Chapter Ten
Chapter Ten
Rarity really did love her little sister, Sweetie Belle, she really did. And she would vehemently argue such a point to anypony who dared to suggest otherwise and insinuate anything less. Her little sister was one of the only ponies she'd truly trudge her way through the mud and muck for without giving any concern to what it would do to her coat and mane, or how it would ruin all her effort in stylizing herself to look simply gorgeous.
That said...during times such as these she was quite glad that Sweetie Belle lived with their parents rather than her. Her dear little sister had the annoying habit of getting underhoof when she was trying so hard to help out and be useful around Carousel Boutique. And with her current work order she couldn't afford such exhaustive and infuriating distractions. In some ways she was much like Opal...except Opal was just a simple animal and didn't have the ability to realize that her actions had consequences. Sweetie Belle was far from simple in such terms, she just...didn't think things all the way through.
She let out a sigh as she looked up from her current work, giving her neck a very unladylike but desperately needed crack. The stitches needed on this dress were as intricate as they were fine and required a delicate touch that her sewing machine simply wasn't designed for, meaning she had to do it all through continuous magical focus. It wasn't anything suitable for an amateur, and as much as she hated to admit it even she had trouble with it when going so long.
But at least that intricate little detail was finished.
"Oh Rarity, darling, you've really created a reputation for yourself that even you can hardly live up to," she told herself as she eased the glasses off her face and set them down on the work table.
She needed a break right about now. The intricate stitching was done and to the point where if she stepped away she wouldn't risk losing her place and becoming confused. She could really stand some fresh air and a little time away from the boutique. And right now she was having a craving for one of the Cakes' exquisitely delicious fudge cupcakes. A few minutes on break surely couldn't hurt.
Stepping outside one thing immediately came to her mind; the sun was exceedingly bright. She'd been cooped up inside for so long she hadn't thought to give it any consideration and needed to let her eyes adjust a little before stepping all the way out and enjoying a relaxing breath of fresh air. Already she could feel the tension knot beginning to ease; but for best results a direct application of succulent chocolate was indeed necessary.
It was really amazing what spending so many hours locked up inside could do to one's perspective. Ponyville was always a beautiful place to live but the deprivation just seemed to reinvigorate that beauty all over again. It was the kind of beauty that made one stop and take notice of everything around them...everything that is except for what or who was right in the path and resulted in Rarity falling face first into the dirt in a most ungraceful manner.
"Goodness who put that stupid rock there?" Rarity asked as she picked herself back up out of the dirt.
"I'm not a stupid rock!"
She recognized that voice. Turning and looking at what -or rather who- she tripped over she realized that it was Sweetie Belle!
"Sweetie Belle? Whatever are you doing there darling?" she asked as she magically lifted her younger sister up to give her a dusting off; the best she could do short of having her take a bath and cleaning herself up properly.
"Looking for you. You've gotta come to the park and see what's going on there," Sweetie Belle stated.
"Sweetie you know how busy I am, I'm only taking a few minutes off to clear my head. Can't you just tell me what it is you want me to see?" Rarity asked.
"I could try but as Applejack would say "y'all ain' gonna believe this"," Sweetie Belle said, pulling off a passable impersonation of the earth pony's southern drawl. "There's somebody there that you've gotta see for yourself," she explained.
"Did you just say "somebody"? That's a rather strange term to be using. Is that something new you found in that dictionary you've been reading lately?" Rarity asked, finding her sister's term to be...unusual.
"His term not mine," Sweetie Belle replied. "Trust me Rarity you've gotta see him. Some sort of dignitary visiting Ponyvillle from way far off. You've never seen anyone like him before!"
She wanted to remind Sweetie Belle about how busy her schedule currently was, how she didn't even have the time to talk to her about how her schoolwork went. But she remained silent as her sister's words began to sink in and were digested. A dignitary visiting Ponyville from a far off land? Weren't dignitaries usually ones that held high positions and worked with royalty or others of authority? The more she thought on it the more she arrived at the conclusion that maybe she could take a little break from her work for this.
"Is that so? Well if some...body... has come to Ponyville for a visit then it would be rude not to meet them. Lead the way, Sweetie Belle," Rarity stated.
Sweetie Belle grinned and trotted in place in excitement, both at having her sister follow her for this meeting, and the fact that she hadn't insisted on swinging back by the boutique to put together some elaborate outfit for the occasion; she knew from her own experience that such would take hours and they really didn't have hours available to them.
"Oh but what will I wear?"
Most of the time she was very polite to others around her and didn't do anything to deliberately upset them. But at her sister's words she so dearly wanted to curse out loud at her right now.
When he'd made his first official visit to Karakura Town to find the target Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki, their arrival had been in the town park.
It was ironic that Twilight Sparkle's idea for his first official visit with the Ponyville townspeople -townsponies he had to remind himself- was currently taking place in the town's park.
"What exactly did you do?" Ulquiorra asked as he watched two dozen or so ponies approaching his location from beyond the treeline. Ponies of all species, color schemes, sizes and apparently age ranges were showing up and slowly taking note of him. Some with surprise and confusion, such as the two lavender pegasi mares, and some with apparent fascination, such as the teal green unicorn that was currently grinning at his sight.
Standing besides him currently was Twilight Sparkle, grinning at everyone showing up, her reiatsu level pulsing brightly as she was pleased with the visible results of whatever she'd done. "I just asked some of the ponies I knew to come and meet someone new that was waiting in the park. Then they asked a few ponies they knew and things just...went from there," she explained. "Don't worry I didn't tell them anything about you. I figured we'd let them find out things for themselves."
At least Twilight had the sense to not go around broadcasting the concocted tale of him being a visiting dignitary looking to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria. Granted she had told it to the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony but that was a simple short term solution meant for them. If she went around telling the same story to everyone then they would feel compelled to interact with him regardless of what they felt. Their actions and manners would be stiff and carefully guided rather than being allowed to flow freely and naturally. She at least had an understanding of that fact and knew that it wouldn't be beneficial to him fulfilling his assignment and learning about the concept of friendship.
"There are undoubtedly going to be many questions to answer before this is over. How many more useless conversations am I going to be involved in?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically as he saw the ponies getting closer. "Generally I have no dislike for in-depth conversations of relevance. Instead I'm being faced with the same basic questions in a repetitive manner. How much longer must this exercise in redundancy continue before everyone is sufficiently informed?"
"I know it seems kinda senseless but please be patient, it won't last much longer. Just answer a few questions and we'll see how it goes from there," Twilight said as she tried to reassure him. Truth be told she could understand how he was feeling right now, the repetitiveness of it all could be frustrating at times; she'd had to explain things to the ponies of Ponyville more than once so he wasn't exactly alone on the matter.
That thought really didn't sound right even if it technically was an accurate description of the facts. Nevermind she was starting to get off topic even in her own mind. Right now there were other important matters at hand...at hoof...great now she was actively starting to think in his dialect too. This was getting ridiculous.
"Hush now," Applejack instructed as the other ponies were getting close enough to be within earshot. "Howdy there everypony, glad ya'll could make it."
Ulquiorra remained silent and kept his hands tucked into his pockets, mentally preparing himself for what might come. Perhaps he should've just remained in Canterlot.
"Come on Rarity we're gonna be late," Sweetie Belle whined. Despite her best efforts she found it was impossible to dissuade her sister from going back to the boutique and putting together a fancy outfit for meeting the newest visitor to Ponyville. And she had definitely gone with fancy, a mix of fine fabrics and several pieces of exquisite jewelry, to say nothing of the makeup she'd made use of.
Right now her sister was vocalizing a defense for her actions, explaining how first impressions were very important and had to be done correctly, especially when that someone was important and might have ties to royalty. She really wasn't paying attention, mostly tuning out her excuses in favor of walking toward the park.
"I never did ask you, Sweetie Belle, what exactly is this dignitary like?" Rarity asked as she walked along, her pace casual but the tone of her walk suggesting it was restrained.
"Like I said you'd have to see him to believe him. I saw him before coming to get you and even I don't believe him," Sweetie Belle replied, uncertain how to explain the visitor to her sister. "I really don't even know if it really is a "he" it might be a "she" for all I know."
Now Rarity was confused. Intrigued but utterly confused. For her age Sweetie Belle was quite intelligent and she possessed quite a vocabulary, so the fact that she couldn't properly describe this visitor was a mystery. Instantly her mind began buzzing with possibilities, subconsciously crafting what she believed a foreign dignitary should look like and how handsome he would be: tall, masculine, well cultured and educated, perfectly polished teeth, his mane exquisitely groomed and his hooves shiny from a great deal of care for personal hygiene. It was all absolutely dreamy!
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes as she listened to the contented sounds coming from her sister behind her. She was lost in her daydreams again. Sometimes Rarity could be more annoying than Diamond Tiara, but in an entirely different manner.
Fortunately she didn't have to tune her sister out for very long as they were approaching the park clearing where everyone was currently gathered, and there were quite a few party members present for this meeting. She spotted Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Applejack easily enough. She caught sight of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo too and that wasn't really surprising. More surprising was Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon being present. Then there was Time Turner, and Caramel, Berry Punch and their teacher Miss Cherilee, Mrs. Cake, Mayor Mare and a lot of other ponies she recognized, but didn't really know them by name. And standing in the middle of the small crowd was the guest of honor who appeared to be having a conversation with the musician Lyra Heartstrings; one could only imagine what that was about.
"Oh my," Rarity gasped as she came to a stop.
Sweetie Belle bit back the smirk that she wanted to flash. She knew her sister well enough to know that her daydream had been about the princely type found in books about fairytales, one with a crown and maybe a flowing cape, designed to be the perfect stallion for every little filly to love. Instead she was greeted by someone that was pale, bipedal, lanky and...spooky. She didn't want to be mean but it was kinda funny.
"Oh my," Rarity repeated, "just who or...or what..."
"If I remember correctly his name's Ulquiorra Cifer and he's from somewhere called Hueco Mundo," Sweetie Belle replied, knowing her sister wasn't going to get a full sentence out properly. Seeing her sister stunned she pressed on. "Come on, Rarity, we don't wanna keep that visiting dignitary waiting and look inhospitable do we? He might not give a good report to whatever prince he works for," she said and chuckled, knowing her sister wouldn't want to do something like that.
Rarity shook her head to clear her mind. Sweetie Belle was right in the fact that there was no reason to be rude. Simply because this individual looked far different from anypony else she'd ever seen before didn't mean being impolite was acceptable. She'd come all this way to be hospitable and welcoming, the least she could do was see it through.
"I bet you could play some wicked tunes like no one else," she heard the DJ Vinyl Scratch comment as she stepped closer. Something else was said that she didn't quite catch before the blue maned unicorn took off running.
Rarity didn't let the crowd bother her, not the unusual things that were being said to the fellow that stood before her. She had poise and style, refinement and cultivated manners, she was certain to be smashing and a breath of fresh air compared to the otherwise laid back approach everyone else was indulging in. Finally she stood before him and bowed.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, greetings and welcome to Ponyville. My name is Rarity and it's a pleasure to meet you."
His experience with the pony race was understandably limited so it was difficult to gauge overall success when there was nothing to work with but short term results that had no long term analytical value. However it seemed reasonable to conclude that this impromptu meeting was progressing in a manner that made Twilight Sparkle pleased with the results.
Introductions were made and he was becoming familiar with the names of the various ponies that had come to greet him, some easier to remember than others. Each of them had a differing level of reiatsu as well as their own unique texture, most of them proving equal or higher to Fluttershy in comparison. He briefly wondered if the yellow pegasus was aware of the fact that some of the present foals had a higher level than she did.
It was a given that there would be many questions asked by those present. Questions regarding his attire, his zanpakutō, his manner of speech, what he was, where he was from, what he was doing here, how he stood on two legs without anything to counterbalance his weight, the remains of his Hollow mask, and a slew of other questions that ranged from legitimate to ludicrous. All were answered simply and honestly...at least as honestly as Twilight Sparkle would allow for, as she didn't yet believe now was the time to be explaining what Hollows were and how they acted.
The unicorn introduced as Lyra Heartstrings had been polite enough, although far more curious than the others and had to be told by Twilight Sparkle to let the others have their own turn. Then came the strange mannered white unicorn with an electric blue mane, ruby tinted sunglasses and a voice that easily left him wondering if there was any relation to Charlotte Chuhlhourne.
"I bet you could play some wicked tunes like no one else," Vinyl Scratch commented as she eyed his hands before they could be tucked back into his pockets.
"I have no concept of what you're talking about," he stated before turning his attention to Twilight for elaboration. "Wicked tunes?"
"Music. Vinyl's special talent is music and she's wondering how good of a musician you'd be since you have hands," Twilight explained.
"I wouldn't know. I've never engaged in anything related to music before," Ulquiorra replied.
"For reals bro? That's a cryin' shame! Hold on I'll be right back!" Vinyl stated and bolted.
There was one fact regarding this meeting that Twilight Sparkle wouldn't care to hear. Most of these ponies were little more than trash. They held no interest for him and he regarded his interaction with them as a waste of time. Answering questions about his hands and how he styled his hair weren't conductive to fulfilling his assigned purpose.
And then came another into his view, far different form the others. Unlike other ponies who didn't seem to bother with the concept of outer coverings this one -a mare based on what he was seeing- was covered extensively, her choice of wear being quite fancy in nature; fancier than anything he had seen either in this world or his own. Her attire went far beyond the role of basic covering or even protection against unfavorable elements of weather, that was most certainly a safe assumption to make.
Unlike the others she too seemed to possess some degree of manners as she bowed her head before speaking to him.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, greetings and welcome to Ponyville. My name is Rarity and it's a pleasure to meet you."
Her pronunciation of his name was off. It sounded as if she'd tried to pronounce it with "cure" instead of the proper structure. Perhaps it was due to her unusual accent. However it was preferable to some of the other interpretations he'd encountered so far. And as noted she possessed manners. She didn't automatically assume that she was going to be his new friend right off the bat and treat him as such. She had some measure of refinement to her; perhaps more refinement than Princess Celestia.
"So you're the one that bears the Element of Generosity," he replied, causing her to quickly look up in surprise and confusion. "Your friends have told me about you. That said, I find it interesting how you know my name. I don't think I ever told you my name though."
He'd said those same words before, not even six days ago. And in that situation someone had known his name without his formal introduction, primarily due to Yammy being a considerable loudmouth. Looking over and seeing the smaller white unicorn coming back into the crowd after running off earlier it seemed to make sense to some degree.
Rarity was flustered momentarily before continuing. "It's true we haven't had a proper introduction yet. I found out about you only through my little sister Sweetie Belle. And once she told me we had a dignitary visiting Ponyville I simply couldn't stay away, I just had to come down and meet you face to face," she explained.
Ulquiorra said nothing in response at first. Again with him being regarded as a dignitary. How much longer was Twilight Sparkle going to insist on maintaining this charade and purposelessly lying to those she claimed were her friends? Where was the final "Element of Harmony" presently so an end could be put to this nonsense? He was beginning to feel more annoyed by his surroundings than he felt having to deal with the human woman. He almost found himself wishing he was still standing on the dome roof of Las Noches, talking with the woman, the Shinigami, and the Quincy.
"So how're you finding our fair little town?" Rarity asked him.
"At present time I lack sufficient information to form an educated opinion," Ulquiorra explained as he kept his gaze on her. Nothing conclusive could be gathered from just these few interactions and his brief walk through the Ponyville Marketplace. Nothing conclusive could even be gathered on the few ponies he'd encountered.
Rarity flinched under Ulquiorra's piercing stare. Despite his eyes being the most magnificent shade of teal she'd ever seen anypony wear they were considerably uncomfortable to look at for any real length of time. She almost felt like she was an ant under a magnifying glass right now. His eyes didn't hold anything like she'd seen in anypony else before, no signs of joy or life or excitement, just...omnipresent emptiness, like an eternal void or a bottomless hole. It was a very chilling experience that sent shivers up her spine.
"You fear me," Ulquiorra stated bluntly without even blinking.
"What? Good heavens no," Rarity exclaimed, taken by surprise by his statement. How could he assume such a thing? Granted there was a small degree of truth to the statement, his piercing gaze was highly uncomfortable to be subjected to and his monochromatic and unnatural appearance didn't help matters any. But that still didn't mean she would attempt to be inhospitable during his stay here. She'd learned quite well from the Zecora incident that appearances shouldn't be the determining matter when meeting someone new.
Ulquiorra doubted her words and the sincerity behind them. He had seen much fear in his time and what she was displaying was certainly fear. However the revelation seemed to snap her out of whatever thoughts she'd been experiencing and forced her to try and bury her concerns under a poorly crafted mask of civility and refinement. He wasn't entirely certain how this one came to hold the Element of Generosity. Looking over to Twilight for elaboration it was his turn to be caught off guard and left silent at the sight of Spike, his eyes currently locked on Rarity and his face displaying something strange he'd never seen before, not among his fellow Espada or even those that invaded Hueco Mundo.
He turned his attention back to Rarity, studying her with his pesquisa just like he had the others. Reiryoku pools weren't overly impressive, reiatsu about average in comparison to the others, the most interesting aspect being the texture of her reiatsu. Every pony had their own unique texture and no two were exactly alike, although there were similarities between some. With some the texture was smooth like polished river rocks, others were more jagged like chipped shale, or rough like granite. And then there was Rarity, her spiritual texture being unique in that it was smooth in certain areas and pointed in others. She was beginning to prove mildly interesting as he'd never quite seen anything like this before.
Perhaps among all the trash present there was something akin to buried treasure within the ponies.
"Hey bro! Check it out!"
Then again the notion of digging through mountains of trash in the search of treasure held little appeal for him.
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Vinyl meets Ulquiorra, shits about to get real.
and then ulqy here has a dubstep induced fit
So short!
But so addictive!!
Ow! They acted!
Ulquiorra's favorite song: One Note Samba.
He's going to make Vinyl cry...That magnificent bastard's gonna make our DJ feel so sad right now
YESH
SO addictive
Can't wait to see what Vinyl brings back. Is she going to fetch her ENTIRE DJ setup??? I wonder who called to their brother... anyway, I love how about 4 hours ago I was hoping there would be a new chapter soon, and low and behold there was.
Music? Ulquiorra's gonna make anyone feel despair. Without release. Gotta be good.
And then rainbow dash will come and hear this and love Ulquiorra forever.Ah, diplomacy and politics, how I loath you.
While not much happened within this chapter, we do get more knowledge on Ulquiorra's thought process. Overall I'd say that it makes a good intermission chapter in regards to the story flow. I would like to ask if Applejack, as the Element of Honesty, will notice the little white lie Twilight has introduced? Because I must agree with Ulquiorra on this one, lying to those who are supposed to be her friends without much concern to the aftermath of the lie's exposure, seems counter productive to the task of learning friendship. 
As per my status as an awe inspiring editor
, below you will find some typos and suggestions. 
*I have no dislike in depth - I have no dislike for in-depth
*more than once she'd had to explain things to the ponies of Ponyville more than once. - repetitive sentence, in place of the repetition at the end, you could instead use: in regards to the Hollow's appearance in Ponyville (or some other fluff to fill in the sentence.
*glad ya'll could make it - glad y'all could make it (the contraction is you+all, so the "a" in "all" should be on the other side of the apostrophe. This is both from typing on Microsoft word, and my experience as a country boy)
*Diamond Tiara but in an entirely - Diamond Tiara, but in an entirely
*recognized but didn't really know them by name - recognized, but didn't really know by name
*how he stood on two legs and without - how he stood on two legs without
*Twilight Sparkle would allow for as she didn't yet believe now was the time to be explaining what Hollows were and ow they acted. - Twilight Sparkle would allow for, as she didn't yet believe now was the time to be explaining what Hollows were and how they acted.
*know my name. I don't think I ever told you my name. - know my name, as I don't think I have been introduced to you till now. (the revision of these two sentences is only a suggestion, as while the two work independently, they come off as being fragmented.)
*woman, the Shinigami and the Quincy - woman, the Shinigami, and the Quincy
*like an eternal void or a bottomless bit. - like an eternal void or a bottomless hole.
*would attempt to be hospitable during his stay here. She'd - would attempt to be inhospitable during his stay here. She'd
*akin to buried treasure with the ponies. - akin to buried treasure within the ponies.
damn you! saving dash for last (expecting a beat down on her still)>< this chapter was short but damn great! and oh lord o.0 ulqy seeing love for the first time knowing him what love does to somebody has to be the most illogical and foolish thing he has ever seen, as we all know love makes up do very stupid things
and we dont need to be cold or analystical to see that xD but we love it (shrugs) what can ya do? 
It would be fun if Ulquiorra manages to make everyone feel sad or feel despair with dubstep.
Or is it wubstep?
Silly Vinyl his favourite genre is clearly R and B soul
Ulquiorra intrigued over a Rarity? Now that's interesting
2910777
That call was from Vinyl Scratch as she was coming back. Hence Ulquiorra's view in the last sentence.
I'm hoping that Ichigo gets involved in this fic at some point.
2911235
The way things are proceeding he might have to come to Ulquiorra's rescue in a later chapter.
2911258
That sounds good, but I'm hoping for a more permanent stay, hopefully at least a few chapters featuring him. I'll just have to wait and see, though
2911258 Speaking of others who might appear what about Coyote Stark and Lilynette ? That would be awesome
2910956
2911992 i can see him actually doing this...
2910912
Correction number nine is actually deliberate as it's based on Ulquiorra's statement when Ichigo realized he knew his name. I figured I'd take it and run with it.
2912370 Ah gotcha, I didn't remember that scene till you brought it up.
Hopefully the other suggestions work out ok. Good luck with the next chapter.
2910353
I believe it would fit more...
2911488
I would prefer Nnoitra; that guy is awesome and sadistic, but mostly awesome.
2911258
Rescue as in, he comes and kill Ulquiorra.
2913633
Ulquiorra would then have to kill Nnoitora though. Celestia or Luna might even command him to.
2913991
Well he did tell Ichigo to kill him when he had the chance back in Las Noches. Maybe Ulquiorra knew something he wasn't telling us?
2912847
Sam is pretty cool. Okay, it works. I was making fun of the idea of him being monotone with my song, but it's a love song.
2914275
I think that's just because Ulquiorra knew he was dying. (re-dying? hollows are technically ghosts.)
2911488
i approve of this
2913991
I'm hoping that Ulquiorra's Resurrección is still restricted while Nnoitra's isn't; that would make it a lot more interesting.
2915640
Maybe Ulquiorra knows kendo too.
2916322
That was one of my top 5 favorite fights.
If were going with Dead Arrancar, I'd prefer to see Grimmjow, Stark, Haibel, ....or the king of huecho mundo(I for the life of me, can't remeber his name.)
But out of all them I'd want to see the king the most. Mostly to see how he would react to Celestia and Luna threatening him to stand down. (Him technically being a King and those two being princess's) And to see how dash reacts to him being faster than her. (Crazy time powers)
2911258Since technically they would be, and I use this term loosely, "Friends" with Ulqiuorra by then, and Ichigo killed him....wouldn't that mean they would be his enemies?...and then wouldn't that by extension make Equestria an enemy of the Soul Society?...because I would REALLY love to see captain Yammamoto fight The princess's, and hopefully gets the snot kicked out of him(I hate him).
2921425 It's Barrigan. Barrigan Luisenbarn.
2910060 Ulquiorra: "Are you trying to attack me with this... noise?"
Vinyl Scratch: "What? Heck no! This is dubstep! Music, ya know?"
Ulquiorra: "I don't recall music being this... scratchy and loud."
P.S. Don't worry, I love dubstep.
2946346 sounds about right for his character lol
2946346
Maybe for a future chapter.
Loved it =D
2946346 That's actually a really good idea! Lol
Huh, thought I'd see more of Lyra, oh well.
why has know one mechened the hole in his neck?
Dirt*
8286296
The hole is lower on his chest, almost in the middle, seeing as they are inconsistent where it should stay. His jacket covers the hole, and he keeps the jacket closed
2921425
Grimmjow, and Halibel are still alive, relatively speaking