Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
"If Hollows are souls then wha' was yer species before?"
"How's your sonido work?"
"How can your lower body function and keep you upright with no spine in the area of your Hollow hole when it clearly cuts through the most vital location of your body?"
"Do any of the Espada know how to party?"
"How come somepony as awesome as you isn't the lead Espada? What're the others like?"
"By any chance do you happen to know what the current fashion in Las Noches is?"
"You can actually transform!? Cool! What do you look like when you do?"
"How exactly does your pesquisa work? Is it something any of us can learn to do?"
"So these "Shinigami" have zanpakutō's like yours? How do you tell them apart?"
"What's that term you used when the dragon tried to set you on fire but couldn't do it?"
"You can eat mana? What's it taste like? Is it good on ice cream?"
"So there's millions of Hollows in this Hueco Mundo place and three Shinigami just waltz in and take over the place just like that? Seriously?"
"So you mean you punched the dragon right in the chest and it just toppled over in pain? And it was actually bleeding from getting punched?"
"It jus' don' sit right with me, a scrawny fella like ya being so much stronger than Big Macintosh. How'd ya get ta be so strong?"
"So what are the mechanics behind your air walking ability? And how'd you manage to generate sufficient friction and resistance to overcomes the dragon's weight-to-lift ratio of its wings and bring it to a complete halt?"
"Do you ever hear any of the other Hollows in there trying to talk to you or each other about stuff?"
"What do you mean there's no sun in Heuco Mundo? How does anything grow there?"
"So this "hollowfication" process that souls undergo restructures their body, and repurposes their heart to form their mask to shield themselves. If that's the case, then why does the surrounding bodily tissue in the chest area that surrounds the heart form the cavity?"
Those were just some of the questions he'd been subjected to upon the return to Canterlot palace. Why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna couldn't escort the ponies back to Ponyville just as had been done with Fluttershy, was beyond his understanding.
He was apparently the subject of great interest despite everything Twilight Sparkle had told them. Whatever measure of fear they had beforehand was completely overridden by curiosity once they arrived back at the castle. Spike's arrival and learning of his exploits had only complicated the matter, and he was questioned from six different directions over the course of three long hours, questions ranging from the serious to the insane, asking anything that could be thought of that he might have answers to. Questions that he was apparently expected to answer due to his knowledge on the subject.
It was a long three hours standing in place.
At the moment though he was blissfully free of the curious ponies and their unending stream of questions. The late hour had contributed to most of them turning in for the night, and those that had chosen to remain behind and awake were thankfully silenced by Princess Celestia informing them that it was time to retire.
Even if they were all currently awake, and currently hunting him down, he had little to be concerned about. Currently he stood atop one of the roofs to the palace, looking out over the horizon of the surrounding area, content in the knowledge that none of the ponies would be able to find him.
"Hey U.C. Dude!"
Correction. Almost none of the ponies would be able to find him. It seemed the annoying Rainbow Dash wasn't tired enough to the point of actually leaving him alone. How she managed to locate him was something of a mystery as he hadn't seen or felt her anywhere. Then again he hadn't felt particularly compelled to watch for her. Right now she was approaching him from behind. Perhaps if he ignored her she'd grow bored and leave; she did seem like the type that possessed a short attention span after all.
"Dude?"
Or perhaps she'd hover in front of his face and wave her foreleg about in an annoying effort to tell if he were awake or not, looking to see if he was blinking or giving any other signs of being conscious.
"U.C.?"
And perhaps she would get close to his face, close enough their noses were just about touching as she looked into his teal green eyes for any signs of life.
"My name is Ulquiorra," he stated firmly, the sudden signs of consciousness eliciting a startled yelp from the cyan pegasus as she flew back in surprise. "I am neither "U.C." nor "Dude" as you insist on referring to me. And I am certainly not known as "Ulqy" as the pink earth pony insists on addressing me by."
The initial shock was unfortunately not enough to keep the pegasus away from him, as once she recovered from the initial shock she was back hovering disturbingly close to him; in this case just outside of his arm's maximum reach.
"Yeah... well... your name really isn't easy to remember, or pronounce," Rainbow Dash pointed out. She folded her forelegs across her chest while resting her chin on her left hoof in thought. "The... Espada, they've got ranks like a military force or any other organization. Maybe I could just refer to you by your rank? You know... like calling somepony Colonel or General or something?" she suggested.
Not an entirely unacceptable suggestion. It was certainly better than the alternative being used by several of the other ponies who couldn't seem to understand how he preferred being addressed.
"It is acceptable," he replied and went back to watching the horizon. However Rainbow Dash showed no signs of leaving. "You obviously didn't go through the effort of finding me simply to discuss title or address. What do you want?" he asked bluntly.
"Aizen."
Had she even given any thought to what she said before she opened her mouth to speak? Most likely not. However it was only a moment before she began speaking.
"I don't get it, I really don't. You said this Aizen character and his two lackeys, whatever their names were, you said they were these "Shinigami" things that're enemies to Hollows, are directly responsible for Hollows being created by leaving souls stranded in the living world where they're most vulnerable, and they kill Hollows when they find them. So why exactly did you work for somepony... body... thing that's your enemy by every single definition?"
She was no longer hovering in a stationary position. She looked like she was pacing back and forth in her hovering.
"I mean... three Shinigami defect from their own group, whatever the hay it was called, head to Hueco Mundo or wherever, waltz in like they own the place, take over the place and nopony... no Hollow raises a hoof or claw or whatever in protest? That's just seriously, seriously wrong," she said as she stopped in front of him and turned to face him. "You said you've killed before, right? As tasteless as it is to me and the rest of the girls to even consider... well... why didn't you kill them on sight? How do you know they weren't there to wipe out every last Hollow they saw?"
He had been asked many questions since his arrival here in this dimension. Many of them were foolish in nature and didn't warrant an answer. So far only a handful of questions, mostly those asked by Twilight Sparkle, were intelligent in nature and seemed worthwhile giving a proper answer to.
However in the case of Rainbow Dash hers was a very valid question. She hadn't pressed him on anything concerning the physics of his dimension and how he could do the things he did, but rather the basic predator/prey nature of the current structural order of Heuco Mundo.
"Most Hollows that serve Aizen do so out of respect or fear for his power. It's not known precisely how a Shinigami became so strong, it's only known that he did. He exerts bravery in a world dominated by fear and predation. One could say he was recognized as the top predator of the food chain," Ulquiorra explained. The matter was far more complex than that but it was likely the pegasi's mind couldn't comprehend the finer details and he saw no point in wasting his time simply to be told she couldn't properly follow him.
"I don't see you as being the kind who's really afraid of anything," Rainbow Dash commented.
"As I said most Hollows. Those that don't fall into either of the above mentioned categories chose to serve Aizen out of gratitude for what he did to them. The Primera Espada-"
"You mean Starrk?"
"-Correct. He chose to serve Aizen because he could grant him an end to his loneliness, introducing him to Hollows that wouldn't crumble to dust simply by being in his presence."
"... What about you specifically? How'd this double crosser Aizen get you?" Rainbow Dash asked after a pause. "You don't seem like the type who wanted friends. What was it?"
She could be quite perceptive. But at the same time she could be quite nosy. Regardless of what she was, she was annoying. There was no denying that fact.
"Hueco Mundo is an expansive wasteland, nothingness stretches on for hundreds of miles in every direction. There's no warmth, no pleasant sights, no friendship or happiness, no reason to justify one's continued existence other than simply existing. When Aizen found me he gave me a reason to justify my existence. He gave me a purpose to live for and succeed at. Suddenly my life had meaning. There was no longer nothingness before me," he explained calmly.
"And you didn't have any problem with being his pawns? To be used and sacrificed at his whim simply because he believed he didn't need you anymore?" Rainbow Dash asked him. However she waited barely a second before continuing. "That doesn't... I don't know... sit uneasy with you? Knowing that the one who gave you a purpose could take it all away just for kicks?"
"Ultimately it was our purpose, even if it doesn't make sense to you. It is the reason for which the Espada were originally assembled. We were all aware of that fact from the beginning," Ulquiorra replied. "We were Aizen's to do with as he pleased. If he believed sacrificing us would best suit his purposes then it was our obligation to fulfill his orders..."
He was greeted by utter silence in response. Rainbow Dash seemed to have nothing to say in response despite opening her mouth several times as if trying to vocalize a point but no point came. All that was heard was blissful night time silence.
At least for a minute.
"Loyalty huh?" she asked as she set down on the roof not too far away from him.
"Indeed," he replied simply.
More silence. But not nearly as long as the last time.
"Looks like we both understand how it's not all it's cracked up to be..."
That was of interest. He didn't expect such a statement to come from the one who bore the Element of Loyalty. One of the other Espada would certainly think nothing of making such a statement, or even one of the lower class Arrancar that served Aizen even without being selected to fill the role of the Espada. At least one Arrancar came to mind immediately. But Rainbow Dash was most certainly no Arrancar, just a mere living pony.
He looked at her skeptically. Almost immediately her entire demeanor changed as if she'd been caught discussing top secret information. "Er... nevermind. I don't wanna talk about this," she stated quickly.
He looked down at where she currently sat with his skeptical gaze, noting as she flinched.
"If the matter was something you didn't want to talk about you wouldn't have brought it up in the first place even by accident. The very fact that you did would suggest it is something at the front of your mind and you're looking for any excuse to speak of it," he replied and continued his unblinking stare, causing her to flinch further. "If you have something to say then say it. Do not continue to waste my time by playing pointless games."
Rainbow Dash frowned in response. "You're as annoying as Twilight at times, you know that?" she asked in a manner even he could tell was rhetorical in nature. "Look... if I tell you about this is it gonna be in confidence or whatever? You're not gonna go running off to tell my friends or Princess Celestia that I said anything...right?" she asked.
"... During my time under Aizen's control there were many tasks I was charged with. However not one of them involved sharing secrets about my fellow Arrancar. Whatever you have to say I don't foresee it as being a matter that would warrant reporting."
It was a matter of truth that he never engaged in any "snitching" in Hueco Mundo. Primarily because he never had to as Aizen was quite aware of what was going on in his domain. However there was no reason to share that fact right now. What was most curious was why the pegasus wished to open up to him specifically.
The simple fact that his omission seemed enough to assure the pegasus that confidence would be maintained seemed to be what she was looking for. However, for whatever reason, she still insisted upon looking around as if someone were eavesdropping on her.
"... About a year ago there was an incident back in Ponyville. My... friends... felt that I was getting a little too boastful just because the townsponies were recognizing how awesome I was because of what I did. Saved a foal from a well, stopped a loaded carriage or two from going off the edge of a hill, saved some old folks from a falling balcony... you know, the standard hero stuff," she started. Seeing that he was listening quietly she continued. "So I started letting them know that they were right, that I was awesome and I was a hero. But my... friends... thought I was getting too full of myself or whatever. Rather than just talk to me about it, they decided that for whatever reason, I needed to be taught a lesson about my boasting, and concocted this elaborate scheme and created a ponysona known as "Mare Do Well" to show me up."
More silence from Ulquiorra. He wasn't even asking questions about what she was saying, like he was understanding everything as she laid it out. She didn't know whether to be thankful or weirded out. Either way she continued uninterrupted.
"Over the next couple of months my supposed friends, while in an elaborate disguise that only Rarity could create on such short notice, orchestrated an elaborate plot to prove to all of Ponyville that I wasn't as awesome as they thought I was. Applejack's incredible strength, Pinkie's ability to use her Pinkie sense to predict and intervene in tragedies, Twilight's control of magic, even Fluttershy's ability to fly. They crafted the image of an alicorn that was bent on stomping me into the ground in the most humble way imaginable, showing up to perform a heroic display whenever necessary and then disappear without a word being said. And when they weren't in costume and showing that together they were greater than me, they were talking up Mare Do Well like the greatest thing to come along since the Apple Family's legendary cider."
More silence from the Espada. While it allowed her to tell her story it was also annoying that it provided no distraction and instead left her to focus on the details exclusively. It was starting to get harder to share everything in a coherent manner.
"Scootaloo dismantled her fan club to me for Mare Do Well, Mayor Mare planned on honoring her as a hero, nopony even noticed me no matter what I did, and they wanted me to honor Mare Do Well for all the good she'd done. And then I... then I found out who Mare Do Well was...and what they did... a-and why they did it... and they, they actually had the nerve to make it out like it was my fault and I deserved it and they... they..."
Ulquiorra observed her in silence as she told her story. It was hard to tell if the current difficulty she was experiencing was due to sadness or anger. She was experiencing some kind of choking difficulty from what he could tell. More curiously was how her reiatsu was starting to flare as she recalled the details of her story, her body trembling.
"They just make me so mad! Anytime anypony else was showing they were good at something they didn't concoct some plan to show them up and prove to the town that they were nothing special! We didn't try and prove to Pinkie that she's not the best at throwing parties, or show Applejack that the rest of us are better at applebucking than her, or prove to Rarity that she's not the best at fashion, buck we didn't even try to show Twilight that her magic isn't all that great. But when it comes to me, suddenly it's open season and it's alright to engage in trickery and make me look useless. Me of all ponies, one of the Elements of Harmony, they picked me to trick because the town finally recognized I was awesome! They went and pulled the awesome right out from under my hooves and they were supposed to be my friends!"
It was definitely anger currently. Despite only possessing roughly half her normal level of reiryoku right now it was exerting a considerable amount of reiatsu on the surrounding area. And it seemed to be increasing.
"Some days I can't even stand the sight of them, much less hanging around them after everything they put me through! They're supposed to be my friends, friends don't do that to each others! There's nothing funny about what they did, it was cruel! They made me feel like I wasn't worth anything, like no matter what I did there'd always be somepony better than me just waiting right around the corner to stomp all over everything I've worked so hard for! And then they laughed at me and everything I was going through! And then they had the nerve to expect everything to go right back to normal like I wasn't hurt or anything, like there was nothing wrong with what they did... I just want to hate them so much for everything they did!"
The swelling of her reiatsu had been steady but significant, seeming to pique at her last statement before dropping substantially, like a fever breaking.
"Some days are better than others. Some days I can pretend like everything's alright and we're alright. Other days not so much... sometimes I wish I was the Element of Honesty because then I could tell them exactly how I feel about them. But instead I'm stuck as the Element of Loyalty and I have to live with feeling betrayed by them. I can't even tell them how I feel because they're supposed to be my friends, and if you aren't loyal to your friends even when they're jerks then you wind up being loyal to nopony..." she paused. A long, long pause before finally continuing. "Making matters worse is we're the Elements of Harmony. How can we expect to be harmonious when we need to if I tell them how much they upset me with their little stunt? Equestria could be in danger if I do that. All I can do is swallow my anger and wear the mask of Rainbow Dash: lazy good for nothing weather pony obsessed with being the fastest, joining the Wonderbolts and napping whenever I can..."
He would never admit it to anyone that might ask. But Rainbow Dash's story had left him... mildly surprised after hearing it. The fact that this unassuming world possessed the same issues as the human world was... intriguing. He hadn't believed that this world was as peaceful as Princess Celestia would have him believe and it seemed he was quite correct in his suspicions. But now he had some measure of tangible proof, proof that not all was as it seemed. Beneath their abnormally colored coats and child-like personalities these ponies were just as ruthless and un-peaceful as any of the Espada.
This was a matter that truly warranted further investigation.
"You're... you're not gonna tell anypony about this... are you?"
His attention was drawn back to Rainbow Dash as she was now looking up at him. Her entire demeanor had changed in the course of less than a minute. She was no longer bristling with anger and fury and as she looked at him her eyes looked quite irritated and wet.
"Somepony... somebody as awesome as you are... doesn't have to go telling what he heard some little pegasus talking about... right?"
"It is indeed a matter that Princess Celestia must be informed about," he stated. The look of terror on her face was immediate but she wasn't allowed to speak. "However I believe it is a matter reserved for you to discuss when you believe the time is right. It isn't something she needs to hear from me."
He could almost feel the pegasus relaxing before him at hearing the news. It was all quite pitiful really. Did Princess Celestia fully understand just who she had entrusted the safety of Equestria to when she provided these... ponies... with the Elements of Harmony?
Perhaps that was why Discord had seen fit to bring him here. Perhaps the agent of chaos held a similar view and believed a change was necessary for this world's safety. That was certainly something that would make some measure of sense... but at the same time it created new problems that didn't make sense and would need to be addressed.
"Thanks."
His attention was drawn back to Rainbow Dash yet again. She was a most curious pony to associate with. She quickly alternated in terms of opinions held towards others depending on various interactions. Earlier she was calling him a jerk, now she was confiding in him as if she could trust him despite the relatively short duration of their having known one another.
"Now it's my turn to ask the questions. Why do you not fear me? Out of all those you associate with, Fluttershy is the only one to see me for what I truly am. She is wise to have fear regarding me. You and the others may have concern, but you don't visibly regard me as a predator. Why?"
It was a matter that was completely illogical. They all knew what he was; a ghost, a devourer of souls, a murderer and strong enough to beat a full grown bull dragon into submission without even having to fully exert himself. And yet only Fluttershy seemed to truly regard him with the severity the situation warranted. It was a mystery that he wanted to get to the bottom of.
"Huh?" she asked curiously as she blinked, his question completely catching her off guard. "Well I can't really speak for the others and what motivates them. But me in particular? I dunno really," she replied and shrugged, "sure you're... different... but you never really struck me as that much of a threat to us. I mean sure you stomped the hay outta that dragon and everything but...I dunno. I can't really explain it. It's just sorta... seems right I guess?"
It wasn't an explanation that made sense to him. Despite knowing about what he was, despite seeing what he could do without even seriously trying, these ponies still didn't regard him as he should be. He wasn't even certain if Princess Celestia still regarded him with a healthy level of suspicion and distrust. Was this entire dimension built upon the concept of second chances being passed out to everyone and everything so freely? Were these ponies genetically engineered in a manner that rendered them predisposed to trying to find some measure of good even in the worst? Discord was alive. Princess Luna was alive. The dragon from earlier today was alive. He was alive. In Hueco Mundo such threats would be terminated immediately.
"There's a matter that must be tended to in the library. I must depart for now," he replied and disappeared in a flash of sonido, leaving nothing behind but a booming echo of static and one very confused pegasus sitting on the roof and looking around.
"I've gotta learn how he does that," Rainbow Dash stated.
Based on his preliminary observations it seemed safe to categorize Twilight Sparkle as partially nocturnal in nature. She seemed to keep stranger hours than the rest of the ponies and remained awake later in the evening than others for the purpose of reading. It seemed only logical that she would be in the library tonight while the others slumbered.
Fortunately that wasn't the case. On this night Twilight Sparkle was absent and that left him free reign of the unrestricted section of the library, the purple unicorn likely slumbering away like the rest of the ponies, minus Princess Luna's staff that currently stood by the doorway. Not that he expected anything less from one of the rulers, he was still a threat and rightly regarded as such. If Princess Luna had decided to engage in a different practice he would be... disappointed. At least Princess Luna seemed to regard him with more seriousness than Princess Celestia who allowed him to travel without an escort this day.
The absence of other ponies meant an uninterrupted chance to further study the history of Equestria. New questions and mysteries had arisen over the course of this day and they warranted further study; something that couldn't be done when being asked an endless supply of questions. But at the moment it appeared safe to conclude that such an interruption wouldn't occur.
Nevertheless he still chose to remain perched at the top of one of the taller bookshelves. Above the ground few would be able to locate him unless they knew to look all the way up in this particular spot of the library.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, art thou in here?"
So much for uninterrupted research. He'd sensed her long before he saw her, but he'd hoped she was simply coming in to pick up some reading material for a dull stretch of her watch when there were no duties to tend to. Sadly that was not the case as she was looking for him. Fortunately she didn't seem aware of him as she was currently walking past where he was perched. That... could have possibilities.
Without a word he closed his book and slid it under his left arm, stepped off the ledge and plummeted to the floor, landing feet first with a loud bang upon impact directly behind her. The sudden commotion in the otherwise quiet library startled the younger sister, and made her both jump and yelp, before turning around to see what the noise was.
"Thou art indeed a jerk!" Princess Luna stated and scowled at him, not appreciating the scare in the least. A scowl that failed to move him and instead was returned by his standard emotionless look. She was the first one to blink. She had more important things to tend to rather than attempting to stare him down in a useless manner. However he was the first one to speak.
"What do you want?"
Blunt and straight to the point. She expected no less of him. Nevertheless it was hardly enough to dissuade her.
"We came to see if all was well. Considering this night 'tis a slumber party thou didst depart quite early. Thou left before the "fun" could begin," she explained.
"The concept of "fun" is of no interest to me. It is nothing more than a waste of time and not worth engaging in for any reason," Ulquiorra replied and reopened the book to continue reading where he left off, paying no attention to the frown Princess Luna was currently giving him.
"Thou are most stubborn and unpleasant to associate with," she stated and continued to frown at him.
"And despite knowing that fact from the beginning, for some reason you felt compelled to directly involve your sister's student because you believed I was worth it for whatever reason. I can't help but question why," Ulquiorra replied as if her statement meant absolutely nothing to him. He continued reading through the paragraph he was on before casting an aside glance at her and continuing. "What was your motivation for going behind your sister's back to involve Twilight Sparkle and her company when dealing with me?"
"We believed that thee might benefit from experiencing kindness and friendship firsthoof. However we art no longer fully certain of that being correct. After all the goodness we ourselves experienced we didst have hope that thee might benefit in the same manner. But thou doth have no interest in such. We can see that we hath wasted our time," Princess Luna stated.
"You're lying," Ulquiorra stated simply and paused to slowly turn the page to continue the current paragraph. "If you have no desire to share the true motivations for your actions then it's of no consequence to me. However do not waste my time by spinning deceit as to what motivated you to go behind your sister's back in such a treacherous manner. I can only speculate that you must have had strong motivations to do such, knowing there would be consequences once your actions were found out."
Silence once again filled the library, neither party speaking any further. The only noises heard were the occasional turning of a page and Princess Luna's own breathing.
"Guards. Depart from here."
The shadow guards blinked at the command of their Princess breaking the still silence of the library. The order was confusing in nature but they did as ordered and left the entrance way to the library.
Princess Luna remained silent, monitoring as they left. Once she felt they were far enough away she turned to Ulquiorra and faced him directly. "What we hath to say may never be heard by anypony else under any circumstances. The ramifications could be most disastrous to the harmony of the kingdom."
Another one? Why did these ponies choose to view him as if he was a trustworthy confidant? He hadn't been in Equestria more than a few days, certainly not long enough to even try and craft the image of someone that could be trusted. Was this the work of Discord or were they naturally this trusting of strangers? Perhaps an inborn desire to want to trust others and see the good in them? If he pressed Princess Celestia would she have freely shared the facts relating the Elements of Harmony with him?
Considering her actions with Discord's rehabilitation it was entirely possible that she would have done just that.
"I understand," he replied. However he truly didn't understand the matter at all. It was all a mystery, but pressing her for details didn't seem promising. It was yet another matter he would have to further research at a later date.
"... Thou art not truly the first devourer of souls this land hath bore witness to," Princess Luna said as she looked him straight in the eyes, demanding his full and undivided attention as she spoke. Her entire posture was broadcasting the fact that he wasn't to speak while she was speaking. "One thousand and three years ago... when we became Nightmare Moon... we didst engage in such an act ourselves, but not of our own volition. The foul demon didst need souls to sustain its form and maintain control over our mind and body and to bolster its strength to properly contend with our dear sister," she explained, although not anywhere near a level that could be mistaken for calm. Her entire body was trembling as she spoke and her voice was shaky.
"By the time our dear sister was able to intervene it was already too late. The foul demon that possessed our body had devoured the souls of seventeen young foals that night in order to maintain itself... including the soul of young pegasus filly that was very dear to us... to me..."
He said nothing as Princess Luna spoke. However he did close his current book and tuck it back under his arm. This turn of events warranted his full attention.
"Our dear sister ensured that these facts were buried for she knew what harm would occur should they ever get out. She ensured the details of that night were buried with us, never to see the light of day again. And we art thankful that she did. But even though the demon that possessed us is forever gone, the knowledge of what we did is not. We will live on for eternity and forever remember the looks of horror on their faces; as we watched helplessly at what we were forced on that accursed night!"
Ulquiorra remained silent as Princess Luna talked. The story had some surreal quality to it and it seemed hard to believe. But her posture and body language told him that it was most certainly not any type of attempt at humor. The shaking of her shoulders as she dropped to her haunches wasn't the kind of shaking witnessed when one was attempting to suppress a laugh, that much he was certain of.
"Thou doth wish to know why we didst involve Twilight Sparkle as we did? Because we didst hope that if thou could find friendship and be forgiven even with all that thee hath done then... then maybe one day there wouldst be hope for us as well, and we too could be forgiven for all that we didst do!"
Rainbow Dash's confession had been about the betrayal by her friends in response to some insufficiently explained incident back in Ponyville. Leaving her feeling resentful towards them but forced to maintain a false image of everything being fine, the whole recollection being made in anger.
Princess Luna's confession had been about the entity of Nightmare Moon possessing her body and using it in the slaughter of their subjects for the simple purpose of sustaining its own life, to try and do battle with Princess Celestia, forcing its host to watch everything as it unfolded. Unlike Rainbow Dash, her recollection was made in sadness but delivered in neutral-to-anger terms, and lacked the same emotional resonance.
Rainbow Dash was able to resist crying, as she recounted how her friends had gone out of their way to engage in a cruel prank and attack not only her trust in them, but her own sense of self worth. Princess Luna was not as able, and now sat on the library floor, unable to control the tears that were currently escaping.
Why did these ponies believe he was so trustworthy? Why did they feel he could be confided in, and why did they believe he even cared about their problems enough to hear them? Did Princess Celestia know what her sister was doing right now? It was all very confusing to him.
Even more confusing -and outright disturbing- was the feeling of discomfort he was experiencing as Princess Luna cried freely. How -and why- was he being affected like this?
"Perhaps I was too hasty in accepting Discord's offer," he thought as he turned his attention back to the book to begin reading again in an effort to tune out the wails of the Moon Princess before him. "Perhaps I should have simply remained in the void and awaited my fate. Surely hell can't be as bad as this."
Morning once again returned to Equestria, once again bringing the change in rule as Princess Celestia raised the sun to begin the new day. It meant Princess Luna retiring for the day and no longer crying in his presence, lamenting over the actions of her alter ego a thousand years ago. The new day also meant the holders of the Elements of Harmony would be returning to Ponyville to continue about their everyday lives. More importantly though, the new day meant he would be able to continue his studies undisturbed and gain a better understanding of his surroundings.
"What is it you want?"
Or at least he could if Princess Celestia wasn't making her way into the library. A peaceful opportunity to study in silence seemed unlikely the way things were proceeding.
"The train back to Ponyville is leaving in half an hour," Princess Celestia explained, unfazed by the bluntness of Ulquiorra's manners of address. "I came to see if you wanted to see the others off before they returned home."
"No," Ulquiorra replied simply and turned his attention back to the book in his hands, saying nothing further despite feeling Princess Celestia looking at him. He had no reason and no motivation to watch the others leave. It was nothing more than a waste of time and a useless gesture to engage in. There were more important matters at hand right now.
Silence once again washed over the library except for the occasional turning of pages. Princess Celestia said nothing further, simply turning and leaving the library.
"Do you believe they'll talk about what they experienced yesterday?" Ulquiorra asked, waiting until she was just about to step out of the library before finally speaking up.
"How do you mean?" Princess Celestia asked as she stepped back closer to him, curious at the sudden breach of silence.
"Yesterday they were made aware of details pertaining to who I am, what I am and what I did back in my world. Do you believe they'll spread this information around Equestria through gossip or do you believe they'll refrain from such, and hide the fact that you have an unrepentant murderer as your newest subject?" he asked.
So that's what he meant. It was certainly a good question. So many new and unexpected details coming to light in such a short amount of time, some of her little ponies prone to talking about things that they shouldn't. It made sense that he'd be concerned about the possibility of such.
"I don't believe they'll go blabbing about what they heard. They're intelligent enough to understand that if all the details got out it would cause panic all over Equestria from those that are less informed. There are certain things the populace is better off not knowing and they're quite aware of that fact. I don't believe even Pinkie would want to go and terrify everypony with tales of a strange being whose exploits sound like something out of a story book. Your secret will be safe with them," she explained calmly.
"Hopefully they possess more restraint than Princess Luna when it comes to maintaining secrets."
"... Pardon?" Princess Celestia asked after a moment of confusion. What was he talking about? What had Luna been talking about?
Ulquiorra left her waiting until he was done reading the current paragraph before addressing her again.
"Your sister was all too willing to inform me how as Nightmare Moon she engaged in devouring the souls of several of your subjects before she was finally stopped. One would expect such knowledge would be more carefully guarded and not handed out so freely to someone new to the dimension. The ramifications to be had should such information ever become public knowledge would be quite disastrous. Your entire kingdom might tear itself apart with outrage and panic. The diarchy would suffer greatly and there would be widespread distrust to contend with, possibly a civil war as well," he explained calmly while slowly turning around to face her. "You're trusting your subjects with information of a most sensitive nature. Finding out about one murderer would be bad enough. I don't care to consider what the populace of this land would do should they ever find out there are two, one of whom is a ruler of theirs. For your sake and theirs I hope that you're right in the placement of your trust."
If Princess Celestia was prone to the same violations of the rules of physics as Pinkie Pie, he suspected her jaw would be on the floor by now. But for whatever reason she wasn't talking and he didn't feel compelled to ask why or even face her right now.
"Luna... Luna told you about that?" she asked after a long stretch of silence.
"Readily. I must say I'm mildly surprised, more by the fact that so many are so willing to trust me with their secrets than the details of what she did," Ulquiorra replied. However before Princess Celestia could get a word in edgewise he continued talking. "Do you now plan on having me executed after this revelation?"
She frowned. Was Ulquiorra deliberately going out of his way to taunt her with the fact that he knew more about the Diarchy than the rest of Equestria did? Was he challenging her? Was he trying to determine if she was soft in her rule and unable to make hard decisions when required? Even with everything she'd seen in his mind, there was still a great deal about him she didn't know or fully understand.
Why did Discord have to put her in such a position? Surely if he was interested in making her miserable there were easier ways to go about it.
"... At present I don't believe that's necessary," she finally replied and stepped closer. "The number of those who know growing from two to three really doesn't prove to be much of a threat. And so far you haven't given me any reason to believe that you aren't trustworthy or a blabbermouth. So long as I'm certain that the kingdom isn't in any danger I believe we can fully avoid any unpleasantries such as that."
The irony of her statement, was she even aware of how much her statement contained? She spoke of his trustworthiness despite having no trust of him. She kept him under watch through her guards, carefully monitored him during their interactions and engaged in various other methods of trying to gauge whether or not he was a potential threat and how much danger he posed. She regarded him as a security issue to the point she had bound his resurrección and prevented its release and even placed her student Twilight Sparkle in charge of him when he wasn't in their presence. And yet she spoke of trust when there was none on her part?
Most curious indeed.
"Then let us try and avoid unpleasantries," Ulquiorra replied and directed his attention back to the book at hand.
"Indeed," she replied and nodded, despite the fact he couldn't see it. "I believe I'll go see Twilight and her friends off now. Should I give them your regards?"
"Do whatever you wish, it makes no difference to me," Ulquiorra replied. If Princess Celestia desired to lie to her subjects who was he to stop her from doing so?
Without another word she turned and headed out the library, leaving Ulquiorra alone and to his own devices, with the exception of the two unicorn guards standing by the entrance. She trusted that he could keep himself busy enough in his research that she wasn't needed to guide him.
However when Luna awoke, she would definitely need to have another discussion with her about the importance of secrets.
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Dashie... that is just... oh my god... Now I HATE the rest of the Mane 6! DAG NABBIT, MAN! YOU COULD'VE GIVEN US A WARNING FIRST! COME ON!
Yeah... It's really hard to forget the first impression stains of Merriwether Williams.
And dang... I didn't think it was possible to take a Silly Filly Studios Production into such a "dark" turn.
...
For some reason, I'm imagining the souls of Nightmare Moon, Snowdrop, and Rukia Kuchiki fusing together into some weird, ice-zanpakuto wielding enemy. Reason for creation: destroy Luna. I don't know why.
Ulquiorra is starting to crack~.
Damn...This chapter was deep; Rainbow Dash hiding contempt for her friends? Luna's past involving devouring Snowdrop's soul (Right in the feels!
)?
Then there's the matter that despite all of that, Ulquiorra STILL doesn't give a rat's ass
That would be the comedy I'd find in this chapter.
Another satisfactory installment
Well, Applejack kind of learned her lesson about taking on more than she could when she started trying to help everyone and do the entirety of apple bucking, then there was the time they managed to throw that surprise party for Pinkie, Fluttershy with the assertiveness lessons, Twilight and Lesson Zero, and I guess nothing for Rarity really considering she hasn't had a lot of episodes about her. I guess she's ignoring the point in time during the incident when she was letting it all go to her head and acting like an egomaniac.
Another wonderful 3am update. A subtle but good point; many characters in crossovers or OCs tend to have the situations of others dumped onto them whether they would actually care or not. In Ulquiorra's case, as the aspect of emptiness everything is either relevant or irrelevant to him. Perhaps not the best character in the world for entertaining interactions, but certainly one worth reading.
Ugh I'm surprised Rainbow Dash is being so blind. They were trying to help her! She really needs to talk to them about it if she really doesn't understand. Maybe I just don't get it or something as I've never felt the need for a spotlight. I wonder if that demon that possessed Luna is truly gone? It must not have had much control during the events the night of Sun Festival.
3206888 Nononono shhhhh you're lying shhhhhh...
Man Charlie, your cranking these our fast. I'm sure not complaining though!
Gotta say that I see your point about what happened to RD, that episode always left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I mean, her being the 'most awesome Pegasus' may be debatable. But the fact was that she did save a lot of ponies, why shouldn't she be recognized for it? Hmmm, maybe Discord brought Ulquiorra (Hey, I spelled it right that time!) to Equestria to poke holes in their faulty logic, showing them the truth of the matter, and thus strengthening their bond? Or maybe he just wanted to mess with Tia for the whole imprisoned in stone for a 1000 years thing. 
Below you will find your regularly scheduled edits! As always your dialogue is spot on I feel, but you still seem to forget to pause in your sentences on occasion. Good luck writing the next update!
*function and keep you right - function and keep you upright
*other Hollows in their trying to talk - other Hollows in there trying to talk - or - other Hollows inside of you trying to talk
*hunting him down he had little - hunting him down, he had little
*was recognized as top predator of the - was recognized as the top predator of the
*However for whatever reason she still insisted - However, for whatever reason, she still insisted
*getting too full or myself or whatever. - getting too full of myself or whatever.
*her to focus in the details - her to focus on the details
*comes to me suddenly it's - comes to me, suddenly it's
*without even seriously trying these ponies - without even seriously trying, these ponies
*but a booming echo of status - but a booming echo of static
*before he saw her but he'd - before he saw her, but he'd
*directly behind her, the sudden - directly behind her. The sudden
*startling the younger sister and making - startling the younger sister, and making
*motivations to do such knowing - motivations to do such, knowing
*However he did close current book - However he did close his current book
*possessed us is forever gone the knowledge - possessed us is forever gone, the knowledge
*We will live eternal and forever remember the looks of horror on their faces as we watched helplessly at what were forced - We will live on for eternity and forever remember the looks of horror on their faces; as we watched helplessly at what we were forced
*us as well and we too could - us as well, and we too could
*back in Ponyville and left her feeling - back in Ponyville. Leaving her feeling
*made in sadness but delivered in neutral-to-anger terms and lacked - made in sadness, but delivered in neutral-to-anger terms, and lacked
*change in rule at Princess Celestia - change in rule as Princess Celestia
*in his presence and lamenting - in his presence, lamenting
*importantly though the new day meant - importantly though, the new day meant
*refrain from such and hide the - refrain from such, and hide the
*rules of physics as Pinkie Pie he - rules of physics as Pinkie Pie, he
*mildly surprised more by - mildly surprised, more by
*about the royalty that Equestria did? - about the Diarchy than the rest of Equestria did?
*she'd seen in his mind there - she'd seen in his mind, there
*isn't in any danger I believe - isn't in any danger I believe
*when Luna awoke she would - when Luna awoke, she would
ye heartless bastard
Okay, I love the story, but the way people like to perceive MMDW just drives me up the wall!
It was nothing like what RD said in here! They weren't just bringing her down because she got too cool! If she truly believes that it just shows that she's so utterly blinded by her ego that it overcomes her friendships and loyalty, not to mention common sense.
What was she really doing in MMDW? Well, after a couple of sincere rescues, the public's adoration went to her head and she slowly started doing it more and more for the fame and recognition instead of because it was the right thing to do. That's pretty damn obvious, too! Over time she stops really caring, becomes overconfident, and if MDW didn't intervene many ponies would've been seriously hurt, or dead, just because RD was drunk on the public praises!
I don't believe for a second that anything less than what the rest did with MDW would've been succesfull in snapping Dash out of it. She's thick-headed enough that she would not understand if they were to try and simply explain it to her, she'd misinterpret that too and probably only get angry at them. So instead they went with a plan that's cool all around: saving ponies endangered due to Dash's stupidity and overconfidence, being an example for her of how a hero should act, being intrusive enough to actually get through to her and get her to pay attention (by being a challenge to her self-perceived awesomeness and driving away some of the public attention that's been getting into her head), and heck, just being awesome while doing it! It's an amazing plan and it worked beautifully! Only apparently not, because RD, according to you, is much too self-absorbed to realize that what they did was entirely justified.
If RD still thinks there was malicious intent, jealousy or whatever behind those actions and that she was in the right and not at fault in that situation, it just shows that she didn't understand the lesson even after all they've gone through and is just being incredibly dense. Even more dense than is norm for her, I'd say. Even all the praise they were giving MDW was intended to get to Dash, because she can't handle someone being perceived as better than her and it got her to actually care enough about MDW!
That, and her still holding that grudge is totally against her character. She's not some emotonally fragile butterfly. Even if she completely missed her friends' intentions and message, she still would just shrug it off and forget it in the end. Thinking as much as this isn't something she does.
I'm sorry, but that whole part pissed me off.
This chapter hurt like hell.
If I had a heart it would be broken after Luna's bit.
I hope thou art happy, thou monster
My love for Nightmare Moon still stands. She's just awesome and now I want her to meet Ulquiorra.
3207700, Well, MMDW was a pretty poorly executed episode to begin with. It would have been a bit more convincing if her friends had tried talking with her first instead of just assuming that she was too hard-headed and wouldn't listen. It would have also helped if they had complimented each other's parts rather than their own qualities underneath the mask. Neither of these helpful parts happened, unfortunately. Therefore, everyone in the setting of that particular episode was a hypocrite.
Don't assume that people won't listen to what you have to say, because it just makes an "a**" out of "u" and "me".
Edit: Also, Rainbow Dash isn't as emotionally stable as you seem to think she is. Remember Sonic Rainboom? She was on the cloud floor, curled up in a fetal position, and trembling.
3206740
*Points to the dark tag above* That's not there just because of Ulquiorra's presence.
3206845 3206895
Luna's sadness over the loss of Snow Drop during her absence provided the perfect fuel for the notion that she herself was directly responsible.
The idea was actually jotted down on a rough draft near the earlier chapters, long before I became aware of Luna's Children of the Night video and the notion of taking orphans to start a new colony for independent rule.
Had I been going for true heartlessness I would've alluded to something truly sinister. I would've suggested that it was Nightmare Moon's blooming influence that guided Luna's actions, and her true purpose for gathering foals was to store them away as food for her eventual takeover of Luna's body.
3207363 3207700 3208381
For better or worse, Mysterious Mare Do Well is one of the most controversial episodes of the series in terms of how everything was executed in order to fit it into a single half hour episode span. Had it been reserved for the comics it could've been much better.
Rainbow Dash's element is what? Loyalty. Where was the loyalty of her friends then? Just because your friends claim they're doing something for your own good doesn't mean they don't wind up traumatizing you in the process because they don't understand you. It's been suggested that Rainbow Dash's sense of self worth is directly linked to her ability to be awesome at what she does. Suddenly there's this mystery figure who can out awesome you without even trying and the whole town, including your number one fan and admirer, more or less forgets even your name and you're left with nothing. Can anybody say well intentioned extremist?
One of the complaints about "Cuatro" that I read was how while all the characters were in character, they never advanced beyond that basic portrayal of themselves and they were more or less just cookie cutter in nature. In HiE that won't be the case.
Make that four, Discord probably knows as well.
3208646 If its such a controversial episode why even mention it? your bound to upset somebody
3208381 I fail to see how who complimented what mattered at all. They're not doing it sincerely, obviously. They're doing it just to rile up RD. They aren't hypocrites if they're acting and pretending, which they pretty obviously are.
Plus, RD's breakdown in SR was different in that it had legitimate causes (her sudden self-doubt and probably performanse anxiety), but here if she understood why her friends did what they did she wouldn't have a reason to be so upset for so long. I agree that a "trying to talk to her" scene would be beneficial, but largely I think it would've been pointless anyway and I think the episode is executed just fine. When I first watched it it absolutely didn't stand out in a way that people say it's different from most other episodes.
will you make Uliquiorra tell them about the aspects of death the espada represented? It is an important plot point and part of the character development of all of the espada in bleach.
3208711
I already upset readers when I insinuated dragons and gryphons see nothing wrong with eating their dead comrades under certain circumstances. I was sure I'd upset readers when I insinuated Luna killed Snow Drop while under Nightmare Moon's influence and a lot of other innocent foals, which would lead to the assumption that if she hadn't been banished to the moon a lot of others would've died in the same manner. Why bring up Mare Do Well if it's controversial? For that exact reason, because it is controversial. What happened was a base breaker among the fans and it was either well executed or poorly thought out, meaning the presented fallout will be either well executed or poorly thought out.
Is Rainbow Dash right to hold a grudge against the others after so long? Is she wrong and the others are right? Is it in her character to still be upset due to the lack of loyalty demonstrated by those she's closest to? That's for the individual readers to determine. Mistakes happen in life and those involved have to deal with the consequences or either their actions or the actions of others.
3208863
It might've already been covered during that three hour conversation they had near the beginning of the chapter.
Ooh, that Luna scene twanged a few heartstrings. Also, is Cifer slowly chipping under the feels?
3208711
(this is a completely neutral comment-- I'm not raging at you.)
Because writers shouldn't be inhibited by a single person/group's feelings in regards to what said writers wrote. If they did, do you think we'd have any of the great literature we have nowadays? Hemingway, Steinbeck, Salinger, Rand, Nietzsche, Orwell, Huxley, Lee, and and many more writers would never have written their works (or said works wouldn't even be a shadow of what they are now) if they'd taken into consideration that some people might take offense at their literature. Indeed, it is the very nature of writing-- people of different opinions will react differently to the same story. The issue we have nowadays is that everyone is oversensitive to even the most mundane of things. Yes, you're going to be offended or disturbed by stuff in this world; that's the nature of the world. However, most of the time it is your choice to partake in the situation that might expose you to these dilemmas, and as such, you have only yourself to blame. (yeah, this paragraph is what I interpreted being in your comment to real-life, now let's hit the topic right on target in the next one.)
It's the same thing with fanfiction: it's the author's job to explore scenarios that the show avoids or scratches the surface on, or even explore an entirely different alternate universe. As such, it's fair game-- yeah, drowning the show's innocent and trying to give Equestria some more "natural" problems that we deal with in real life might be seen as being overly cruel, but that's what makes some stories truly worth reading. I've had my fair share of authors I've wanted to lambaste because of the way they've manipulated certain show-plots to fit their setting (some to an extreme extent), but it's their choice to do so, just as it's my choice to read their stories as well.
TL;DR: it's the author's choice, and is allowed to do whatever he/she wants to do as fanfiction is meant to explore scenarios.
Nightmare Moon, the devourer of souls.......it does sound kinda cool.
3208850, Yes, you and I know that they were acting because we're outsiders looking in. But how do you know if Rainbow Dash knew this? It's kind of difficult for someone in their group of friends to realize that those friends are joking if their statements sound sincere.
The moral that they pretty much shoved down her throat at the end of the episode was that true heroes don't brag about their accomplishments. Yet by talking about their own accomplishments as Mare-do-Well (Twilight complimenting her magic, Applejack complimenting her strength, Fluttershy complimenting her kind and caring nature, Rarity complimenting the dresses), they were round-about-ly bragging. The lesson, although a good one, doesn't match up with their actions.
Anger is often an illogical and unreasonable emotion. At times I've felt angry at somebody else even though I knew they were in the right. Just because you don't have a reason to be angry doesn't mean that you won't be for a given length of time.
Wow Rainbow I had no idea... more reason for me to dislike the others wow.
3208850 3208711 3207363
Over on the TVTropes site for MLP:FIM, there's speculation that the events of MMDW were spread out over the course of months rather than days. Which makes sense, all those things happening in just a few days would make Ponyville a very dangerous place to be. I went with that theory and specifically stated that things happened over the period of a couple of months.
Look at it from this perspective. From the time Mare Do Well showed up to the time she was revealed to be four different ponies working together for a single goal, there was a period of at least 60 days in which Rainbow Dash had to watch as Ponyville forgot about her and all the good she'd done for them. Her friends were chatting up Mare Do Well as something great, Scootaloo and the rest of the foals no longer regarded Rainbow Dash as a hero and reconfigured their fan club to reflect this fact, nopony was talking to Rainbow Dash about whatever crisis she was going through, they were barely talking to her at all.
And then comes to reveal of the truth. And with the reveal the retroactive realization that for the past 60 days -if not longer, possibly 90 or 120 days- those ponies she's considered her best friends have been keeping a secret that they're showing her up because they believe she's gotten too big for her britches, and not once did any of them try and approach her and talk to her before going with the costume and the mystery alicorn. They've been flaunting this fake identity in her face, like a red cape in front of a disturbed bull, for weeks on end without letting up, without reassuring her that they still think she's awesome, and for no other reason than trying to teach her a lesson.
And then at the end they're talking about how great they are in comparison. It's like:
Applejack: I'm stronger than you.
Pinkie: I can sense danger better than you.
Fluttershy: I'm kinder than you.
Twilight: I can do magic better than you.
If that wouldn't cause some measure of resentment and psychological harm, what would? How long can one realistically take the fact that their friends were doing some very un-friend-like things and not caring about their feelings in the process?
As the show is presented, assuming the various accidents happened over an extended period of time rather than one after another in quick succession, doesn't it seem like Rainbow Dash being totally alright with the trickery would be the less believable of the two options?
I'm loving this story!
3209968 She was being a boastful narcissistic dick in that episode.
3211429 That may be so and needed to be put down a peg, but she seems to have taken it rather harsh.
I just saw thisgifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Leonardo-DiCaprio-Django-Unchained-You-Had-my-Curiosity.gif
To those of you complaining about Dash's anger at the Mare Do Well incident. Why she's kinda justifiably upset is instead of actually trying to sit her down and talk to her about her boastful streak, her friends pull an elaborate demoralizing stunt that ends up being more hurtful then anything else. Playing mind games with someone and completely embarrassing them to teach them a lesson isn't the best moral. The way to hell is paved with good intentions and even if her friends were trying to get her to tone the bragging down a peg, their 'solution' was a rather mean spirited one....It's more like something you'd do some jerk you hate, not your very good friend. But sitting down and talking things out isn't as entertaining to watch and they have 23 minutes to fill so that's why it went that way.... Even so that whole episode didn't sit right with me....Be honest about your feelings....don't take the passive aggressive approach as that's likely to cause more hurt feelings and bitterness then actual help.
On another note I'm really getting interested in where you're going with this and eagerly await the next chapter!
Fantastic chapter Ulqy gotten a small chip in his feels I see and rainbow telling him a secret about something so personal? I hope they have a closer relationship in time ^^ once Ulq if ever finds some small amount of sympathy for RD that would be great to read ^^
can't wait for more to unfold!
Ulquiorra Cifer (TM) awkward for everyone involved! Guaranteed to have anyone he comes into contact with express distaste for him. Order now!
The only thing I had against this chapter was the, imo, pointless inclusion of Snow Drop fanon. I've got no problem with fanon that the writer has crafted for his/ her story and built through the chapters, but the moment some other fanon comes in it leaves someone scratching thier head.
Luna's scene was powerful, and because I know nothing about Snow Drop plus the fact that Luna didn't specifically mention her allows me to pretend that the filly is anypony. So it maintains its purpose.
Dash's scene was the highlight of this chapter to me though.
3214428
That's what I was going for, the emotional impact of revealing that not everything is as nice and clean as it appears on the surface. Characters are going to have depth here, and sometimes that depth gets scary.
And leaving out Snow Drop's name was a deliberate decision so readers can make it whoever they wish. Maybe it's Snow Drop, maybe it was a long distant relative to Rainbow Dash.
3214447
I figured the omission of a name was on purpose. A good choice.
I always appreciate some depth. Good job there, very good job. I can't wait to see how you expand upon other events in FiM.
3214856
The idea of Nightmare Moon being the devourer of souls was scheduled as far back as the second and third chapters when Celestia was trying to explain to Luna just how dangerous Ulquiorra was, and she still went to bat for him. I figured it was the only way to explain her dedication to the matter. The only change made was the inclusion of the bit about the pegasus filly.
Well then prepare yourself for what's coming down the pipe, it's going to be awesome and horrifying and saddening all at the same time.
3215199
I'll Take your word on it.
I patiently await the next chapter.
>>>"Perhaps I was too hasty in accepting Discord's offer," he thought as he turned his attention back to the book to begin reading again in an effort to tune out the wails of the Moon Princess before him. "Perhaps I should have simply remained in the void and awaited my fate. Surely hell can't be as bad as this.">>>
Ah, but you ARE in hell Discord! A hell fitting for one who lacks any strong emotions and relies only upon what is plain, basic fact: a land of strange, inexplicable emotions, broiling with mismatched personalities and powerful self-doubts dwelling beneath the surface.
Of course, this means the identity of the Devil becomes rather obvious.
(Psst! It's Discord! Don't worry! Imma cast him into the lake of fire pretty soon now!)
3212685 Trollestia commanded them to do it. Think carefully, isn't that exactly the sort of plan you'd expect from the Troll Princess?
She's invading canon Equestria! The fanon has given her POWER to take over minds like Discord!!
Imagine the implications... Imagine if Molestia gains such power!
3210232 You must make it up to Dashie by going out and getting her drunk!
Works every time!
Some of the best character development I've ever read. Just fantastic.
awesomegifs.com/wp-content/uploads/cheers-slow-clap.gif
Everytime I hear about that Mare Do Well episode, I GET PEEVED OFF! Dashie deserves to be called a true hero, and she doesn't deserve to have her feelings screwed with!
Fucking nightmare moon kill snowdrop!!!
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130913013308/tvtropesmirror/images/0/0c/Spongebob_%26_Patrick_Jaws_Drops.png
This is the end of loyal -- T...
A small pegasus Filly eh?
It's Snowdrop isn't it...
4397458 Who's Snowdrop?
3332832 She did not see that coming!
Ok I'll go to hell now