had already done once toward her. (Flash back) Ulquiorra's hand now reached to the girl. "If I tore a hole in your chest, would I see it?" He asked as he brought his right hand out, reaching at her chest just above her breasts before raising it to her forehead. "If I split open your skull, would it be there?" Then asked, causing her to gasp as he then began to move it down to her upper abdomen. "Or would it be further down?" (End of flash back) "Let me ask again." He then requested. "Are you afraid of me?" He said as his arm was fully extended with his hand only casually reaching out before opening fully and using the last of his strength. The girl held both of her hands in her chest. "No I'm not afraid." she responded calmly as before but this time with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Really...I'm not..." He stared at her with his hand still reaching out to her. "I understand." He then said as he began to slowly pull his arm back to his body when all of a sudden, the girl reached out in an attempt to grab his hand, only to have it turn to dust and continue to disintegrate up his arm rapidly. I see now...in the palm of my hand... his vision became dark as he had finally completely vanished from their sight. i...is a heart. ________________________________________ For Ulquiorra, quite some time had passed as he continued to think to himself in without the presents of light, sound, or any sense of feeling, giving him a perfect sense of nothingness. Is this happiness? he thought to himself. Is this where my heart belongs? It...so bleak and probably would be described as boring. he then thought. His thoughts then halted, probably in an attempt to listen carefully for any audible sound. as I thought...there is no sound here in this world nothingness, even my thoughts produce no sound. I'm all alone, for any human...I doubt that even that Ichigo could stand it here, but I wonder. Is his heart strong enough to overpower the dread that I've come to accept as my home? he then thought as he began to ponder the self asked question. Eventually however, he began to hear a faint sound. ...what is that sound? he asked leading him to listen carefully to figure out what it may be and after a few seconds, he had noticed that the sounds were repeating and constant. It sounds like a trotting horse...but why am I hearing this? confusion began to set in as he began to feel a cool breeze on him as the hoof steps came to a stop. The hooves have stopped, but I can now feel wind. What world is this? I can't see anything nor can I feel or hear my body, yet I am able to feel a breeze and hear the sound of a horse." He then thought. He had also noted the sound a wings that flapped making him think it was a bird he was hearing but after remembering how faint the sounds were he realized that it was probably coming from an animal that is larger than any birds in the world Ichigo had come from. He know nothing of it but he didn't intend to complain because although the faint sounds and the cool breeze had him confused, he actually preferred the feeling and hearing something. After some time, the flapping had stopped and the hoof steps resumed. The flapping stopped...and the hooves come again. This sounds like what a human would call a pegasus, but that couldn't be it, they do not exist, even an arroncar can't resemble one, so what else could it be? his mind continued to wonder as he began to hear voices. When he tried to listen to them however, he realized that they were to faint for him to make out what they were saying but he could tell that there was more than on source that the voices were coming from' which came at him from all directions. and now there are even more hooves in the mix, yet I can hear talking, just like in the world of the living. he then thought as he noticed his curiosity reach its peek while at the same time, his senses began to fully come back to him until he finally opened his eyes. He then looked down at his pail hands, closing them once and reopening them to be sure they were his and sure enough, they were. "I'm still alive? But how?" He asked himself before taking a look around him, taking in his immediate surroundings and he saw that he lie in a bed with white sheets, a white blanket, and a white pillow. He also saw that he was surrounded by two ponies, one having white fur with a pink mane and tale and wore what appeared to be a nurse cap on her head and the other with navy blue fur and a dark blue mane and tale with a star pattern on it that resembled the night sky and was flowing even though there was no air flow but the real difference was that this one, to his surprise, had not only the wings of a pegasus, but also the horn of a unicorn. They both stared at him as he blinked, looking toward his chest after doing so to notice that his wounds were completely gone. "Why have you healed me?" He asked "Who are you?" Author's Note I started this because I actually did wonder about what actually happened to Ulquiorra after he faded away and also I know that all the fan girls out there would probably appreciate me bringing him back in a fiction. Hope you guys/girls Enjoy! Chapter 1: A New a Beginning"Why have you treated my wounds?" Ulquiorra asked before looking up to face the two ponies that stood on either side of his bed "Who are you?" He the asked to them. The white pony gave off a surprised gasp as the darker one continued to stare in intrigue, as if trying to make out what exactly he was. "Oh, excuse me, I was unaware of your ability to speak." Replied the white pony before giving off an embraced smile as an awkward laugh sounded from her lips but after a second or two, she noticed that the expression on his face had failed to change so she assumed that he didn't care for such a mistake. "I'm sorry, where are my manors?" She then asked rhetorically after composing herself. "I'm nurse Red Heart." She said, causing him to slightly alter his facial expression out of surprise. This went unnoticed by the ponies as the nurse continued as she brought a foreleg up and pointed it to the other pony. "And this his Princess Luna, she's the one who found you and brought you here." She explained. "We are elated to meet thou, and to see that thou is in now in good health." The dark alicorn said in a straight foreword and regal tone as a smile from her had quickly taken shape. Ulquiorra only stared at them. "Heart..." He muttered to where they could hear his voice, they both were surprised at his somewhat odd response as Red Heart came closer, thinking he wanted to tell her or ask her something. "Tell me." He said to them followed by a short pause. "What exactly is...a heart?" He then asked. Red Heart gave him a quizzical look, turning to Luna shortly after had told her the she was clueless as to if actually didn't know what a heart was or what he meant by it. Luna only shrugged! Telling her that she was just as confused as her. The only thing relating to a heart with him as far as they knew was the hole in his chest that he was found with. "Uh, well...the heart..." She began to answer as she turned back to him and notice his lifeless stale, sending a chill down her spine as she swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat. "...is the organ in your chest that...pumps your blood throughout your body in order t-" "That's not what I meant." He rudely interrupted in annoyance as he gave the same stare that caused her and the Princess to be so nervous. He closed his eyes, probably still weak from his encounter with Ichigo and by the time he had grabbed at his chest, his eyes shot open as he finally noticed that the hole in his chest had closed off completely. He paused in confusion and for the first time in a while he was so surprised that his face had visibly changed to match his state of shock and at the same time, he began to tremble lightly. "What...!?" He then felt on his head only to feel hair and without the figure that resembled a broken off helmet. "And here too..." He then said to himself as he began to calm himself. Red Heart and Luna only stared at him in confusion, both wearing concerned expressions on their faces. Red Heart then took a step toward him, leaving a foreleg in the air upon stopping and causing Luna to momentarily shift her focus to her. "What's wrong? Red Heart asked. "Is everything okay?" Ulquiorra then took his right arm and moved it to the side of his bed. And even my zanpakuto has gone. he then thought. He then looked up to Luna. "You." He demanded. "Where is it." He then asked. He looked to the side that his helmet like figure once resided. The remainder of my hollow mask is no longer on my head... he then shifted his gaze to his chest as he placed his hand over where the hole used to be. ...and the hole in my chest has vanishedhe then looked back to the ponies, who were now in shock because of the accusation. Because of this, its no wonder I've felt this weak upon regaining my consciousness, because it caused me to loose almost all of my spiritual pressure." Although there is no doubt that they were probably the ones who took my sword...they couldn't have had anything to do with either the hole or the mask. he then rested his arms. Nurse Red Heart jumped back. "What do you mean, what is it you want?" "You mean that sword don't you?" Luna then questioned sternly, causing Ulquiorra's eyes to narrow slightly. "I took the liberty of confiscating it for such items are forbidden for anyone outside of the guard. Besides, here, you will have no use fo-" "Hand it over." He then interrupted. "It is mine and mine alone, taking it from me without my consent would only mean that you see me as a threat." He inquired as Luna's expression began to show a hint of annoyance to almost match that of the tone of Ulquiorra's voice. Silence enveloped the room as the two only stared at each other almost in a challenging manner, as would be taken by any other ponies that happened to either be in the room at the time or passing by. "I see that you have finally awoken." Came the very pleasant and gentle feminine voice of yet another being in the room which caused both Luna and Red Heart to turn in surprise which was pleasant, unlike the other surprises for them so far. Ulquiorra was sure that the voice came from another pony and as soon the she stepped out it became obvious that his assumption was accurate as the form of a large white pony, similar to Luna because of a her wings and long pointed horn. "Good morning, I am Princess Celestia, and I am very pleased to meet you and to see that you are okay." she introduced before giving off a warm and regal smile. "And welcome to Equestria." Author's Note Sorry about the chapter being so short, I just didn't see the point in continuing on with it because I've already included everything I needed in this chapter, but ill be sure to make the next chapter at least twice as long. Hope you enjoyed! Chapter 2: Welcome UlquiorraAfter the princess who called herself Celestia had greeted him in the hospital, Ulquiorra began to rule out that he was still within the known area of existence to him for he knew next to nothing of this place other than it was similar to another realm which Ichigo had been from which he called the world of the living although it was still easily distinguishable do to what appeared to be its dominant inhabitants being magical ponies that didn't exist in the world of the living and the feeling of warmth and the presence of vibrant colors alone was more than enough to convince him that he was no longer in the world he had come from which was know as Huaco Mundo. He left the hospital with his white clothing which had a large tare running all the way down the front of his shirt that exposed his chest and abdomen and half of his right sleeve torn off. He went without the information of the whereabouts of his sword and frankly at this point, he didn't care about it as he went for a mid day stroll to look around and familiarize himself with the area and during his walk he had discovered that the hospital was well within the city limits of a small town with its main inhabitants being multi colored horses which didn't come as a surprise to him as he passed many of them as he caught the curious stares of most of them. He looked from side to side as he walked noticing the stares. "I should have expected as much." he said to himself. "These ponies behave almost exactly like the humans in the world of the living." he said as he came to a stop. He then stared ahead at a pink figure that rapidly approached him in a cloud of dust. When the figure stopped and the dust cleared, he noticed, without flinching, that the pink figure was another pony with pink fur and a curly mane with a darker shade of pink who had a rather serious expression plastered on her face. She stared at him with her brows furrowed as her expression darkened gradually while she moved her head closer to him and began to rub a hoof under her chin as she closely inspected his face before looking down and crouching on her fore legs to see his shoes and maintaining her seriousness before popping out from behind his shoulder and raising his arm and fiddling with his sleeve, holding out her lower lip now with one eye brow raised before releasing his arm and trotting back in front of him and looking up to his face once more. Her frown then quickly turned into a large smile which stretched almost from ear to ear. "Hi!" she said excitedly. "I've never seen you before which must mean you're new here because I know everyone and I mean everyone in Ponyville, well except you because you're new and all but wait, if you're new here, then you must not have any friends which must be sad because everyone needs friends because without friends you'll be so lonely, oh, I know, I'll throw you a welcome to Ponyville party!" The then said on a single breath. "Then you could make some new friends and then you won't be so lonely!" She then finished as the stood on her back hooves with her fore hooves raised into the air before disappearing in a cloud of smoke with the exact same shape and size as her in the same pose before slowly dispersing into the air around it. He continued to stare at her as she sped off into the distance. "What a strange world this is." He said as he put his hands into his pockets as he continued his walk for a few seconds before stopping again and looking up into the air. "I don't believe I've met a human quite like that." he then said. He continued to stare as the day continued to pass and, after a moment he took his eyes back to the road as he continued through the town. After some time had passed, he had learned the name of the town to be Ponyville and had just decided to head to the public library to gather more information about this world and its inhabitants. Information based on its history, the culture and customs of the ponies, the laws that have been passed to the ponies, military and political leaders of this realm, even the medical anatomy the ponies would help and with that in mind, he could remember quite clearly that he had seen the library during his walk and he could easily remember the fastest way to get to it from where he currently was which shouldn't take long given the small size of the town. "Oh darling!" came another feminine voice from the left of him, causing him to turn his head to see where the voice came from, although without even a hint of surprise expressed in his face or uttering a single word. "Where did you get that fabulous outfit?" the random voice then said as Ulquiorra recognized the source as yet another pony which had white fur and a well groomed purple mane, he then notice the building in which she walked out of that had several pony shaped mannequins that lined the large windows. "You're a fashionista?" he asked in a why that seemed more like a statement than a question. The pony then smiled with a sparkle in her eyes. "Why yes, I do suppose I am, but you darling have such a divine taste in your attire!" she then replied while complementing his cloths. He then turned fully, allowing her to see what damage had been done to his clothes and with a gasp, she covered her mouth with a hoof as her expression changed from that of awe to one of grief and horror. "Oh my, what on earth happened?" she then asked. Ulquiorra stared at her for a moment. "I fell." were the only two words that came to mind when the pony started at him. "I'm sorry, but I simply can not allow such a horrid mistake go uncorrected!" she then stated out of pride and sympathy for his damaged clothes. "You simply must come in and have me fix it for you! I won't even charge you." she said before pointing a hoof at the door which had opened on it's own after a magical aura had surrounded her horn. Ulquiorra complied, although he couldn't ignore what he had just saw. Did that door just open on its own? he then asked himself in his mind. How interesting, it must have been a special power that this pony possesses he then thought as he walked though the door. I may just have to keep an eye on this one just to be safe. he then noted mentally before the door had closed. ________________________________________ "Pinkie, I thought you said that this was an emergency." Said a purple pony with the same wings and horn as the two princesses. She had face-hoofed in annoyance as she gritted her teeth. "But this is an emergency!" Responded the pink pony that encountered Ulquiorra in town earlier. The two of them were inside of a small circular public library, which had a wooden floor and walls with built in book shelves also mad of wood. It was a two story building with the foot of the stairs were almost directly across from the front door. "Agh, I have no time for this!" She spoke loudly although without yelling. She sighed after a short pause which allowed her to calm herself. "Look, Pinkie, I understand that some pony had just moved in and that he needs to make a few friends in order to become comfortable." She then said. "And I would like to meet him, but you of all ponies should know I'm far too busy planning for the Summer Sun Celebration, which is only three days away." The pink pony, Pinkie, as called by the purple alicorn sat on the floor, staring confusedly, as if to make out wether or not she was being serious, but by the end of her sentence she realized that she was not joking and stood up in a giggle, covering her mouth with a foreleg. "Pony, who said anything about a pony?" She then said in amusement. This threw the purple alicorn into confusion as she tilted her head and furrowed one brow followed by a typical "huh?" She scratched the back of her head and blinked. "Then what is he, a griffin?" She then asked. "Nope!" Pinkie said flatly. "Is it a mule?" She then asked as her curiosity was beginning to rise. "Nope!" Pinkie said again with her continued amusement. "A menitor?" She continued. "Nope!" "Is it a-" "Nope!" Pinkie then said while maintaining her smile which only grew to almost stretch from ear to ear. "Then it's a-" "Nope, it's not a centor, manticore, dragon, zebra, cow, changeling, buffalo, pegasus, unicorn, alicorn, or a princess." "Pinkie, we already ruled out that it wasn't a unicorn, pegasus, or an alicorn when you said that he wasn't a pony and a princess is a female and also an alicorn so why did you even bring that up?" the purple alicorn then questioned with her annoyance returning to her. Pinkie stared at her quizzically for a half second. "Bring what up?" she asked which caused the purple alicorn to face hoof for a second time. "A princess!" she the yelled. She then took another moment to calm herself, closing her eyes as she engaged in another sigh and upon exhaling, she opened her eyes. "It doesn't matter, just please tell me what he is exactly." she then pleaded. "Oh yeah, I think he was a-" the door opened, stopping pinkie mid sentence and catching her attention. Seeing as she lived just upstairs above the public library, the purple alicorn was used to the occasional pony walk in and about to check out or return a book, so she didn't look right away, although Pinkie's expression was one of surprise as the purple alicorn continued to ask what Ulquiorra was. "Pinkie, what's wrong with you, I just asked you a simple ques-" "Good evening, this is the public library if I am not mistaken, I would like to gather information about this place." came a very calm and distinctive voice which Pinkie easily recognized from earlier while the other pony hadn't recognized the voice, causing her to turn to see who it was. When she saw him her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "No it can't be..." she then said to her self. "Are you...a human?" Ulquiorra was caught off guard by the sudden question and for a moment he only stared back at her before feeling at his chest which led him to remember that the hole there was now gone and that his mask had also disappeared. He then closed his eyes for a moment as he silently took a breath through his nose. he then lowered his head and almost let it hang for a moment as he reopened his eyes and looked back to her. "Yes." he lied. "I suppose I am." This response caused an uproar of excitement inside of the purple alicorn which stared with a quick gasp as her wings shot open although without her taking flight. Ulquiorra had a feeling that he would receive such reaction eventually although he didn't expect it to be as surprised. "Oh my gosh, a human has just walked into my library. This is so exciting." she hen said as she rotted towards i'm to get a closer look at him as he stood still with the unwavering lifelessness that made up his facial expression as his hands rested in his pockets. "I always thought hey were just an old pony tail until now but-" He lifted his arm and pointed directly at her which silenced her and caused her to stop in her tracks. "Are you a princess?" he then asked her abruptly. "Oooh, he's good." pinkie commented. It was then that a small purple dragon with several green scales lining his back, abdomen, and form a mo hawk like pattern on his head then walked down the stares holding a light blue blanket. "Could you keep it down in here, how am i supposed to read my comics with all this racket?" he raised his voice in annoyance before his demeanor suddenly changed from annoyed to curiosity. "Uh Twilight, who's he?" he then asked. Ulquiorra looked up to see the dragon, but he soon froze for a brief moment before stepping away from the and stopping just to the side of it with his back to the wall as pinkie's tail had appeared to twitch. At that point a faint scream began to emerge from outside of the library which rapidly grew louder and loud before the two ponies and the one dragon had braced themselves for a crash that they expected to happen within the next second or so. The awaited crash however did not come which led them to open their eyes to look at what had happened. What they saw was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane stuck upside down in mid air with a close mouthed and wide eyed face which they soon found out the Ulquiorra's arm was extended and his hand had a firm grip on one of her back legs without even the slightest change to his own expression. The rainbow pony blinked before gravity finally took affect and made her drop to the ground with a loud thud. It was then that Ulquiorra let go of her and she had lifted up her head. She began to rub the back of it with clenched teeth and a closed eye. "Agh, my head!" she grunted from her soreness. "What the hay was that for?" she then asked Twilight out of annoyance. Twilight only stared wide eyed at Ulquiorra with her jaw practically touching the ground without a reply. "Uh, it wasn't Twilight that stopped you mid air." The dragon said to her. "Besides, shouldn't you be glad that you didn't slam into the wall again, cause I sure am." he then said off topic. "Never mind that." she then said. "If it wasn't Twilight, then who was it, they guy behind me?" she asked out of sarcasm. The dragon just pointed behind her with a blank facial expression. "Uh, yeah, pretty much." At that, she continued to stare at him for a moment before turning around with her head facing slightly down as she had expected another pony to be standing there, but to her surprise, it was figure of Ulquiorra who was taller than most of the ponies he had seen thus far. When she fully turned , she had to raise her head a little in order to look him in the eye, however in the middle of doing so, she found it rather difficult to keep her curiosity at bay. "Wow!" She nearly yelled as she jumped back. "What the, where did you come from?" she demanded. "Ulquiorra only continued to stare, offering the moment a brief silence before speaking. "I am a human." he replied. "but I don't see exactly how that would concern you." he then rudely commented. This caused an uproar within the rainbow maned pony as she jumped into the air and began to flap her wing to hover a good three or four feet off the ground with a look of annoyance toppled with the intent to scare him. "Hey, who do you think I am?" she asked as she very nearly pushed her face into his. And without so much as a flinch, he looked her dead in the eye with a certain unease that would almost cause one to collapse under their own weight. "You are an insignificant flying horse knows not when to silence herself when need be." he said flatly. The lack of a smile or crack in his current demeanor showed them that he wasn't playing around and that he meant what he said. The rainbow pony flu back a little, trying to recollect her thoughts with her eyes narrowed and her blood beginning to boil. "What did you call m-" "Well I can see that you are a bit unsettled." Twilight abruptly interupted her and jumped in between them as Ulquiorra continued to glare at the rainbow pony. "so how about I get you something to drink Mr...." "Ulqiorra...and tea would be nice, thank you." he replied, then turning to pinkie. "And as for the party you initially offered, I would prefer not to have such a festivity." he then requested. "I find them rather annoying." Chapter 3: Adjustments to be MadeWith the Summer Sun celebration fast approaching and the business that had situated itself well within Ponyville, Ulquiorra had found it a bit difficult to adjust to what seemed to be his new, peaceful life. Not only because of the colorful talking ponies that seemed to dominate the realm, but also because he had to deal with the idea of being the only human like being that existed in this world as far as he knew. He didn't mind the change of surroundings or the ponies, in fact, he didn't necessarily loathe or dislike it, but he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, given his abrupt appearance after his fight with Ichigo in Huaco Mundo and the disappearance of his mask and hole along with the fact that his zanpakuto had been confiscated by the ponies and that most of his powers had gone from him. He stared at the moon which was high in the night sky, thinking about what had happened to Ichigo after he had disappeared. He wondered whether or not he was able to stop a man known, to him, as Lord Aizen, who had ruled over a group of powerful and mostly ruthless beings called arrancars for some time even though he, himself, was not one of their kind. Most of the windows in town were dark including the library below him, meaning that it was late and that at least most of the ponies in town must have been asleep by now. He had been thinking for some time now and the sound of flapping had caught his attention. He lifted his head before looking to his side to see that it was Princess Luna, who had come, although he wasn't sure as to why. He turned back to the moon. "What do you want?" he asked blankly, not seeing any point in small talk about the nice weather or the graceful beauty of the moon and the stars that were scattered across the night sky. Luna stepped forward and was now directly at his side to the right of him. She was also staring at the moon, only her face wasn't the same emptiness that Ulquiorra's had been. Her's showed a rather grim, almost sad, expression. "How is it?" she asked vaguely which provoked no response from him. "The moon...and the stars, I mean." After saying that, a moment of silence took hold of them, leaving only the wind to make any sound along with a few wind chimes that could be heard from a few other, close by, houses. "To be fully honest..." he finally said, "I am not at all interested in the insignificant stars." he said bluntly. "I stare at the moon only because it seems to be very similar to the world I came from." he continued. Luna turned to him with a puzzled expression. "Now that you've brought it up, I've been meaning to ask of where is it you came from." she asked, receiving no answer for a moment and as she began to look away from him He finally answered. "It's called Huaco Mundo and it is very different from this world." Luna, caught by surprise by the answer, quickly turned back to him. "Really, how so?" she then asked which caused him to have flashes, remembering a time when his mask had covered his entire face with the only holes being over his eyes. Another where he crossed the vast desert with no accomplices, and how he met Aizen and became an arroncar, followed by his fight with Ichigo. He lowered his head before closing his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it," he said. "there would be no point in explaining it all." Luna had heard his answer, but didn't really believe his justification. To her, there was a certain tone in his voice that portrayed a kind of sadness and although the tone itself was faint, it was there for her to read which meant that something else was behind what he was saying, something bad that he felt it absolutely necessary to keep secret. She then decided to discard the topic for the time being. "I see." was her only verbal response. She then remembered just a few days ago when she had discovered him with his helmet like mask and the hole in his chest. "When I found you, I was in shock at what I saw." she then said to him, instantly catching his attention. "There was a large hole in your chest and you were about to pass on." She said. "I see." he said while noting that he still had the hole and mask upon entering this world. "Tell me how exactly you were able to find me." Luna looked back up at the moon. "Well...I was at the castle in Canterlot," she said while pointing a hoof at a castle on the side of a mountain some distance away from Ponyville. Ulquiorra glanced at the castle for a moment before looking at her again. "What was it that drove you to this place?" "It was nearing the end of my royal duty of watching over the land during the night when I saw a faint stream of small white orbs coming from the moon just over the Everfree forest and seeming to disappear on the ground near this place so I decided that since it is my royal duty to watch over my subjects during the night, then I was to inspect it myself." she complied. "And when I had arrived, it was you who lay in the grass with torn cloths a strange helmet like object on your head, and a hole in your chest along with a deep gash that extended diagonally across your torso." Ulquiorra turned his head to halfway face her. "I see." he said. So I was with my mask and the hole in my chest was still there when I appeared in this world. "Did you find a sword anywhere around me?" he then asked. "Yes, there was such a weapon in your hand." She answered truthfully. "I took it and tucked it away for safe keeping." He looked back to the moon. "I see." he said followed by another short pause. "I thank you for the company, but I prefer to be left alone for the time being, I see no point in conversing with you any further." "Of course." She replied. "I must return to the castle anyway so if you need me, I will be there." She then turned her head as the horn on her head began to glow and a golden slip, which was enveloped in its own glow, had floated in his direction when she turned back to face him as he had turned to her. "Take this, it is a pass to the castle in Canterlot. Use this and your trip there will be payed for and you will be allowed inside the castle." She finished before opening her wings and flapping once. Ulquiorra gently grabbed the slip as the glow around it disappeared. "I'll keep that in mind." Luna then nodded once before taking to the air and flying off to the castle in Canterlot. _______________________________________________________ The next day Ulquiorra had awakened from atop the library only opening his eyes and without any movement. He quickly realized that he had fallen asleep on the roof, where he spoke with Princess Luna only a few hours earlier as he slowly lifted his upper body to sit upright before standing a moment later and looking around. He saw that it was well within the day, nearing noon as many of Ponyville's inhabitants roamed the streets and he could hear a mixture of chatter from them as well as chirping from the birds that dominated the roof tops and skies. He turned to see no difference in the activities in the streets other than a certain pink pony who was hoping about in a ridiculous get up composing of a colorful gift box covering her body, diver's footwear over all four of her hooves, purple swirly shades, a novelty arrow hat on her head, and several instruments over her mouth. He didn't care about what it meant, nor did he want to figure out so he just left it at that and, at that moment, he noticed two pegasus ponies flying in his direction. He turned to see who they could have been and he recognized one of them with a rainbow mane and the other which he did not recognize in the least, a yellow pegasus with a long light pink mane and tail. "Hey new guy!" yelled out Rainbow. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and steadily shook his head for a second before reopening them and staring at her in annoyance. "I already told you, my name is Ulquiorra." Rainbow and the other pony landed in front of him just after he said that. "Yeah yeah, what ever." she said as she rolled her eyes while her head's movement matched that of her eyes'. "I just thought that since you're new here and all, then maybe you wouldn't mind making a few new friends." Rainbow replied while introducing a new topic. She then pointed a hoof at the yellow pegasus, who approached slowly. Rainbow turned back to the other pony. "This is that human guy I was telling you about Fluttershy." she said to her. The yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, came closer to look at him. "Wow, a human." she said just before jumping into the air and hovering next to him. "I've never seen one in person before and he's so tall like princess Celestia." "I'm not quite as tall as her, but why would you be amazed by the height of one's being?" he responded. "Compared to most humans, i'm nothing special in terms of height, but unless you have something important to tell me, then leave me immediately." he then demanded. "I see no point in discussing such trifling matters. Fluttershy took a step back and her ears jumped back as the look in his eye sent chills down her spine. "Oh um...I'm sorry, I just wanted to..." she said weakly. "I understand and appreciate your intentions, but I don't see any point in making friends for the time being." he explained. "Right now, I'm more focused on adjusting to this world, and for now, being alone will allow me to adjust more easily." he then said as he turned away, Fluttershy backed away a few steps, out of shyness at first, but then her demeanor change to that of understanding. "Okay, I understand." she said. "Maybe another time then." she then stated in a way that almost sounded more like a question than a statement. Ulquiorra stood there silently for a moment and the two pegasus ponies turned after a good 4 seconds as rainbow leaped up and hovered a few feet above the roof and crossing her front hooves. "Fine, I guess I'll just go hang at applejack's and get some cider." she grunted before taking off into the direction of a large apple orchard on the outskirts of Ponyville. Fluttershy, however, wasn't as quick to leave as she walked a few steps away and unfolding her wings to take flight as her. "Perhaps..." Ulquiorra then said, causing her to stop and turn back to him with a look of surprise and somewhat relief. "...maybe when I've gotten more accustomed to this world." he finished. Fluttershy smiled lighly. "Okay." she said again, but this time with a gleeful tone. A moment later, she turned back away and took off in a gentler and slower pace than most other pegasi that he had seen so far, yet that didn't matter to him. After she left, Ulquiorra was once again by himself atop the roof of the library. His eyes were closed and he was deep in thought, still trying to asses the current situation, what with being in a world, very foreign to him. "I must do my best to avoid making any connections when I know so little about this world and its inhabitants." he said to himself out loud. He then looked up at the castle on the cliff side Although, I cannot shake this feeling strange feeling inside of me. One which seems to have emerged from the small amount of time I have spent in this world. Is it the polar opposite of the emptiness I felt while in Huaco Mundo? he then thought. He then looked down to his pocket as he pulled out the golden slip that Luna had given to him the night before. "Take this, it is a pass to the castle in Canterlot. Use this and your trip there will be payed for and you will be allowed inside the castle." he remembered Luna saying to him as she gave him the slip. He continued to stare at it for a moment. Either way, it may be a good idea to go to that castle in order to acquire my zanpakuto as well as more information about this place.
Prologue{???} It was dark out in the middle of a seemingly never ending desert that had surrounded an enormous stone building with a somewhat ominous crescent moon situated high in the night sky and very few clouds which were dark a loosely dispersed. On the center of the giant stone mass, were five huge pillars which were all destroyed except for one. A man with short spiked orange hair who was wearing torn black clothing to the point that his abdominal region along with his left arm and most of his left leg were bare stared in shock at another man which was taller and slender with pale skin, long black hair, black fur that covered everything below his waste and most of his arms, two horns that perturbed from the sides of his head, large black wings that resembled that of a bat, and a large hole in his chest which, at a glance, seemed to have a black substance seeping down out of the circular hole along with his eyes which were yellow with the whites of them being green and his pupils resembling that of a cat's. He was injured with a long, deep cut extending from his left shoulder to his right hip and he was missing most of his left arm and leg, half of his left horn was missing, and his entire left wing. The tall man was close to a girl with long straight orange hair in white clothing which had tears around her neck and upper body and leaving her shoulders bare. He was also standing next to and stared blankly at another man with black hair that extended to the bottom of his cheeks on either side of his face who wore glasses and white long sleeved clothing which had tares all over and was missing half of its left sleeve and had a long, thin black sword stabbed through his chest and narrowly missing his heart. The orange haired man stared at the man with the sword in his chest in disbelief. "Uryu..." He said aloud to himself, silently hoping he was okay. In response, the man he was looking at made an effort to smile as he looked back at him. "I see you finally...snapped out of it." He said, using up much of his dwindling strength. The orange haired man was now in greater shock. "Am I the one...responsible for that wound?" He asked in worry as he continued stare wide eyed at the man with the sword in his chest. "You're a hard guy to kill." Said the taller man in a calm and dark voice, causing the orange haired guy to turn to meet his gaze and with his focus now fixed on him, he only stared, painfully taking in the aftermath of what he had done while he was apparently unconscious. "Ulquiorra..." Was the only thing he could bring himself to say at the moment, receiving his cold stare. Ulquiorra then seemed to disappear before instantly re-appearing in front of Uryu, who had the sword go through his chest, which startled him. He grabbed the sword before quickly and forcefully tugging on it, dislodging it from his chest and causing him to cringe and yelp for a short moment from the sudden jolt of pain as he turned to throw the sword, causing it to land in front fo the orange haired man with the narrow blade now loosely stuck in the ground with the handle pointed slightly away from him. "Pick it up." The man he called Ulquiorra demanded calmly to him right after tossing it into the ground, and for a moment, things were silent. "Let's finish this battle now." He continued as he held his arm in the same bent position after tossing the sword. "The one who stabbed Uryu...was it me?" The orange haired man then asked. Ulquiorra turned completely to the side, making only the left side of his body visible to him while not taking his gaze off of him. "What difference does it make?" He questioned as he visibly brought up his right forearm with his palm open as a light green fire appeared in it before forming a long and narrow rod which was now sharp on both ends and without loosing its color or luminosity. "Am I also the one responsible for...cutting off your left arm and leg?" The orange haired man continued to question without taking his eyes off him as his expression became even more serious. "If that's what happened then you should cut off my left arm and leg." He then suggested without confusion or hesitation. This gesture caught everyone else by surprise with all of them reacting in their own way, the girl's expression became grim and her eyes widened. "What are you talking about!?" She demanded. Ulquiorra's eyes also widened but only slightly as he dispersed to rod that he formed in his and before turning his body a little in the direction of the orange haired man and the orange haired man continued to speak in a serious tone. "The entity fighting you earlier was a hollowfied being with no consciousness, it was not really me. If were going to settle this fight, I have to be in the same condition as you or we won't be evenly matched." He then explained. Upon hearing his explanation, Uryu's eyes widened as his irises shrunk. "Hold on Ichigo!" He pleaded. "Are you crazy!?" He then asked. "You can't be serious about this; it's suisidal!" He then suggested to him. The taller man stared in surprise, still caught off guard by Ichigo's request. He regained his composure shortly after to his normal expression as he turned again, this time almost fully, to have his body face Ichigo, showing no emotion as he did so. "I'm fine with that, if that is what you want, that is what you will get." He agreed, showing no remorse. He then raised his wing as he repaired to engage and fulfill Ichigo's request. After raising his wing however, it started to deteriorate into ash, catching him and everyone else by surprise as he froze, looking back to his wing as the surprise had disappeared from his face. "Agh, so this is how it ends." He then stated before turning back to Ichigo. "Kill me, Ichigo." He said blankly, receiving stunned and confused looks from everyone around. "You don't have much time left. I won't resist you; I no longer have the strength to even walk. If you don't take this opportunity now, our duel will remain unsettled forever." The taller man explained in urgency without raising his voice. Ichigo stood still as he began to look to word the ground with a beat of sweat forming just above his left cheek. "I can't do it..." He replied. Ulquiorra stared in disappointment. "What are you saying?" He asked. At this Ichigo gritted his teeth. "I don't want to; not like this." He replied. "It's...wrong..." He then stated. "This is not the way I want to defeat you!" He yelled at the top of his longs before breathing heavily to catch his breath. The taller man widened his eye as the color in them began to shift, the irises from yellow to a light green and the area around from green to white. He then closed them as he lowered his head to the side as he continued to slowly deteriorate. "To the very end...you just won't do what I want." He then concluded softly in defeat before reopening them a moment later to look at the girl. "...And just when I was finally becoming...a little bit intrigued with the way you people behave." (Flash back) The girl was standing in a white room with several columns lining the sides and she was with the man who was taller than her friends. But he was in a completely different form which was slightly shorter than her as he wore white clothing and instead of long horns on either side of his head, he had what appeared to be a partially broken off helmet on covering the left side of his head. He stood with his hands in his pocket as he kept his attention on her. "Are you afraid?" He ask her. "It's over. You will die here. You will die all by yourself with no one to witness it." He then said without getting a reaction from her even as he stared her down with his green and white eyes. "So I want to know. How frightened are you?" He then asked her. "I am not...at all." She said in a calm and collected manner. "You see...now I know that my friends came to rescue me...so right now...my heart...my heart is with them." She then explained. "What nonsense." He replied. "You're not scared because you're friends have come for you?" He questioned without him losing his composure. "You can't be serious. You really think they can save you?" He then asked. Her eyes relaxed. "Absolutely." Was her only response. "Tell me. What is a heart? (Present) Ulquiorra's hand reached out at the girl in a moderate pace. A gesture he had already done once toward her. (Flash back) Ulquiorra's hand now reached to the girl. "If I tore a hole in your chest, would I see it?" He asked as he brought his right hand out, reaching at her chest just above her breasts before raising it to her forehead. "If I split open your skull, would it be there?" Then asked, causing her to gasp as he then began to move it down to her upper abdomen. "Or would it be further down?" (End of flash back) "Let me ask again." He then requested. "Are you afraid of me?" He said as his arm was fully extended with his hand only casually reaching out before opening fully and using the last of his strength. The girl held both of her hands in her chest. "No I'm not afraid." she responded calmly as before but this time with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Really...I'm not..." He stared at her with his hand still reaching out to her. "I understand." He then said as he began to slowly pull his arm back to his body when all of a sudden, the girl reached out in an attempt to grab his hand, only to have it turn to dust and continue to disintegrate up his arm rapidly. I see now...in the palm of my hand... his vision became dark as he had finally completely vanished from their sight. i...is a heart. ________________________________________ For Ulquiorra, quite some time had passed as he continued to think to himself in without the presents of light, sound, or any sense of feeling, giving him a perfect sense of nothingness. Is this happiness? he thought to himself. Is this where my heart belongs? It...so bleak and probably would be described as boring. he then thought. His thoughts then halted, probably in an attempt to listen carefully for any audible sound. as I thought...there is no sound here in this world nothingness, even my thoughts produce no sound. I'm all alone, for any human...I doubt that even that Ichigo could stand it here, but I wonder. Is his heart strong enough to overpower the dread that I've come to accept as my home? he then thought as he began to ponder the self asked question. Eventually however, he began to hear a faint sound. ...what is that sound? he asked leading him to listen carefully to figure out what it may be and after a few seconds, he had noticed that the sounds were repeating and constant. It sounds like a trotting horse...but why am I hearing this? confusion began to set in as he began to feel a cool breeze on him as the hoof steps came to a stop. The hooves have stopped, but I can now feel wind. What world is this? I can't see anything nor can I feel or hear my body, yet I am able to feel a breeze and hear the sound of a horse." He then thought. He had also noted the sound a wings that flapped making him think it was a bird he was hearing but after remembering how faint the sounds were he realized that it was probably coming from an animal that is larger than any birds in the world Ichigo had come from. He know nothing of it but he didn't intend to complain because although the faint sounds and the cool breeze had him confused, he actually preferred the feeling and hearing something. After some time, the flapping had stopped and the hoof steps resumed. The flapping stopped...and the hooves come again. This sounds like what a human would call a pegasus, but that couldn't be it, they do not exist, even an arroncar can't resemble one, so what else could it be? his mind continued to wonder as he began to hear voices. When he tried to listen to them however, he realized that they were to faint for him to make out what they were saying but he could tell that there was more than on source that the voices were coming from' which came at him from all directions. and now there are even more hooves in the mix, yet I can hear talking, just like in the world of the living. he then thought as he noticed his curiosity reach its peek while at the same time, his senses began to fully come back to him until he finally opened his eyes. He then looked down at his pail hands, closing them once and reopening them to be sure they were his and sure enough, they were. "I'm still alive? But how?" He asked himself before taking a look around him, taking in his immediate surroundings and he saw that he lie in a bed with white sheets, a white blanket, and a white pillow. He also saw that he was surrounded by two ponies, one having white fur with a pink mane and tale and wore what appeared to be a nurse cap on her head and the other with navy blue fur and a dark blue mane and tale with a star pattern on it that resembled the night sky and was flowing even though there was no air flow but the real difference was that this one, to his surprise, had not only the wings of a pegasus, but also the horn of a unicorn. They both stared at him as he blinked, looking toward his chest after doing so to notice that his wounds were completely gone. "Why have you healed me?" He asked "Who are you?" Author's Note I started this because I actually did wonder about what actually happened to Ulquiorra after he faded away and also I know that all the fan girls out there would probably appreciate me bringing him back in a fiction. Hope you guys/girls Enjoy!
Chapter 1: A New a Beginning"Why have you treated my wounds?" Ulquiorra asked before looking up to face the two ponies that stood on either side of his bed "Who are you?" He the asked to them. The white pony gave off a surprised gasp as the darker one continued to stare in intrigue, as if trying to make out what exactly he was. "Oh, excuse me, I was unaware of your ability to speak." Replied the white pony before giving off an embraced smile as an awkward laugh sounded from her lips but after a second or two, she noticed that the expression on his face had failed to change so she assumed that he didn't care for such a mistake. "I'm sorry, where are my manors?" She then asked rhetorically after composing herself. "I'm nurse Red Heart." She said, causing him to slightly alter his facial expression out of surprise. This went unnoticed by the ponies as the nurse continued as she brought a foreleg up and pointed it to the other pony. "And this his Princess Luna, she's the one who found you and brought you here." She explained. "We are elated to meet thou, and to see that thou is in now in good health." The dark alicorn said in a straight foreword and regal tone as a smile from her had quickly taken shape. Ulquiorra only stared at them. "Heart..." He muttered to where they could hear his voice, they both were surprised at his somewhat odd response as Red Heart came closer, thinking he wanted to tell her or ask her something. "Tell me." He said to them followed by a short pause. "What exactly is...a heart?" He then asked. Red Heart gave him a quizzical look, turning to Luna shortly after had told her the she was clueless as to if actually didn't know what a heart was or what he meant by it. Luna only shrugged! Telling her that she was just as confused as her. The only thing relating to a heart with him as far as they knew was the hole in his chest that he was found with. "Uh, well...the heart..." She began to answer as she turned back to him and notice his lifeless stale, sending a chill down her spine as she swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat. "...is the organ in your chest that...pumps your blood throughout your body in order t-" "That's not what I meant." He rudely interrupted in annoyance as he gave the same stare that caused her and the Princess to be so nervous. He closed his eyes, probably still weak from his encounter with Ichigo and by the time he had grabbed at his chest, his eyes shot open as he finally noticed that the hole in his chest had closed off completely. He paused in confusion and for the first time in a while he was so surprised that his face had visibly changed to match his state of shock and at the same time, he began to tremble lightly. "What...!?" He then felt on his head only to feel hair and without the figure that resembled a broken off helmet. "And here too..." He then said to himself as he began to calm himself. Red Heart and Luna only stared at him in confusion, both wearing concerned expressions on their faces. Red Heart then took a step toward him, leaving a foreleg in the air upon stopping and causing Luna to momentarily shift her focus to her. "What's wrong? Red Heart asked. "Is everything okay?" Ulquiorra then took his right arm and moved it to the side of his bed. And even my zanpakuto has gone. he then thought. He then looked up to Luna. "You." He demanded. "Where is it." He then asked. He looked to the side that his helmet like figure once resided. The remainder of my hollow mask is no longer on my head... he then shifted his gaze to his chest as he placed his hand over where the hole used to be. ...and the hole in my chest has vanishedhe then looked back to the ponies, who were now in shock because of the accusation. Because of this, its no wonder I've felt this weak upon regaining my consciousness, because it caused me to loose almost all of my spiritual pressure." Although there is no doubt that they were probably the ones who took my sword...they couldn't have had anything to do with either the hole or the mask. he then rested his arms. Nurse Red Heart jumped back. "What do you mean, what is it you want?" "You mean that sword don't you?" Luna then questioned sternly, causing Ulquiorra's eyes to narrow slightly. "I took the liberty of confiscating it for such items are forbidden for anyone outside of the guard. Besides, here, you will have no use fo-" "Hand it over." He then interrupted. "It is mine and mine alone, taking it from me without my consent would only mean that you see me as a threat." He inquired as Luna's expression began to show a hint of annoyance to almost match that of the tone of Ulquiorra's voice. Silence enveloped the room as the two only stared at each other almost in a challenging manner, as would be taken by any other ponies that happened to either be in the room at the time or passing by. "I see that you have finally awoken." Came the very pleasant and gentle feminine voice of yet another being in the room which caused both Luna and Red Heart to turn in surprise which was pleasant, unlike the other surprises for them so far. Ulquiorra was sure that the voice came from another pony and as soon the she stepped out it became obvious that his assumption was accurate as the form of a large white pony, similar to Luna because of a her wings and long pointed horn. "Good morning, I am Princess Celestia, and I am very pleased to meet you and to see that you are okay." she introduced before giving off a warm and regal smile. "And welcome to Equestria." Author's Note Sorry about the chapter being so short, I just didn't see the point in continuing on with it because I've already included everything I needed in this chapter, but ill be sure to make the next chapter at least twice as long. Hope you enjoyed!
Chapter 2: Welcome UlquiorraAfter the princess who called herself Celestia had greeted him in the hospital, Ulquiorra began to rule out that he was still within the known area of existence to him for he knew next to nothing of this place other than it was similar to another realm which Ichigo had been from which he called the world of the living although it was still easily distinguishable do to what appeared to be its dominant inhabitants being magical ponies that didn't exist in the world of the living and the feeling of warmth and the presence of vibrant colors alone was more than enough to convince him that he was no longer in the world he had come from which was know as Huaco Mundo. He left the hospital with his white clothing which had a large tare running all the way down the front of his shirt that exposed his chest and abdomen and half of his right sleeve torn off. He went without the information of the whereabouts of his sword and frankly at this point, he didn't care about it as he went for a mid day stroll to look around and familiarize himself with the area and during his walk he had discovered that the hospital was well within the city limits of a small town with its main inhabitants being multi colored horses which didn't come as a surprise to him as he passed many of them as he caught the curious stares of most of them. He looked from side to side as he walked noticing the stares. "I should have expected as much." he said to himself. "These ponies behave almost exactly like the humans in the world of the living." he said as he came to a stop. He then stared ahead at a pink figure that rapidly approached him in a cloud of dust. When the figure stopped and the dust cleared, he noticed, without flinching, that the pink figure was another pony with pink fur and a curly mane with a darker shade of pink who had a rather serious expression plastered on her face. She stared at him with her brows furrowed as her expression darkened gradually while she moved her head closer to him and began to rub a hoof under her chin as she closely inspected his face before looking down and crouching on her fore legs to see his shoes and maintaining her seriousness before popping out from behind his shoulder and raising his arm and fiddling with his sleeve, holding out her lower lip now with one eye brow raised before releasing his arm and trotting back in front of him and looking up to his face once more. Her frown then quickly turned into a large smile which stretched almost from ear to ear. "Hi!" she said excitedly. "I've never seen you before which must mean you're new here because I know everyone and I mean everyone in Ponyville, well except you because you're new and all but wait, if you're new here, then you must not have any friends which must be sad because everyone needs friends because without friends you'll be so lonely, oh, I know, I'll throw you a welcome to Ponyville party!" The then said on a single breath. "Then you could make some new friends and then you won't be so lonely!" She then finished as the stood on her back hooves with her fore hooves raised into the air before disappearing in a cloud of smoke with the exact same shape and size as her in the same pose before slowly dispersing into the air around it. He continued to stare at her as she sped off into the distance. "What a strange world this is." He said as he put his hands into his pockets as he continued his walk for a few seconds before stopping again and looking up into the air. "I don't believe I've met a human quite like that." he then said. He continued to stare as the day continued to pass and, after a moment he took his eyes back to the road as he continued through the town. After some time had passed, he had learned the name of the town to be Ponyville and had just decided to head to the public library to gather more information about this world and its inhabitants. Information based on its history, the culture and customs of the ponies, the laws that have been passed to the ponies, military and political leaders of this realm, even the medical anatomy the ponies would help and with that in mind, he could remember quite clearly that he had seen the library during his walk and he could easily remember the fastest way to get to it from where he currently was which shouldn't take long given the small size of the town. "Oh darling!" came another feminine voice from the left of him, causing him to turn his head to see where the voice came from, although without even a hint of surprise expressed in his face or uttering a single word. "Where did you get that fabulous outfit?" the random voice then said as Ulquiorra recognized the source as yet another pony which had white fur and a well groomed purple mane, he then notice the building in which she walked out of that had several pony shaped mannequins that lined the large windows. "You're a fashionista?" he asked in a why that seemed more like a statement than a question. The pony then smiled with a sparkle in her eyes. "Why yes, I do suppose I am, but you darling have such a divine taste in your attire!" she then replied while complementing his cloths. He then turned fully, allowing her to see what damage had been done to his clothes and with a gasp, she covered her mouth with a hoof as her expression changed from that of awe to one of grief and horror. "Oh my, what on earth happened?" she then asked. Ulquiorra stared at her for a moment. "I fell." were the only two words that came to mind when the pony started at him. "I'm sorry, but I simply can not allow such a horrid mistake go uncorrected!" she then stated out of pride and sympathy for his damaged clothes. "You simply must come in and have me fix it for you! I won't even charge you." she said before pointing a hoof at the door which had opened on it's own after a magical aura had surrounded her horn. Ulquiorra complied, although he couldn't ignore what he had just saw. Did that door just open on its own? he then asked himself in his mind. How interesting, it must have been a special power that this pony possesses he then thought as he walked though the door. I may just have to keep an eye on this one just to be safe. he then noted mentally before the door had closed. ________________________________________ "Pinkie, I thought you said that this was an emergency." Said a purple pony with the same wings and horn as the two princesses. She had face-hoofed in annoyance as she gritted her teeth. "But this is an emergency!" Responded the pink pony that encountered Ulquiorra in town earlier. The two of them were inside of a small circular public library, which had a wooden floor and walls with built in book shelves also mad of wood. It was a two story building with the foot of the stairs were almost directly across from the front door. "Agh, I have no time for this!" She spoke loudly although without yelling. She sighed after a short pause which allowed her to calm herself. "Look, Pinkie, I understand that some pony had just moved in and that he needs to make a few friends in order to become comfortable." She then said. "And I would like to meet him, but you of all ponies should know I'm far too busy planning for the Summer Sun Celebration, which is only three days away." The pink pony, Pinkie, as called by the purple alicorn sat on the floor, staring confusedly, as if to make out wether or not she was being serious, but by the end of her sentence she realized that she was not joking and stood up in a giggle, covering her mouth with a foreleg. "Pony, who said anything about a pony?" She then said in amusement. This threw the purple alicorn into confusion as she tilted her head and furrowed one brow followed by a typical "huh?" She scratched the back of her head and blinked. "Then what is he, a griffin?" She then asked. "Nope!" Pinkie said flatly. "Is it a mule?" She then asked as her curiosity was beginning to rise. "Nope!" Pinkie said again with her continued amusement. "A menitor?" She continued. "Nope!" "Is it a-" "Nope!" Pinkie then said while maintaining her smile which only grew to almost stretch from ear to ear. "Then it's a-" "Nope, it's not a centor, manticore, dragon, zebra, cow, changeling, buffalo, pegasus, unicorn, alicorn, or a princess." "Pinkie, we already ruled out that it wasn't a unicorn, pegasus, or an alicorn when you said that he wasn't a pony and a princess is a female and also an alicorn so why did you even bring that up?" the purple alicorn then questioned with her annoyance returning to her. Pinkie stared at her quizzically for a half second. "Bring what up?" she asked which caused the purple alicorn to face hoof for a second time. "A princess!" she the yelled. She then took another moment to calm herself, closing her eyes as she engaged in another sigh and upon exhaling, she opened her eyes. "It doesn't matter, just please tell me what he is exactly." she then pleaded. "Oh yeah, I think he was a-" the door opened, stopping pinkie mid sentence and catching her attention. Seeing as she lived just upstairs above the public library, the purple alicorn was used to the occasional pony walk in and about to check out or return a book, so she didn't look right away, although Pinkie's expression was one of surprise as the purple alicorn continued to ask what Ulquiorra was. "Pinkie, what's wrong with you, I just asked you a simple ques-" "Good evening, this is the public library if I am not mistaken, I would like to gather information about this place." came a very calm and distinctive voice which Pinkie easily recognized from earlier while the other pony hadn't recognized the voice, causing her to turn to see who it was. When she saw him her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "No it can't be..." she then said to her self. "Are you...a human?" Ulquiorra was caught off guard by the sudden question and for a moment he only stared back at her before feeling at his chest which led him to remember that the hole there was now gone and that his mask had also disappeared. He then closed his eyes for a moment as he silently took a breath through his nose. he then lowered his head and almost let it hang for a moment as he reopened his eyes and looked back to her. "Yes." he lied. "I suppose I am." This response caused an uproar of excitement inside of the purple alicorn which stared with a quick gasp as her wings shot open although without her taking flight. Ulquiorra had a feeling that he would receive such reaction eventually although he didn't expect it to be as surprised. "Oh my gosh, a human has just walked into my library. This is so exciting." she hen said as she rotted towards i'm to get a closer look at him as he stood still with the unwavering lifelessness that made up his facial expression as his hands rested in his pockets. "I always thought hey were just an old pony tail until now but-" He lifted his arm and pointed directly at her which silenced her and caused her to stop in her tracks. "Are you a princess?" he then asked her abruptly. "Oooh, he's good." pinkie commented. It was then that a small purple dragon with several green scales lining his back, abdomen, and form a mo hawk like pattern on his head then walked down the stares holding a light blue blanket. "Could you keep it down in here, how am i supposed to read my comics with all this racket?" he raised his voice in annoyance before his demeanor suddenly changed from annoyed to curiosity. "Uh Twilight, who's he?" he then asked. Ulquiorra looked up to see the dragon, but he soon froze for a brief moment before stepping away from the and stopping just to the side of it with his back to the wall as pinkie's tail had appeared to twitch. At that point a faint scream began to emerge from outside of the library which rapidly grew louder and loud before the two ponies and the one dragon had braced themselves for a crash that they expected to happen within the next second or so. The awaited crash however did not come which led them to open their eyes to look at what had happened. What they saw was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane stuck upside down in mid air with a close mouthed and wide eyed face which they soon found out the Ulquiorra's arm was extended and his hand had a firm grip on one of her back legs without even the slightest change to his own expression. The rainbow pony blinked before gravity finally took affect and made her drop to the ground with a loud thud. It was then that Ulquiorra let go of her and she had lifted up her head. She began to rub the back of it with clenched teeth and a closed eye. "Agh, my head!" she grunted from her soreness. "What the hay was that for?" she then asked Twilight out of annoyance. Twilight only stared wide eyed at Ulquiorra with her jaw practically touching the ground without a reply. "Uh, it wasn't Twilight that stopped you mid air." The dragon said to her. "Besides, shouldn't you be glad that you didn't slam into the wall again, cause I sure am." he then said off topic. "Never mind that." she then said. "If it wasn't Twilight, then who was it, they guy behind me?" she asked out of sarcasm. The dragon just pointed behind her with a blank facial expression. "Uh, yeah, pretty much." At that, she continued to stare at him for a moment before turning around with her head facing slightly down as she had expected another pony to be standing there, but to her surprise, it was figure of Ulquiorra who was taller than most of the ponies he had seen thus far. When she fully turned , she had to raise her head a little in order to look him in the eye, however in the middle of doing so, she found it rather difficult to keep her curiosity at bay. "Wow!" She nearly yelled as she jumped back. "What the, where did you come from?" she demanded. "Ulquiorra only continued to stare, offering the moment a brief silence before speaking. "I am a human." he replied. "but I don't see exactly how that would concern you." he then rudely commented. This caused an uproar within the rainbow maned pony as she jumped into the air and began to flap her wing to hover a good three or four feet off the ground with a look of annoyance toppled with the intent to scare him. "Hey, who do you think I am?" she asked as she very nearly pushed her face into his. And without so much as a flinch, he looked her dead in the eye with a certain unease that would almost cause one to collapse under their own weight. "You are an insignificant flying horse knows not when to silence herself when need be." he said flatly. The lack of a smile or crack in his current demeanor showed them that he wasn't playing around and that he meant what he said. The rainbow pony flu back a little, trying to recollect her thoughts with her eyes narrowed and her blood beginning to boil. "What did you call m-" "Well I can see that you are a bit unsettled." Twilight abruptly interupted her and jumped in between them as Ulquiorra continued to glare at the rainbow pony. "so how about I get you something to drink Mr...." "Ulqiorra...and tea would be nice, thank you." he replied, then turning to pinkie. "And as for the party you initially offered, I would prefer not to have such a festivity." he then requested. "I find them rather annoying."
Chapter 3: Adjustments to be MadeWith the Summer Sun celebration fast approaching and the business that had situated itself well within Ponyville, Ulquiorra had found it a bit difficult to adjust to what seemed to be his new, peaceful life. Not only because of the colorful talking ponies that seemed to dominate the realm, but also because he had to deal with the idea of being the only human like being that existed in this world as far as he knew. He didn't mind the change of surroundings or the ponies, in fact, he didn't necessarily loathe or dislike it, but he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, given his abrupt appearance after his fight with Ichigo in Huaco Mundo and the disappearance of his mask and hole along with the fact that his zanpakuto had been confiscated by the ponies and that most of his powers had gone from him. He stared at the moon which was high in the night sky, thinking about what had happened to Ichigo after he had disappeared. He wondered whether or not he was able to stop a man known, to him, as Lord Aizen, who had ruled over a group of powerful and mostly ruthless beings called arrancars for some time even though he, himself, was not one of their kind. Most of the windows in town were dark including the library below him, meaning that it was late and that at least most of the ponies in town must have been asleep by now. He had been thinking for some time now and the sound of flapping had caught his attention. He lifted his head before looking to his side to see that it was Princess Luna, who had come, although he wasn't sure as to why. He turned back to the moon. "What do you want?" he asked blankly, not seeing any point in small talk about the nice weather or the graceful beauty of the moon and the stars that were scattered across the night sky. Luna stepped forward and was now directly at his side to the right of him. She was also staring at the moon, only her face wasn't the same emptiness that Ulquiorra's had been. Her's showed a rather grim, almost sad, expression. "How is it?" she asked vaguely which provoked no response from him. "The moon...and the stars, I mean." After saying that, a moment of silence took hold of them, leaving only the wind to make any sound along with a few wind chimes that could be heard from a few other, close by, houses. "To be fully honest..." he finally said, "I am not at all interested in the insignificant stars." he said bluntly. "I stare at the moon only because it seems to be very similar to the world I came from." he continued. Luna turned to him with a puzzled expression. "Now that you've brought it up, I've been meaning to ask of where is it you came from." she asked, receiving no answer for a moment and as she began to look away from him He finally answered. "It's called Huaco Mundo and it is very different from this world." Luna, caught by surprise by the answer, quickly turned back to him. "Really, how so?" she then asked which caused him to have flashes, remembering a time when his mask had covered his entire face with the only holes being over his eyes. Another where he crossed the vast desert with no accomplices, and how he met Aizen and became an arroncar, followed by his fight with Ichigo. He lowered his head before closing his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it," he said. "there would be no point in explaining it all." Luna had heard his answer, but didn't really believe his justification. To her, there was a certain tone in his voice that portrayed a kind of sadness and although the tone itself was faint, it was there for her to read which meant that something else was behind what he was saying, something bad that he felt it absolutely necessary to keep secret. She then decided to discard the topic for the time being. "I see." was her only verbal response. She then remembered just a few days ago when she had discovered him with his helmet like mask and the hole in his chest. "When I found you, I was in shock at what I saw." she then said to him, instantly catching his attention. "There was a large hole in your chest and you were about to pass on." She said. "I see." he said while noting that he still had the hole and mask upon entering this world. "Tell me how exactly you were able to find me." Luna looked back up at the moon. "Well...I was at the castle in Canterlot," she said while pointing a hoof at a castle on the side of a mountain some distance away from Ponyville. Ulquiorra glanced at the castle for a moment before looking at her again. "What was it that drove you to this place?" "It was nearing the end of my royal duty of watching over the land during the night when I saw a faint stream of small white orbs coming from the moon just over the Everfree forest and seeming to disappear on the ground near this place so I decided that since it is my royal duty to watch over my subjects during the night, then I was to inspect it myself." she complied. "And when I had arrived, it was you who lay in the grass with torn cloths a strange helmet like object on your head, and a hole in your chest along with a deep gash that extended diagonally across your torso." Ulquiorra turned his head to halfway face her. "I see." he said. So I was with my mask and the hole in my chest was still there when I appeared in this world. "Did you find a sword anywhere around me?" he then asked. "Yes, there was such a weapon in your hand." She answered truthfully. "I took it and tucked it away for safe keeping." He looked back to the moon. "I see." he said followed by another short pause. "I thank you for the company, but I prefer to be left alone for the time being, I see no point in conversing with you any further." "Of course." She replied. "I must return to the castle anyway so if you need me, I will be there." She then turned her head as the horn on her head began to glow and a golden slip, which was enveloped in its own glow, had floated in his direction when she turned back to face him as he had turned to her. "Take this, it is a pass to the castle in Canterlot. Use this and your trip there will be payed for and you will be allowed inside the castle." She finished before opening her wings and flapping once. Ulquiorra gently grabbed the slip as the glow around it disappeared. "I'll keep that in mind." Luna then nodded once before taking to the air and flying off to the castle in Canterlot. _______________________________________________________ The next day Ulquiorra had awakened from atop the library only opening his eyes and without any movement. He quickly realized that he had fallen asleep on the roof, where he spoke with Princess Luna only a few hours earlier as he slowly lifted his upper body to sit upright before standing a moment later and looking around. He saw that it was well within the day, nearing noon as many of Ponyville's inhabitants roamed the streets and he could hear a mixture of chatter from them as well as chirping from the birds that dominated the roof tops and skies. He turned to see no difference in the activities in the streets other than a certain pink pony who was hoping about in a ridiculous get up composing of a colorful gift box covering her body, diver's footwear over all four of her hooves, purple swirly shades, a novelty arrow hat on her head, and several instruments over her mouth. He didn't care about what it meant, nor did he want to figure out so he just left it at that and, at that moment, he noticed two pegasus ponies flying in his direction. He turned to see who they could have been and he recognized one of them with a rainbow mane and the other which he did not recognize in the least, a yellow pegasus with a long light pink mane and tail. "Hey new guy!" yelled out Rainbow. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and steadily shook his head for a second before reopening them and staring at her in annoyance. "I already told you, my name is Ulquiorra." Rainbow and the other pony landed in front of him just after he said that. "Yeah yeah, what ever." she said as she rolled her eyes while her head's movement matched that of her eyes'. "I just thought that since you're new here and all, then maybe you wouldn't mind making a few new friends." Rainbow replied while introducing a new topic. She then pointed a hoof at the yellow pegasus, who approached slowly. Rainbow turned back to the other pony. "This is that human guy I was telling you about Fluttershy." she said to her. The yellow pegasus, Fluttershy, came closer to look at him. "Wow, a human." she said just before jumping into the air and hovering next to him. "I've never seen one in person before and he's so tall like princess Celestia." "I'm not quite as tall as her, but why would you be amazed by the height of one's being?" he responded. "Compared to most humans, i'm nothing special in terms of height, but unless you have something important to tell me, then leave me immediately." he then demanded. "I see no point in discussing such trifling matters. Fluttershy took a step back and her ears jumped back as the look in his eye sent chills down her spine. "Oh um...I'm sorry, I just wanted to..." she said weakly. "I understand and appreciate your intentions, but I don't see any point in making friends for the time being." he explained. "Right now, I'm more focused on adjusting to this world, and for now, being alone will allow me to adjust more easily." he then said as he turned away, Fluttershy backed away a few steps, out of shyness at first, but then her demeanor change to that of understanding. "Okay, I understand." she said. "Maybe another time then." she then stated in a way that almost sounded more like a question than a statement. Ulquiorra stood there silently for a moment and the two pegasus ponies turned after a good 4 seconds as rainbow leaped up and hovered a few feet above the roof and crossing her front hooves. "Fine, I guess I'll just go hang at applejack's and get some cider." she grunted before taking off into the direction of a large apple orchard on the outskirts of Ponyville. Fluttershy, however, wasn't as quick to leave as she walked a few steps away and unfolding her wings to take flight as her. "Perhaps..." Ulquiorra then said, causing her to stop and turn back to him with a look of surprise and somewhat relief. "...maybe when I've gotten more accustomed to this world." he finished. Fluttershy smiled lighly. "Okay." she said again, but this time with a gleeful tone. A moment later, she turned back away and took off in a gentler and slower pace than most other pegasi that he had seen so far, yet that didn't matter to him. After she left, Ulquiorra was once again by himself atop the roof of the library. His eyes were closed and he was deep in thought, still trying to asses the current situation, what with being in a world, very foreign to him. "I must do my best to avoid making any connections when I know so little about this world and its inhabitants." he said to himself out loud. He then looked up at the castle on the cliff side Although, I cannot shake this feeling strange feeling inside of me. One which seems to have emerged from the small amount of time I have spent in this world. Is it the polar opposite of the emptiness I felt while in Huaco Mundo? he then thought. He then looked down to his pocket as he pulled out the golden slip that Luna had given to him the night before. "Take this, it is a pass to the castle in Canterlot. Use this and your trip there will be payed for and you will be allowed inside the castle." he remembered Luna saying to him as she gave him the slip. He continued to stare at it for a moment. Either way, it may be a good idea to go to that castle in order to acquire my zanpakuto as well as more information about this place.
