Chapter Thirteen
Luna let out a tired sigh. When the ruling of Equestria changed hooves and it was her turn to watch over the night things tended to be slow. Rarely did anyone attend the night court to seek her counsel. Her dear sister may have the headache of bickering nobles to deal with, but she was left to face long and boring stretches of nothing most of the time.
Making matters all the more unpleasant was her sister's punishment for involving her student in the matter pertaining to Ulquiorra Cifer. She was accustomed to the relative shunning of the Canterlot population who believed her sister was worth their time -and ignorance- but to be forced to experience the dulness without any sweets to distract herself with went beyond cruel and unusual punishment; it was completely unforgivable! She didn't even get to have any syrup on her pancakes, how did her sister expect her to eat such an abomination against the natural order of things?
The only thing keeping her from going truly mad from sugar withdrawl was her small stash of assorted candies hidden in her chambers to provide her with a small bedtime snack. She'd have to ration them carefully to make it through this week...or find some way to sneak behind her sister's back without her realizing it.
She let out a sigh. Looking around she realized she'd managed to kill another five minutes, but that still left her with several hours before her sister would be waking up and taking over. She had to figure out something she could do to pass the time better.
And just like that a thought came to her mind on what she could do. There was a matter that needed to be addressed and now seemed like as good a time as any. "Go to the royal library and fetch Ulquiorra Cifer," she told one of her shadow guard at the base of the throne's steps.
The guard nodded in understanding and departed from the throne room to carry out his assigned duties, leaving his counterpart behind to fulfill the other duties of guarding Princess Luna should anyone be foolish enough to launch an attack against her.
Woe be to anypony to attempt such a suicide mission.
"Sir."
the presence of the guard entering the library wasn't sufficient to disturb Ulquiorra from his reading. However being addressed directly was another matter. He cast an aside glance out of the corner of his eye to the shadow guard member standing before him. Fortunately the guard seemed observant enough to realize he had his attention at this point.
"Princess Luna requests your presence in the throne room," the guard stated.
"I decline the invitation," Ulquiorra replied simply as he turned the page in the book he was reading. The guard seemed fazed by his statement and left uncertain what to say in response.
"I have my orders to bring you to the throne room, sir," the guard continued.
As he figured. What the guard referred to as a request was more accurately described as a command appearance and not one he had a say in; just as he suspected. Memorizing the page number and the book he placed it back on the shelf before turning and approaching the guard, slipping his hands back into his pockets in the process.
The walk to the throne room was as silent as he'd anticipated, neither party saying a word or so much as clearing their throat. Just a simple walk down the long stretch of hallway before coming to a conclusion at the opened doors of the throne room. At that point the escorting guard took his leave and returned to the steps leading to the throne.
"We art most glad thee could attend, Ulquiorra Cifer, please approach," Luna greeted.
"My presence was commanded. It was not a matter I had any say in," Ulquiorra replied evenly as he stepped closer to the throne, stopping about twenty feet away from the steps that lead up to it. "For what purpose was I ordered to make myself available?"
Straight to the point and short on pleasantries. She could respect that but she still frowned. She needed to proceed with caution on the matter; afterall she wasn't in a competition for bluntness. "There were a number of issues raised by thee's report on Ponyville and the ponies living there. We wish to go over the matter more thoroughly," she explained, "thou seemed...unkind in your opinions. Our sister was displeased by thee's delivery."
To a normal resident of Equestria the news that their Princess was displeased with them would be very upsetting. To Ulquiorra it was nothing and his posture practically broadcast that fact. "As I have explained it is no concern or fault of mine if Princess Celestia finds disfavor with what I have to say. If she was not prepared to be informed that the majority of her subjects are little more than trash then that is her problem and not mine," he replied evenly and collectively.
Luna's frown deepened. Ulquiorra Cifer's report had been delivered in a less than favorable light. But he hadn't referred to anypony as trash. "And informing our sister that her dear student may possess the capacity for murder? Was that truly necessary?"
"Merely an observation. If Twilight Sparkle is truly a prized student then Princess Celestia deserves to know that things may proceed in an unfavorable manner at some point in the future," Ulquiorra replied.
She'd summoned Ulquiorra Cifer to clear up uncertainties about his report and his findings and she was now trying to control her temper as he talked. Things were not progressing well at all. His deadpan delivery and unwavering calmness was just adding to her fury. "How can thee say such about those thou hast met today?" she all but demanded.
"What did you expect? Did you believe that during my time in Ponyville I would experience an epiphany and rethink my existence up to this point? Did you expect me to state that I developed friends and formed bonds with those that reside in the town?" Ulquiorra asked as he slowly began walking forward. "And what of your involvement of Twilight Sparkle? Perhaps you summoned her here for other motives? Did you believe that I would forge a relationship with her? Were you expecting me to find love, settle down and start a family with her or one of the others? The very notion of such a thought is physically repulsive and nauseating in nature," he explained as he stepped closer to the throne.
Luna was angered at the accusations. He was accusing her of going behind her sister's back and using her student -and her friend- to try and further some outrageous agenda. And he was doing such in an unacceptably calm manner as he dared to step closer to her in a deliberately slow manner. Before she could even formulate a response he continued again.
"Back in my dimension I was a murderer, I don't deny that fact. My very existence is connected to the cannibalistic act of devouring thousands of my own kind in order to evolve. Once I became a Vasto Lorde I allowed myself to serve a Shinigami and continued to murder others and threaten much worse to specific targets as I was ordered. Did you and Princess Celestia truly believe simply because I was sentient I was somehow less dangerous than a wild and untamed beast? Did you believe that teaching me a few courtesies and niceness would domesticate me into something like a pet? That being submerged into a town where everyone is nice and welcoming would be sufficient to make me regret my past actions and what I am? Did you expect me to want to become a contributing member of your society immediately because you believe in second chances for even the most heinous?"
"If thou sayest one more word we shalt banish thee to the moon for your impudence!" Luna angrily stated as he came to a stop not ten feet from the steps, her guards now on high alert at his proximity to her.
"Then do so without any further hesitation," Ulquiorra replied without so much as blinking.
Instead it was Luna's turn to blink. His words and his calm delivery left her surprised. He was threatened with the worst punishment imaginable and he was telling her to do just that? "...What?"
"If you truly believe I should be sent to the moon then do so without hesitation. Do not waste time by stating what you will do, simply do it and be done with it," he repeated.
Luna blinked more. Ulquiorra was standing painfully close, staring her down with those empty eyes and daring her to carry out punishment against him for angering her and she was left speechless; a fact he seemed to pick up on as he began speaking yet again.
"There are two reasons to believe you won't banish me to the moon. First and foremost is the fact that I am under Princess Celestia's rule and subject to her orders and determinations. Despite you being her sister she is unlikely to take kindly to you determining the fate of one of her subjects without first consulting her, regardless of the circumstances. Secondly is your own personal involvement in the matter; you went behind your sister's back by bringing Twilight Sparkle here even though you likely had reason to believe you would face consequences for such an overreach of your authority. You obviously believed the ends would justify the means or you would not have done such. If you banish me then you'll be admitting to yourself that your efforts amounted to nothing. You don't seem the type who would cut off your nose to spite your face," he explained.
She could feel her sister's coming migraine trying to branch out over into her head. Her left eye was twitching. Ulquiorra Cifer was truly an unapologetic monster and he freely admitted to that. Worse yet he was accurate in his explanation as to why he wouldn't soon be occupying himself on the surface of the moon. He knew that there was nothing she could do of real significance to silence his unkind statements.
And just like the predator that he was he picked up on her moment of weakness and verbally attacked yet again.
"I am not foolish enough to believe that Princess Celestia will ever trust me to the point where I will be free to travel without her royal guards being posted as my escorts. For either of us to believe a few measures of socially demanded courtesy and a willingness to answer questions would somehow change her mind of me would require a great deal of stupidity."
That was more than Luna could stand. She was accustomed to being looked down upon, mocked and insulted by others -after her time as Nightmare Moon she believed she had deserved it to some extent regardless of what Celestia said- but he was now badmouthing and insulting both her and her sister in her absence. Her wings deployed in a rage as her eyes began to glow bright white as her magical levels climbed.
"BE GONE FROM OUR SIGHT AT ONCE THOU MOST CONTESTABLE CURR!" she bellowed, shaking the throne room in the process.
Ulquiorra for his part realized only too late that he'd crossed that invisible line that constituted going too far. Without warning Princess Luna's reiatsu level shot up to the highest he'd ever seen and it could be felt throughout the area, crushing against his hierro in a suffocating manner. Her booming voice didn't help matters any and it was all quite overwhelming in nature. This was nearly as bad as his first night here when both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were met together.
He had severely underestimated her. That was the second time he'd made such a mistake, the only question remaining was if this time would prove as fatal as the last time.
"DEPART THIS INSTANT! AND IF WE SEE THEE AGAIN BEFORE OUR SISTER DOTH RISE TO TAKE OVER THE RULE OF THE KINGDOM THOU SHALT FIND THYSELF CONFINED TO THE DUNGEONS!" she bellowed further, the volume and intensity of her voice causing him to slide back several inches. "AND DOTH NOT LET THE ROYAL DOORS SLAM ON THOU'S POSTERIOR ON THE WAY OUT!"
It seemed that he was being spared the possibility of a gruesome death. At least this time around anyway. He decided the best course of action was to heed her actions and take his leave, retreating to the library for the duration of the night.
Luna watched as Ulquiorra Cifer left, turning around and walking out at a calm pace as if he'd just been politely dismissed by her sister. From her point of view it was almost like he was challenging her to strike him when he was exposed, like he was calling her out due to arrogance. But she didn't take the bait, she didn't rise to the occasion and smite him down regardless of what he'd said. Rather she simply took a deep, deep breath and began counting to herself.
For the first time in a long, long time, Ulquiorra had found himself completely overwhelmed by the reiatsu of another. Normally it was the other way around and trash was overwhelmed and nearly crushed by his presence. But this time around in Princess Luna's presence he was the one that was left feeling like trash. As calmly and collectedly as he could he walked out of the throne room upon being dismissed, and found himself leaning against the wall for support at the first corner he turned, panting to catch the breath he'd been denied in the alicorn's presence.
"It would seem necessary to modify my behavior somewhat. I have to assume Princess Luna is considerably stronger than she displayed during that moment of anger," he thought to himself as he finally caught his breath and no longer needed the wall for support. As hard as it was to believe he had to face some unpleasant facts; his pesquisa was wrong. His observation of Princess Luna's reiryoku and reiatsu levels had been inadequate and not revealed the full story. Her wells ran considerably deeper than he could properly gauge. And it was logical to conclude that the same was true for Princess Celestia.
Another observation of his surroundings: in her fury Princess Luna had dismissed him without assigning any guards to escort him back to the library or wherever else he might go. Those that had followed him to the throne room hadn't been given any instructions and instead were left standing in the throne room awaiting orders.
He could chance returning to the throne room to inform her of this fact and potentially calm whatever foul mood had been formed by his observations and bluntness. Or he could simply return to the library on his own and not risk the further fury of Princess Luna by pointing out her own short sightedness.
It only took a glance back in the direction of the throne room for him to decide that discretion was the better option on this night.
Celestia had resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't be enjoying a restful night's sleep anytime soon. That wondrous little escape from the day-to-day worries and stressful events she was forced to tolerate was something she'd become quite accustomed to experiencing and the sudden lack of it left her disturbed and uneasy; moreso because she knew what the source of the trouble was, namely Ulquiorra's presence. She was aware of far many more details than her sister had been made privy to when she demanded answers. She'd seen everything for herself about what and who he was and what he did, she alone had to battle the mental strains of having such a dangerous being loose in her kingdom and interacting with her subjects. Having not seen the horrors of Hueco Mundo directly Luna had assumed she was overreacting and gone behind her back to involve Twilight in the matter. Even after she'd taken the step of informing her sister about some of the more unpleasant details she'd seen her sister had still been optimistic. From there it had been damage control in an attempt to keep all parties involved from crashing and burning. It was a delicate balancing act to maintain and very mentally straining.
That said it was surprising to see Luna present for their morning meal looking about as haggard as she herself felt. There were no pleasantries exchanged at the table, no greetings as she made her appearance, nothing of the usual. Most of her communication had been little more than grunts inbetween passive-aggressive bites to her food. It was all very...un-Luna-like, and it had her concerned.
And after an extended period of this Celestia couldn't take it any longer and had to speak up. "Luna? I can tell that something's wrong. However I have no idea what it might be that's troubling you. Do you feel like sharing?" she asked.
"No," Luna replied as she attacked a slice of toast.
Celestia frowned. Usually Luna preferred to give a longer response like "we doth not feel like it" or something along those lines. The one word answers were definitely out of the usual for her. She decided to press on. "As I said Luna I know that something's wrong. All I want to do is help you, but if you insist on being difficult then I feel the need to remind you that I'm intimately familiar with each and every one of your most ticklish spots as well," she said as her wings flared briefly to reinforce the threat, just as Luna had done to her a few days prior.
Despite herself Luna let out an amused snort at her sister's warning, the irony not lost on her. "Very well, dear sister, we shall share," she replied before dabbing the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Thee were most right when thou warned of Ulquiorra Cifer's nature. We found out last night that he can be quite cruel and merciless. He informed us that he considered our subjects to be no better than rubbish. He made no apologies for his allusion to Twilight Sparkle being of a murderous nature. Then he dared to go further and suggested we summoned Twilight Sparkle for less than honorable reasons that we will not even discuss. And then he didst dare to suggest that we are both stupid in nature!"
Celestia sat silently as Luna explained the situation to her, listening as her sister informed her of what she'd missed out on during the night. From the sound of it Luna had sought to clarify points raised during that tedious briefing from yesterday and had gotten far more than she bargained for. All in all she really wasn't surprised to hear it all. However before she could tell her sister her thoughts she began speaking again.
"Beyond being supremely rude Ulquiorra Cifer is unforgivably cold and merciless at calculating. During one of our less than stellar moments we threatened to banish him to the moon for his insolence and instead of cowering he didst dare us to do so. And when we hesitated he explained how he knew that we wouldst not do such a thing," she stated and let out a long sigh. "We hath never been so infuriated before by one subject," she finished and hung her head, using her hooves to pinch the bridge of her nose.
"Ah, so that's what last night's commotion was about," Celestia commented. She knew she could feel -and hear- something going on during the evening, disturbing what little sleep she had been able to get. She'd let that pass for now though, there were more important matters at hoof. "So you're seeing that our guest isn't exactly the best of company simply because of his nocturnal nature."
"Doth not jest with us right now, dear sister, we art most displeased with Ulquiorra Cifer's lack of respect for royalty and his absence of manners. What he said was most uncalled for. To suggest that Twilight Sparkle is...that we would...that..." Luna was unable to properly articulate her frustration and settled instead for a loud groan.
From where she sat Celestia extended a wing and patted Luna on the back. She could understand her sister's frustrations with Ulquiorra and his nature. He was far, far different from the many centuries of gratitude and worship that their little ponies treated them with. Whether that was a good thing or not she really didn't know just yet.
"Is there not something we can do to quell that uncouth mouth of his? Some ancient rule that we might cite about proper manners regarding royalty?" Luna asked hopefully after a long pause to gather her thoughts.
"Luna dear you know that I don't care for such heavy-hooved tactics. Simply because we don't like what he has to say is no reason to punish him for saying it," Celestia pointed out calmly as she continued stroking her sister's back. "A lot of things have happened since you were gone. During your absence the fields of science and theoretical thought gained much ground and a growing number of ponies insist that the sun rises and sets without my involvement at all. However I don't deny them their opinions nor do I desire to punish them for the content of their message. If I silenced all speech that I didn't care for it would appear that I have something to hide and we would be swamped with thousands conspiracy theories. Ulquiorra already views me unfavorably but that's his right. He's under no obligation to show some predetermined level of courtesy towards us and I'd rather not do something to reinforce his negative view," she explained.
"But after what he didst dare say about Twilight Sparkle, and why we involved her directly-" Luna started, only to be gently silence by Celestia.
"You know better than anypony about the matter and how we rule," Celestia pointed out.
Luna sighed as defeat slowly sunk in, hanging her head in recognition of the fact that there was nothing she could say on the matter. She would unfortunately have to let the matter drop and simply go back to eating her meal in silence.
Unfortunately that didn't happen as before she could even begin her next bite one of the servants came bursting through the main doors into the dining hall. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" the pegasus maid called frantically, galloping over to the table and nearly crashing into it before she could properly stop.
"My little pony, what's wrong?" Celestia asked as she rose from her seat. Very rarely did she ever see one of the servants react with such a fright.
"Great trouble is brewing, your Majesty!" the maid stated quickly and bowed while struggling to catch her breath. "As I was tending to my duties in the throne room I chanced a look out the window by the balcony and saw great billowing pillars of smoke rising from the mountains in the east! I fear that a dragon may have nested in the area!"
Well now that certainly explained a few things. Nodding her understanding Celestia stood up from the table and began to walk toward the throne room to see for herself. A dragon this far into her territory could definitely be a problem, especially if it was nesting and making ready for a particularly long hibernation. Whatever the matter was it would have to be addressed and quickly.
Two things came to Celestia's attention as she entered the throne room, followed by the terrified maid and her sister. First and foremost the maid hadn't been exaggerating about the amount of smoke coming from the mountain region. It was indeed great billowing pillars of some of the thickest black smoke she could remember seeing in recent history, thick like an oil fire and viscous enough to block out her own sun if allowed to fester.
Secondly to come to her attention was the fact that Ulquiorra was already at the balcony and observing the smoke rise into the sky, his posture unchanged from the last time she'd seen him. She briefly wondered if that was his default posture but disregarded it as she stepped closer.
"It would seem a situation has arisen," he said simply, not even turning around to look at her as she approached. Whether it was due to his detection abilities or the sound of her hooves against the hard marble floor she didn't know, nor did she really care right now.
Stepping out onto the balcony next to him she surveyed the horizon more closely, a feeling of deja vu coming over her as she did. It had only been a little over two years ago that this situation had played out once before. And that hadn't even been the first time either. How many times had dragons attempted to nest in those mountains during her time? How often had she needed to have them chased out of there?
"It would seem you're right," Celestia replied and nodded. "It looks like a dragon has taken up residence in the mountains to the east and settling in for a rather long nap in some cave."
"Is it a threat?" Ulquiorra asked.
"In a way," Celestia replied as she turned her attention away from the smoke and to him. "Dragons have exceptionally long lifetimes, many of the ones who were around before Luna was banished are still alive today. It's not uncommon for dragons to spend a full century hibernating and when they do they breathe out huge amounts of thick smoke. If uninterrupted the accumulating smoke can blanket the sky and blot out the sun for entire areas," she explained.
"Eternal night as it were," Luna added as she stepped closer, her attention more on the horizon than the Hollow. "We do not know what Hueco Mundo is like but the plants in Equestria cannot survive without sunlight. Massive deforestation cannot be ruled out. And that is to say nothing of the short term health effects that wouldst be had from our subjects having to breathe such a polluted atmosphere."
Ulquiorra stood silent in the face of the new information. Without a word he grasped the hilt of his zanpakutō and partially unsheathed it.
"Whatever dost thou intend to do?" Luna asked as she watched in curiosity -and disbelief- as Ulquiorra ran his left pointer finger along the edge of his sword and drew blood before resheathing it.
"There are two things forbidden in Las Noches. One is that any Espada ranked Cuatro or higher releasing their zanpakutō within the fortress. The other is the discharge of the Gran Rey Cero technique. Both of which are so powerful they could destroy Las Noches," Ulquiorra explained calmly as he extended his left arm toward the east. "That said we are no longer in Las Noches. Even at this distance I don't believe it should take more than one Gran Rey Cero to completely destroy the specific cave and kill the dragon within."
In truth he was mildly curious about his own Gran Rey Cero, having never had the opportunity to use it before. He had dutifully obeyed the rules of Las Noches even during his battle with Ichigo Kurosaki. And once he was above the dome he'd gone with releasing his zanpakutō and utilizing his Cero Oscuras, the superior of the two advanced Cero techniques and exclusive to him and him alone. This would be a new experience for him.
They watched as a violet sphere of pure and unstable energy formed at the tip of his finger, gathering intensity and arching wildly and unpredictably. Both Celestia and Luna could tell that whatever this was, this "Gran Rey Cero" as he referred to it, there was a great deal of destructive power behind it. If it were to actually hit something...
Immediately a sphere of golden energy completely enveloped Ulquiorra's hand and the forming Cero. Glancing over he saw it was the work of Princess Celestia's magic. If he were to discharge his Cero now the resulting explosion would most likely disintegrate his hand and a good portion of his arm as well. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly.
"Ulquiorra," Celestia spoke calmly, "I can understand that things were done differently in Hueco Mundo. But here in Equestria we don't simply kill something just because it might prove itself to be a potential threat. We try and resolve whatever situation arises in a peaceful manner to avoid a loss of life regardless of who or what it is. In the past we've had success persuading dragons to leave the area under peaceful terms, there's no reason to believe this time will be any different."
Such foolishness on her part. Did Princess Celestia truly believe such nonsense? He could feel himself glaring at her. Her words could not truly be believed.
"I don't share your views. You have already confirmed that the dragon's presence is a threat not only to the health but the lives of countless thousands of your subjects. And you still choose to maintain the optimistic view that you can talk the situation out?" Ulquiorra asked bluntly. He could feel Princess Luna's anger induced flaring of reiatsu coming but his attention was focused on Princess Celestia as he awaited an explanation.
"Do you remember your meeting with Fluttershy yesterday?" she asked calmly. "She was the one who made the last dragon leave and find somewhere else to settle down for its long nap," she explained.
Now he was most curious. Fluttershy? The butter yellow pegasus who was terrified of him until he called her out on her fear had somehow forced a carnivorous predator out of its established home? Not through use of the Elements of Harmony but rather through her own effort? It was preposterous in nature. How could something like that even be the case?
And yet Princess Celestia was looking at him in all seriousness. There were no visible signs that she was perhaps joking in the matter. Her posture and facial features were consistent with her telling him everything else that had been truthful up to this point.
"When you assigned me the purpose of learning about friendship I considered it to be foolish in nature," Ulquiorra stated. "I failed to see how such the study of such a vague and intangible concept could amount to anything resembling a true purpose. I would have disregarded it on the spot if you were not stronger than I," he explained evenly as he turned his focus away from Princess Celestia and back out toward the pillars of smoke. Celestia said nothing but her attention was drawn to the cero inside the sphere as it began to dissipate. "However even though I consider your assigned duty to be absurd I will still fulfill it dutifully until such time that you command otherwise."
Celestia blinked. That was...very off topic from the original discussion. However before she could comment he began speaking again.
"That said I request the opportunity to observe how the concept of "friendship" can resolve this matter. If the pegasus Fluttershy is truly able to make the dragon leave of its own volition without the use of violence then it is something that needs to be properly studied and understood."
It sounded almost like something her student Twilight would say, even if the delivery was considerably different. First he'd informed her that he considered her absurd and then he'd asked to actually see her beliefs in action. Right now she really wanted to chuckle despite it all.
"And why shouldst thee be allowed to do such after the disrespect thou hast displayed towards us and our sister?" Luna all but demanded.
Ulquiorra slowly turned around as far as he could to address her directly, his left hand still held securely by Princess Celestia's magic. "I have just been informed that a serious threat resides to the east of Canterlot and the appropriate response is to send Fluttershy to speak to it. You can understand my skepticism with trusting the safety of the kingdom to a pony who can barely speak above a whisper under the best of circumstances," he explained evenly. "It was a matter of friendship that lead to your being freed from the hold of Nightmare Moon. This was among the many things you yourself made me aware of during our first night of conversation. If I'm to believe this concept of "friendship" has any merit then I must see it for myself and witness what it can truly do."
Celestia and Luna remained silent as they contemplated the position they found themselves in, and it was indeed a difficult one. What exactly was the proper answer to give in a situation like this?
"If we did let you observe the operation what guarantee do we have that you wouldn't rebel and attempt to kill the dragon instead of letting Fluttershy and her friends try and persuade it to leave peacefully?" Celestia asked. Loyalty or not she had her concerns. Just a minute ago he'd planned to fire his "gran rey cero" to try and not only kill but bury the dragon in a single shot.
Without even thinking on the matter Ulquiorra began speaking again. "The same guarantee I have that you won't banish me to the moon should I displease you. Ultimately we have nothing more than the word of the other to go on and no reason to trust the other based on their words alone. We are at an impasse," he explained.
During their short time together Celestia had been made aware on multiple times that Ulquiorra was quite intelligent, highly observant...and as much as she hated to admit it he was quite right in this situation. Other than reliance on the honor system what did each of them have to believe the other wouldn't do something unsavory at some point down the line? This situation was the proverbial meeting of the irresistible force and the immovable object. This was going to require a great deal of her wisdom to arrive at the proper decision.
The question facing her right now though was whether or not she could make the proper decision and keep everything in proper balance. Should she show Ulquiorra a measure of trust and allow him to observe her little ponies in action? Or should she deny his request and keep him here? And if she did, how she she ensure he didn't disregard orders and go anyway? Just a moment ago he tried to kill the dragon for being a threat. Granted she could understand why he'd do something like that, but how did she prevent a similar incident from occurring? She couldn't watch him the entire day and she couldn't ask Luna to stay up and watch him until after the dragon had left.
If she allowed him to watch as Fluttershy did what few other ponies could do it might truly help him better understand friendship and motivate him to commit himself fully to the subject rather than just going through the motions. But it was equally likely that if she allowed this outing he would choose to kill the dragon on the grounds of it being a threat to Equestria. Once again she could feel that persistent sensation of a migraine trying to form.
Some days it simply didn't pay to be a princess.