Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Nineteen
"One week."
"Pardon?" Luna asked as she looked up from her current breakfast dish, being a bagel smeared with rich and decadent Fillydelphia cream cheese, a long withheld treat she was eager to re-indulge herself in all over again, and her sister interrupting her wasn't very welcome right now.
"It's been a full week since our little ponies learned about Ulquiorra's true nature," Celestia stated. It sure didn't seem quite like that amount of time, but it certainly was. One week ago she'd dispatched the Elements of Harmony to motivate a dragon to leave the area. One week ago Ulquiorra had proven his loyalty by saving her little ponies from harm and taking on the dragon himself. One week ago the Espada's secrets had unfolded before them.
And much to her relief there hadn't been so much as a single report of widespread riots or panicking among her subjects. It was safe to assume the secrets and details of last week were still secret amongst the seven; just as she'd expected from them.
"We art aware," Luna commented before returning to her bagel, before addressing her sister. "And what ist the status of Ulquiorra Cifer himself. Ist he still in the library reading?" she asked.
"Still in the library, standing up longer than any of the guards can hope to compete with," Celestia replied and chuckled, "I rarely see him out of there unless I have the guards bring him forward. You certainly weren't exaggerating when you talked about his reading skills."
Luna said nothing in response, choosing instead to focus on the delectable sweets of breakfast and making up for lost time.
Granted she could've enjoyed this treat at any time she desired such, Celestia's influence could do little to stop such from occurring. But immortality, combined with natural sibling rivalry, further affected with a mischievous streak, made for strange goings on from time to time. And what some would say amounted to a strange punishment was truthfully closer to being a dare. An exceedingly annoying dare actually. But one she had won nonetheless.
Breakfast continued in relative silence, apart from noises of pleasure Celestia was certain Luna was making for no other reason than to annoy her as she expressed her joy for the prohibition on sweets officially being lifted. But she'd let her sister get away with it... for now anyway. There were more important matters to tend to... such as the scroll that materialized above her head and was enveloped in her magic.
It was a rather large scroll. It was over a dozen pages thick if she were weighing it correctly. She knew Twilight could indeed be an avid writer and give detailed reports, but this was excessive even for her most times.
Perhaps it was from Rainbow Dash? Ever since Twilight had convinced her that books were for everypony she would sometimes make an occasional attempt at writing herself. Asking her to sample her work for review really wasn't out of the realm of possibilities with that wild pegasus.
"Doth thou plan on reading that or simply holding it?" Luna asked, wondering just what could be in the scroll. Usually Twilight Sparkle's friendship reports came later in the day after some excitement had been had. Perhaps she'd forgotten to send it yesterday and just now remembered? Most likely not, but one could never be absolutely certain of anything.
"Be patient dear sister, be patient," Celestia replied and unrolled the scroll, peeling the first outward sheet and starting to read it.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I regret to inform you that this isn't a friendship report but rather something of a different nature. As it's been a week since the last time any of us have seen Ulquiorra there's been more than a few questions asked. And since we aren't certain when he'll return to Ponyville several of us had the idea to send him a collection of letters so the ponies interested could ask these questions and get a response.
At least I hope they'll get a response. Knowing Ulquiorra like I do there's no guarantee how things will go. I can only hope that this doesn't turn out to be a waste of everypony's time, yours included.
Signed,
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle
"Oh my..." Celestia said as she finished reading the note, a slight grin creeping over her face.
"What is it, dear sister?" Luna asked curiously.
"Letters to Ulquiorra apparently. Those in Ponyville are apparently quite interested in him, and they decided to write him directly," Celestia explained and grinned further. "I wonder what his reaction's going to be when he finds out he's gotten fan mail."
"Truly?" Luna asked as she stood up and walked over to read the first letter over her sister's shoulder. "Hmm..." she frowned, "something tells us this will not go well. We wouldst wager fifty gold bits that Ulquiorra Cifer doth not reply to so much as one letter."
"You're actually betting on Ulquiorra's development within our world?" Celestia asked. That was... odd. Had the Espada particularly angered her and made her rethink her investment in the situation?
Luna nodded in response. "We are indeed. Ulquiorra Cifer is not one that would concern himself with sparing others their feelings should they annoy him. And we suspect that should he answer any they will most assuredly be harsh and unforgiving in nature."
Luna had a very good point. Ulquiorra had been quite blunt in all of her interactions with him, and quite quick to call her out when he suspected something wasn't right according to his views; he'd really let her have it regarding the failed assassination attempt in the gardens. She still couldn't look at him without remembering that conversation and how everything had gone.
"It's a possibility. But we'll never know without trying," Celestia pointed out, levitating the letters over to her sister. "Would you mind delivering these to him after breakfast?" she asked.
Luna looked at the roll of letters and frowned. Her go into the library to play mail mare? Hardly one of her sister's more unusual requests. But venturing into the library had the possibility of a nasty surprise waiting for her... unless...
"We shall do so, dear sister, it will give us a chance to have a word with Ulquiorra Cifer..." she said as she magically took hold of the letters, grinning mischievously to herself at the thoughts that were currently entering her mind.
Luna appeared in the library in a flash of teleportation, hovering high off the ground near the ceiling, grinning at the brilliance of her plan and how Ulquiorra Cifer would never be able to sneak up on her from this vantage point. Her plan was quite foal proof as far as she could see since she had the high ground at her disposal.
Now it was just a matter of locating that Espada and delivering the mail, and then going to bed for the day, leaving her sister to manage whatever headaches occurred after this point.
"Ulquiorra Cifer! A word-"
She was interrupted by the sound that was characteristic of the sonido technique, the Espada appearing in front of her before she could even complete her sentence, looking her right in the eye with those emotionless teal green eyes as if she'd disturbed him in the middle of something important.
The disturbing aspect of it all was how he was so easily looking her in the eyes when she was so high off the ground. And then she remembered the one little detail that was most crucial and went forgotten when she formulated her plan; Ulquiorra Cifer's airwalking ability. It still baffled her how he could do something like that without the use of magic, or at least without any of the appendages their subjects used when they delved into magic. No horn for casting spells, no wings for flight, no latent abilities like earth ponies, just... she didn't know how to describe it.
Of course him being able to pop out of nowhere in such an undetected manner didn't help matters any. It was unnerving how he could move about as such.
"'Tis most disturbing how thee can do that," she stated and frowned. He said nothing and continued his stare. How did he so easily make her feel so uneasy. "Where hast thou been lately? We hath not seen you in the historical section the past few days. What doth occupy thine's time as of late?" she asked.
"Anatomy of the three pony races. If I'm to be in this dimension for an extended period of time, it's only logical to know all I can about those I must interact with," he explained calmly.
"Truly?" she asked and tilted her head. "And what hast thou been learning?"
"Based on my studies so far, it seems safe to assume the one called Rainbow Dash is quite lecherous in nature," he replied. "You wished to have a word with me when you appeared in the library. Did it pertain to my studies of your world, or the bundle you have tucked under your left wing?"
In her haste to try and pop in on Ulquiorra Cifer in an effort to take him by surprise she'd nearly forgotten the reason she actually came here. Fortunately, he was aware enough to notice minute differences and that reminded her of the bundle of letters she was currently transporting with her.
"These are for thou. Some of our subjects hath seen fit to write thee and ask questions since thou art not present to be asked directly," she replied and levitated the bundle over for him to take.
"What do they say?" he asked without even taking hold of them.
"Seeing as they belong to thou it would be improper for us to read them. 'Tis a task reserved for thee and thee alone," Princess Luna responded and pushed the bundle against him until he finally took hold of them. "We must take our leave now. It has been a long night and we need our sleep. A good morning to thee, Ulquiorra Cifer," she stated and disappeared just as she'd come, leaving the Espada alone with his bundle of letters.
"Curious," he muttered to himself and touched down on the library floor. He was certain his trip into Ponyville had convinced the populace that he wasn't worth interacting with but it seemed he was quite wrong about that possibility. He could understand Twilight Sparkle and some of her friends writing him but there were too many sheets present to be just from those seven. Perhaps the best way to get to the bottom of this curiosity would be to unwrap them and begin reading. He peeled the first sheet off as it was the most logical place to start.
Dear Ulquiorra,
How've you been doing since our last interaction? I hope everything's going alright in Canterlot. I still can't believe you've got access to the library and have no need to sleep, I'm so jealous of that fact.
I'm sure Princess Celestia explained things to you, but just in case she didn't here it is: a lot of the ponies around town have been asking about you, and since your visits are more or less restricted we decided it would be best to send you letters to ask the questions they can't ask you directly. The idea was such a good one I had to get involved too.
The next time you come to Ponyville could you help me with some matters of scientific study and exploration? I'd love to understand the nature of the mechanics behind your abilities, but without your help there's nothing I can do except academic hypothesis. The amount of beneficial discoveries that could be had are quite possibly limitless, and there's simply not enough parchment available to detail what kind of benefits to all of ponykind could be had with your presence in Equestria. For instance if we could learn the mechanics behind how your body can absorb mana from the area, and replicate it in living beings, the hunger problems in areas beyond the border could be alleviated. And then there's the matter of your hierro and how it could be used to prevent injuries in the workplace.
Did I spell that right, hierro? Our languages being two different standards and bridged only by Discord's magic can really be troubling. Pronunciation is one matter, but attempts at translating and spelling on a written dialect are a real challenge.
Maybe for the sake of ease in communication I should just refer to it as your armored skin. It makes about as much sense and it's far easier to translate.
Anyway, if you could come it would be really appreciated.
Signed,
Twilight SparkleP.S. Did I spell your name right? Everypony else is using the same spelling based on our language's structure of phonetic pronunciation. If it isn't right I'm going to feel more embarrassed than when I actually considered not studying you at all because of how you so easily violated the laws of physics of our world. But as a scientist I shouldn't be discouraged just because a challenge is significant.
Sorry. I'm rambling again.
Somehow this didn't surprise him any. The fact that Twilight Sparkle was the first to write him and the fact she still wished to study him in a scientific setting were to be expected. At least her ambitions were relatively noble in nature rather than self-serving. No talk of using him to further goals of usurping control from Princess Celestia and ruling in her place, no talk of attempting to use him as a catalyst to trigger her own evolution and become a new breed of life form.
"Granz she is not," he muttered and set the page aside and peeled off the next one to read.
Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,
Do you like muffins?
Signed,
Ditzy Doo
He studied the letter for a minute before flipping it over to look at the back side. That was the entirety of the message from Ditzy Doo?
He recalled his initial observation of the pegasus mare. Not overly intelligent but at least she was polite when addressing him. And she manged the proper pronunciation of his full name right off the bat. He went on to the next letter.
Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,
I must say word of your defeat of the dragon has spread over Ponyville like wildfire, and you're being regarded as something of a celebrity. If you have time before you must depart back for your own land, would you have time to stop by the Ponyville Elementary school, and address the class about this amazing feat of yours? Many of them still can't believe the tales of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and even with dear Twilight's assurance that most of what they say is perfectly accurate, I must admit even I have trouble comprehending the details.
Signed,
Cherilee
Speaking before a class full of children. Was the earth pony serious? It was most likely that she was indeed. It also seemed that Twilight Sparkle and her friends hadn't yet corrected their story about him merely visiting Equestria. Regardless he chose to press on.
Dear Mr. Cifer,
Your first name's harder to spell than it is to pronounce so I'm just gonna stick to your last name, I hope that's alright.
Anyway, folks around town have been abuzz ever since last week and I think they're right to. You're stronger than Big Macintosh and he once moved an entire house by himself when he was courting Miss Cherilee. Real long story there, you'd have to drop in and hear it sometime because it loses something in translation.
I'm still a might curious about just how strong you really are. I'd love to see what would happen if you ever tried to buck an apple tree. Maybe someday you can stop by Sweet Apple Acres again?
Signed,
ApplejackP.S. Anymore of that deep thinking going on that you'd like to share? I gotta admit being around you has been making me think harder than I'm accustomed to. Not that that's a bad thing.
Perhaps the one who held the Element of Honesty was looking to put him to work on her farm? At present time it at least sounded like a more promising purpose than simply studying the concept of "friendship" as Princess Celestia had assigned him. He shrugged and read another.
Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,
Being a unicorn my whole life the idea of not having magic, and yet still being able to carry heavy items and use an extremely fine level of dexterity, and control over even the most delicate of applications is highly intriguing. Having hands with fully articulate fingers like a dragon or a gryphon must be so awesome I can't even imagine what it's like to do what you can do without even thinking about it.
Is there a certain preference/dominance of your hands with one being more favored for use than the other or is there an ambidextrous symmetry to how you carry out physical tasks?
Signed,
Lyra Heartstrings
Somehow Lyra Heartstrings writing him was of no great surprise. She had taken a great interest in his hands and their untapped -to them anyway- potential for use. Had it not been for Twilight Sparkle mediating the first trip to Ponyville, the sea green unicorn would've dominated the conversation and prevented the others from having their say.
Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,
Seeing as you don't have a cutie mark of your own, we'd like to extend to you the invitation to become an honorary member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Having someone like you on board with us would be so awesome! Nopony would ever make fun of us again!
A word of caution though. Rarity is looking forward to the next time you come into Ponyville as she has plans on getting your measurements to start a new line and style of clothing. Watch your back.
Signed,
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo & Sweetie Belle,
The Cutie Mark Crusaders
Utter nonsense and childishness. Individually these three appeared respectably intelligent for their assumed age range. But when together that intelligence appeared significantly reduced.
From what he gathered of their organization their attempt at earning their cutie marks involved trying anything and everything of interest in the hope of more or less falling into their special talent. Did they not understand the repercussions they were dealing with? Did they have no concept of how many things could go wrong with such an approach? Why were the adults so useless in correcting them when it came to their own stupidity?
Dear Ulqy,
By the time I'm done you're going to laugh, smile, know what fun is like, and have lots of ponies to call your friends. That's a Pinkie Pie Promise!
Signed,
Pinkie Pie
If ever there was a piece of transcript worthy of being discarded and ignored this was most certainly it. He moved onto the next one.
Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,
I really must apologize for my un-ladylike behavior back on the mountaintop. How I reacted was uncalled for after all you'd done for us, how you put yourself in danger just to save us from that beastly dragon. It was all during a moment of most primal response, but that truly doesn't excuse my own bad behavior or my hostility after learning about your true nature.
By chance could you see about stopping by the Carousel Boutique at some point in the near future? I'd just love to craft you a new suit of clothing, one that isn't quite so drab in nature.
Signed,
Rarity
Surprisingly the crusaders had been right about their warning of Rarity. He moved onto the next letter in the pile.
Dear Ulquiorra Cifer,
The town council and I would be most honored if you could come to Ponyville sometime so that we might commemorate your heroism last week in saving the town and all its residents from the dragon that nested in the mountains to the south.
Signed,
Mayor Mare
Commemorate his heroism? Was she serious? These ponies believed that he was acting in the capacity of a hero, when they didn't know the details except for what they were told by the six ponies who were present? He was certainly no hero, he was merely abiding by Princess Celestia's orders. He moved onto the next letter.
I don't often say this about ponies other than myself, but in your case I'll make an exception: you're awesome!
What's your top speed anyway? Have you ever raced against anypony, and utterly dominated them and left them in the dust while you zoomed on ahead for the win?
Signed,
Rainbow DashP.S. How much mana DO I use up when I do the Sonic Rainboom? Not knowing is killing me!
It was rather amazing. The cyan pegasi's annoying nature didn't seem limited by the boundaries of in person interaction, but rather seemed to follow with the written word. Shaking his head he moved onto the next letter.
Greetings Sir,
If possible I'd like to set up an appointment to meet with you for the purpose of discussing the possibility of opening a branch store of Barnyard Bargains in Hueco Mundo. With a successful chain of stores in Ponyville, Fillydelphia, Manehatten, Las Pegasus, and as of recently Appleloosa I'd like to see about adding another location where ponies and others can benefit from great bargains.
Signed,
Filthy Rich
He remembered Filthy Rich. His hairstyle reminded him a great deal of Aizen's. He didn't particularly care for the stallion, but that was primarily due to how aggressive he seemed in talking up the greatness of his supposed empire. Without a second thought he moved onto his next letter.
You've so gotta come down to the club some night and hear as we rock out to some epic wubs!
Vinyl Scratch
A.K.A - DJ PON3!
...
Moving on.
Greetings Sir,
I regret to say that I was not able to make your acquaintance during your visit to Ponyville as I could not be reached. However, Twilight and her friends have spoken very highly of you, and I hope to one day rectify our missed opportunity. Whenever we meet I would love to hear more about your world and see how it compares to my native land, as I too am not from the territory of Equestria proper.
Signed,
Zecora
He was going to assume that this Zecora individual was of zebra descent. In this world the name would certainly seem to suggest such. This Zecora might have been the one he'd seen in the market place. Or perhaps there was a colony of zebras in the area; he was certain the one under the top hat had been a male and Zecora sounded like a feminine voice. Perhaps this one had some merit that was worth investigating, if for no other reason than to sort it all out. He moved on further.
Dear Mr. Cifer,
The answer to your question is yes.
Signed,
Time Turner
He flipped the letter over and studied the back of it but found nothing but blank parchment. Even holding it upside down showed no new information. He was confused now. He remembered the earth pony named Time Turner, but he certainly didn't remember asking any questions to the strange brown pony. He moved onto the next note.
Dear Ulquiorra,
Did you really have to go and teach Twilight about some of the profanity of your world? Do you know how she gets when she's frustrated in her studies? It's not pretty.
Signed,
Spike
...
Mission accomplished.
Overall the majority of the letters were of no importance. Their inability to speak with him directly were of no real consequence if this was all they had to say. It was fortunate that there was only one letter left to read before they could be dispatched with, and he could return to his studies on somewhat more relevant matters.
Dear Ulquiorra,
I'm sorry for how I acted back at the dragon's cave. I know that you're not a monster and I shouldn't have acted that way, even though I was really scared by the fact that you're a ghost, and upset over how you were dealing with the dragon, even though it was somewhat necessary considering everything. You really did save our lives and I should've thanked you for that fact, but at the time I just didn't think of it. I'm really, very sorry about that. I promise the next time you show up I'll try not to be so afraid around you, everypony deserves friends and understanding, even if they aren't ponies... even if they are ghosts.
And I'm so sorry for not being able to deal with the dragon myself. If I had just been stronger, more assertive before everything went wrong none of this would've happened. It's my own fault and I really don't have anypony to blame but myself. I never should've made you the recipient of my anger.
Signed,
Fluttershy
He felt something upon reading the last letter. He felt something, but he wasn't sure just what it was. He would admit that he was mildly surprised to see a letter from Fluttershy of all ponies. Considering how she had opted to return to Ponyville alone that night, he was certain he wouldn't be seeing or hearing from her again. She was scared of him, angry at him, angry at herself, and yet she still found the motivation to send him a letter along with the others.
These ponies were indeed full of surprises.
"And as you can see from the spread sheets detailing Chart 3A..."
She was trying very hard to stay focused on the current subject and what they were saying. She really was trying... but it was so very hard to maintain the regal appearance and not look tired and bored to tears. This one was completely unfazed by the new trial order of the day court and had come prepared with spread sheets like Twilight when she got geared up to give a lecture, and his droning voice made it so hard to stay interested.
It was a worthy cause this pegasus was currently representing, it really was. The use of treasury money wasn't motivated on the privileges of the wealthy but rather assisting the community, and she would gladly set aside the amount of bits that would be necessary as she could see how much good would come from it.
But the delivery, oh dear Faust, the delivery was so dry and detail oriented. So many facts and figures explaining not only why this was a good cause but how the money would be used, not just in the short run to get the project up and going, but also the projected next five years. If this kept up much longer she was going to fall asleep on the throne.
"Now if you'll direct your attention to Chart 4F..."
She wanted to groan right now and just hang her head. Couldn't somepony just make him be silent for even a minute? Was a timely interruption too much to ask for?
"And as you can see the requested funds will also be used for care and maintenance of-"
Boom!
"-Luna's mane!"
Princess Celestia suddenly found herself fully awake and alert, the sudden and familiar booming echo of static, the change in pitch of the pony's voice and their sudden outburst all combined to snap her back to what was at hoof. In this case it was a matter of Ulquiorra having suddenly appeared behind her current audience and startling them, finally breaking the droning nature of his voice.
She'd asked for an interruption and that was exactly what she'd gotten.
"Am I interrupting?" Ulquiorra asked evenly, a stack of parchment tucked under his arm as he stood there, paying no attention to the stallion in front of him.
"I must say you are," Princess Celestia replied in order to keep up the otherwise regal appearance. She then directed her attention to the stallion before speaking again. "The day court is in ten minute recess. As to you good sir I believe your proposal has a good deal of merit to it, I dare say it's even worth investing in. And I'll be sure to let my sister know that you thought of her wellbeing and grooming when you submitted your proposal."
The stallion was flustered but nevertheless nodded and moved to leave the throne room, continually glancing back at Ulquiorra in confusion, bewilderment and even a bit of resentment at being so rudely interrupted and so easily disturbed.
Princess Celestia waited for the audience to be cleared before magically shutting the throne room doors, after which she stood up from her throne and stretched, a series of creeks and even pops coming from her body as she did do. "I should scold you for interrupting the day court in such a manner when you could clearly see I had business to tend to," she pointed out in a manner that clearly showed her displeasure.
"If you must. However I doubt whatever lecture you have to deliver will be as dull and listless as the one you were being subjected to," Ulquiorra replied without even blinking. Even he didn't know for certain if he'd be able to stand through the entire presentation and maintain his stoic nature. This random pony had delivered more facts and figures than any briefing he'd experienced under Aizen's reign.
Observant and quick, a rather dangerous combination to have. He was certainly right that there was nothing she could do that would approach the proposal she'd been forced to sit through. But this was official business he'd interrupted by just appearing like that... official business that'd slowly been driving her closer and closer to unconsciousness until he'd appeared. Had the timing been nothing more than a mere accident? Or had he been watching and listening and deliberately chosen that moment to pop in?
"I believe you're right," she agreed and nodded, the only thing she could do to hide her own juvenile amusement at how funny the interruption had been. Shaking her head she turned her attention back to him and the parchment tucked underneath his arm. "I take it you've been reading your letters?"
"Indeed. At least some would appear to warrant a written response. The majority however were requests that I return to Ponyville at my earliest convenience," he replied, still finding the notion unbelievable. How did they still wish to interact with him?
"Really now," Princess Celestia replied in curiosity and amusement. It seemed he was becoming rather popular. This could be a good thing if the others still wanted to be friends with him. "Do you plan on attending?"
"I do not plan on engaging in any such foolishness. I lack the ability to travel beyond the castle walls in a free and unrestricted manner, the events of last week's emergency circumstances notwithstanding. There's no point in making plans and preparations for something that will never happen. I don't foresee any circumstances in the immediate or distant future under which you'll ever trust me to the point that I may travel like the others," Ulquiorra replied.
"You really think so?" Princess Celestia asked in a neutral tone with an equally neutral expression.
"I do. I foresee myself eternally tethered to a short leash and kept under close watch because of what I did back in Hueco Mundo, because regardless of your words, you still have no reason to trust me regardless of what I might do," Ulquiorra replied. He allowed Princess Celestia time to think over his words before continuing further. "I can only speculate on what your intention is. Perhaps you believe that depriving me of the opportunity to devour souls will drive me to the brink of starvation and bring out the primal instincts of my previous stages of evolution. Or perhaps you still believe I have the intention of assassinating you and want to keep a close eye on me. The reasons however do not change what the end result will most likely be."
Why? Why did she have to keep having conversations like this? And how? How did such a simple question bring up so much deep discussion on issues of trust and speculation? Was he doing this to her on purpose? Did he have some inherent ability to dig at her and strike below the surface with such ease?
Perhaps it was related to his predatory nature as to how he could so easily get at her.
She really, truly, honestly didn't know just what to do with Ulquiorra. It was so difficult to develop trust with someone in a situation like this. All of the tests she'd deployed up to this point had been spotted and called out immediately. How was she supposed to learn how trustworthy he was if she couldn't manage to outsmart him even once? He had no motivation to reveal his true nature if he could smell out a trap. It was like he was going out of his way to prove he had the superior intellect and wouldn't be made a fool of.
"Then we're at a stalemate it would seem. And as much as I hate to admit it I don't know what to do about it," Princess Celestia finally replied and hung her head, shutting her eyes tight in hopes of somehow being able to suffocate the migraine that wanted to form.
"How did you go about learning to trust Discord?" Ulquiorra finally asked in the silence of the throne room, causing Princess Celestia to look back at him. Seeing that he had her full attention he continued. "The spirit of chaos is not one that could easily be trusted, nevermind reformed from a blatantly destructive and unpredictable nature. Yet you and Princess Luna consider him a valuable tool and ally and he is not subjected to constant suspicion and surveillance. I can't help but ponder as to why," he explained.
She felt like her brain had shut down on her at being asked the question. Ulquiorra raised an extremely good point by bringing up Discord, and try as she might she had no answer to offer him up in response. How could she trust Discord after knowing his history and having personal experience with the kind of chaos he could reek, and yet when it came to Ulquiorra who she could -supposedly- easily overpower him just by displaying her magic, she couldn't do the same thing? Now that he'd pointed it out to her it didn't make any sense. She felt like banging her head against a wall.
"I'm sorry, Ulquiorra," she said as she closed her eyes again, "I don't have the answer that you seek. This is more complicated than even I would've originally thought."
He suspected that she was lying on the matter. But lacking further information he couldn't comment. Her trust of Discord likely had something to do with a saying of his own world, a saying relating to sticking with what you were most familiar even if it wasn't the most favorable of dealings simply because of knowing what to expect. Princess Celestia had over a thousand years knowledge of Discord, there was likely little about the spirit of chaos that she didn't know about. He was the familiar element in the equation, the one that she had some basis with even if it wasn't the best of arrangements.
He could also see that the discussion likely wasn't going to go anywhere. If that was the case then his presence here was no longer necessary. Princess Celestia had other matters to tend to other than simply answering his questions. Recognizing this fact he turned around and began walking toward the doors that lead to the hallway. "I'll inform your subjects that I won't be able to return to Ponyville."
"That... won't be necessary..." she spoke up just before he could grasp the door handle. He slowly turned and looked back at her skeptically. "You make some very good points, some of which I'm ashamed to say I didn't consider until now. And if we're ever going to get anywhere on this trust issue then I'm going to need to be more open to the idea of you interacting with my subjects in a natural manner. And...I also need to start thinking of you as one of my subjects rather than some strange being stranded in this world by the likes of Discord. If I don't... well we'll never get anywhere," she explained. Or at least she did her best to try and explain the situation to him. Why did he have to be so smart?
"You're quite certain?" Ulquiorra asked in an even tone, his voice giving no indication to what he might be feeling about what she was saying.
She nodded. "It's something that really does need to get done. Considering my actions with setting Discord on the path to reformation..." she paused at this, trying to figure out what to say next. "Does any of this make any sense to you?" she asked.
"Nothing has truly made sense since my coming to this dimension. One more thing added to the list is unlikely to make any difference," Ulquiorra replied and grasped the door handle. "What should I tell those who have asked? Would you suggest ambiguity and vagueness, or is a specific time frame able to be given?"
If she was ever to get anywhere on the trust issue with Ulquiorra she was going to need to start somewhere. Throwing random tests at him wasn't going to do anything, he'd made that point quite clear. It was time for a leap forward if they were truly going to get anywhere and she had to make that leap.
"Perhaps tomorrow morning would be a good time to depart. It'll allow me to make arrangements for a chariot and give you time to answer your correspondence," she replied. One more night would give her more time to think things over better. "For now though I must get back to my subjects. And please try not to scare anypony when you leave."
"I can promise nothing," Ulquiorra replied as he opened the door and disappeared in a burst of sonido, leaving Princess Celestia behind and alone with anxious petitioners eager to beseech her wisdom.
Spike let out a painful and pitiful groan as he held his scaly stomach while sitting at one of the tables in Sugarcube Corner. He hadn't felt right since sending Princess Celestia all those letters and now that it was mid-afternoon he was starting to feel worse; sick even. His gut was in churning turmoil and felt bloated, he felt worse than the time he'd wolfed down that entire gallon of ice cream because he mistakenly thought his future self would be the one experiencing the misery rather than him.
"Twilight," he moaned weakly, "Twilight I don't feel good, I feel like I'm gonna puke or something."
"Oh dear," Twilight replied at hearing Spike's announcement, not noticing the looks on her friend's faces. Anypony being sick was miserable, and a sick baby dragon was all the worse to deal with. Had he eaten something that didn't agree with him? Was there some illness going around or something? "Can you walk?"
"It hurts to even move, I can't make it," Spike replied weakly as he tried to breathe easily in hopes of easing the pain in his stomach but without much success.
"Alright Spike just hold try and stay calm while I get you to the bathroom," Twilight spoke in a reassuring voice as she used her magic to lift him up, at the same time trying to be quick to avoid getting dragon vomit all over Sugarcube Corner, that mess would never come out.
Unfortunately Twilight didn't get more than two steps away from the table before Spike could no longer hold it and let everything out, that being a very loud belch of green fire and over a dozen scrolls that dropped onto the table.
"Whew! I feel a lot better now," Spike commented and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He really hated sending large numbers of letters at any given time, and receiving them was even worse. But at least now it was over. "I'm hungry."
"Ya reckon Mr. Cifer wrote us back already?" Applejack asked as she looked over the scrolls on the table, each one of them with a name written on the outside.
"It could be," Twilight said as she set Spike back down in his chair and began sorting through the scrolls. "We'll need to deliver the ones to everypony that isn't here though," she pointed out before finally coming across her own scroll, picking it up and reading it.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
As you are likely to understand I'm not in the habit of using pleasantries when addressing others. However it has been impressed upon me by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that doing so while here would be a good idea. Seeing as they are in charge I feel there is little choice but to concede even if I don't fully agree. For the time being I will employ the same pleasantries of address you and the others have in your letters.
Not all of the letters that were sent could be replied to. Whether or not that will be understood by anyone waiting for a response is not something I concern myself with.
To the best of my knowledge the spellings you have employed are accurate. The Equestrian language is nothing like that which I was familiar with and as such I can only make assumptions about the exact nature of how we can communicate as fluidly as we are. I suspect it to be the work of Discord in bringing me to this world.
The majority of techniques used by Arrancar-grade Hollows are largely instinctual in nature. Attempting to explain the basic mechanics behind their operation to one who is not familiar on some level with their workings may be difficult. I am uncertain if any successful attempt at replicating them can truly be made. However I am not opposed to the prospect should I ever find myself back in Ponyville. However others have made requests of me as well and I'm uncertain how much time can be devoted to any one individual when factoring in the matters of the commute and the curfew I am under as per Princess Celestia's orders.
Overall further communication would appear to be warranted.
Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer
Twilight smiled as she read her letter to herself. This felt like progress was being made, real and tangible progress. The very idea of getting the opportunity to more closely analyze Ulquiorra's technique could yield significant scientific benefits for the entire world, and he was willing to cooperate with her studies. Or at least that was how she was reading his letter.
That was the reading she was going to go with.
Even now her head was swimming with excitement and she could barely focus on what was going on, visions of fame and academic recognition dancing wildly in her mind.
"Hey Egghead come on, what about the rest of us?!"
And then Rainbow Dash had to go and interrupt her little fantasy. Drat her luck. Scowling she set aside her letting and started looking through the rest of the pile.
"Here we go, Rainbow Dash, here's your letter," Twilight replied after giving it a quick glance and passing it to the cyan pegasus.
"Sweet!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed and grabbed her letter to read what he had to say.
Dear Rainbow Dash,
Upon learning of the fragile and delicate nature of your own mortality, and how your continued existence is contingent upon an answer to your question, I feel compelled to provide you with the answer you seek in order to sustain your life. I cannot deliberately allow harm to come to one of the six ponies who holds the fate of the world in the palm of her hands, or more accurately the cleft of her hooves.
The "Sonic Rainboom" technique you claim to have mastered consumes approximately sixty five percent of your overall mana reserves. Based on my observations of your status in the hours after the encounter with the dragon, I can say with reasonable certainty that your mana reserves are replenished at a rate of four percent per hour afterward.
In regard to your original question I am uncertain of my top speed as I've never been required to prove or display such. Perhaps "fast enough" is the appropriate answer.
Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer
"That jerk!" Rainbow Dash shouted angrily, much to the amusement of her friends who were all laughing.
"I told you not to use that wording when you wrote him," Twilight pointed out as she chuckled. She knew Ulquiorra had no real sense of humor and wouldn't take to her letter structure the same way others would. But the fact that he'd gone out of his way to answer with sarcasm was quite interesting. "Alright who's next... aha, Pinkie your letter's next and... hmm..."
"What about mine, what about mine?" Pinkie asked excitedly as she bounced on her hooves, eager to see what kind of response she'd gotten. The fact Twilight was being silent and scowling in a confused manner only seemed to make things worse and filled her with an even greater desire to find out the details. "What's it say?"
"I think you'd better read it for yourself," Twilight replied and levitated the note over for Pinkie to read, the contents not making any real sense to her.
Dear Pinkie Pie,
Challenge accepted.
Signed,
Ulquiorra Cifer
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Oh, NOW you figure that out!
Dirty Bit! You.... OOOOGH, you frustrate me sometimes, Charlie!
Nevermind. All is forgiven.
Oh god...
The end to this chapter.
Well done sir.
so will we hear about his old hallow self and twilight learning about the soul society and hallows?
"Challenge Accepted"
LET IT BEGIN!!
challenge accepted famous last words
ugh you just HAD to stop it at that didnt you?
Bit OOC but still funny.
Lol "Challenge Accepted."
3240237 I think that's the point. Their entire goal is to change him.
I guess you already saw the consensus of comments regarding the last line. I see no reason to add my own.
*Realizing this comment has been made anyway.*
Oh, darn it.
3240106
What'd I do? *oblivious*
The question is either: "Is friendship really magical?" -or- "Is my life worth living in this world?"
Until Ulquiorra a) dies again or b) returns to Hueco Mundo via whatever means...
Shit has gone DOWN!
Best chapter ending EVER.
3240392 There is a difference between changing and having him act differently for no reason. There was no reason for him to become competitive or crack jokes.
What was that bit from Time Turner about? Is he of any concern to the story, or is was it simply a joke?
3240182 hollows, not hallows.
Something hallow, like for instance hallowed ground, is holy.
And not the Fred and George kind of hole-y, the religious kind.
As far as I understand it, soul eaters are anything but.
mlpchan.net/pic/src/1371772533359.jpg
Another amazing chapter Charlie!
Really liked the correspondence you included with this chapter. Not to mention:
"Based on my studies so far, it seems safe to assume the one called Rainbow Dash is quite lecherous in nature," ....... Oh my god, my sides, THEY HURT!
Oh, that statement was exactly what I needed to put a smile on my face.
Below you will find the typos for this chapter. Remember, when using 'but': You don't need a comma when using it as a numerical descriptive i.e. 'all but one of', but you do need one when it is used to contradict, or add to, a prior statement in the sentence i.e. 'I really like the service there, but'.
*amount of time but it certainly was. - amount of time, but it certainly was.
*"And what art the status of Ulquiorra Cifer himself. Art he - "And what ist the status of Ulquiorra Cifer himself. Ist he
*It was a rater large scroll. - It was a rather large scroll.
*him and they decided to write him direct," - him, and they decided to write him directly,"
*garden - s and she still couldn'tgardens. She still couldn't
*Celestia pointed out and levitated the letters - Celestia pointed out, levitating the letters
*delivering the mail and then going - delivering the mail, then going
*What doth occupy thee's time - What doth occupy thine time
*period of time it's only logical - period of time, it's only logical
*Fortunately he was aware enough - Fortunately, he was aware enough
*A good morning to three, Ulquiorra - A good morning to thee, Ulquiorra
*of this curiosity was unwrap them - of this curiosity would be to unwrap them
*explained things to you but just - explained things to you, but just
*been asking about you and since - been asking about you, and since
*behind your abilities but without - behind your abilities, but without
*written dialect is a real - written dialect are a real
*Anyway if you could come it - Anyway, if you could come it
*Ponyville like wildfire and you're - Ponyville like wildfire, you're
*for your own land would you - for your own land, would you
*Anyway folks around town have - Anyway, folks around town have
*trip to Ponyville the sea - trip to Ponyville, the sea
*mark of your own we'd like - mark of your own, we'd like
*what fun is like and have - what fun is like, and have
*most primal response but that - most primal response, but that
*the capacity of a hero when they - the capacity of a hero, when they
*they were told by the six ponies - they were told by the six ponies (Double space between 'told' and 'by')
*other than myself but in your case - other than myself, but in your case
*against anypony and utterly dominated them - against anypony, utterly dominated them,
*in person interaction but rather - in person interaction, but rather
*purpose of discussion the possibility - purpose of discussing the possibility
*Pegasus and as of recently Appleloosa - Pegasus, and as of recently, Appleloosa
*deal of Aizen's hairstyle. - deal of Aizen's.
*was primarily to how aggressive - was primarily due to how aggressive
*reached. However Twilight - reached. However, Twilight
*named Time Turner but he certainly - named Time Turner, but he certainly
*be dispatched with and he - be dispatched with, and he
*you for that fact but at - you for that fact, but at
*felt something but he wasn't - felt something, but he wasn't
*alone that night he was certain - alone that night, he was certain
*ambiguity and vagueness or is a - ambiguity and vagueness, or is a
*communicate as fluidly we are. - communicate as fluidly as we are.
*Ulquiorra's technique could yield significant scientific benefit - Ulquiorra's techniques could yield significant scientific benefits
Would Rarity make him something garish, or something completely badass?
I kinda REALLY want to know what he wrote back to the other ponies too. Perhaps if all his replies won't fit the narrative and story structure and whatnot, they could be thrown into a little min-chapter in between the real ones? I'm sure I'm not the only one who's dying (yes, literally
) to know what he replied to the other ponies.
3240509It's Equestria. It plus Fluttershy reformed DISCORD! 'Nuff said.
But really, the whole point is to change Ulquiorra for the better. And to be honest, this has been coming. We should have all known it. And besides, you gotta start somewhere. Little cracks here or there are just teasing the door open.
ulquiorra, ya just sealed yer fate
3240493 If your referring to pinkies challenge there is another option, Ulquiorra could c) outlive her
3240996 But that's boring, man. And I don't think Ulquiorra'd just hide himself away to... avoid... her...
... Okay, you're right *sweatdrop*.
3240509
It's not necessarily for no reason that Ulquiorra is acting the way he is. Remember what Discord said back in Chapter Zero about being free of Aizen's control. How much of that nihilism was Ulquiorra and how much was Aizen ensuring his continued loyalty?
3240423 3240513
The letter from Time Turner was something of a joke reference to the Doctor Whooves thing. Whether or not it'll come up in later chapters has not yet been determined.
I do not know if this had come up before, have you considered giving Chrysalis an appearance? Knowing the changeling nature, she would be rather frightened of Ulquiorra and it would make for an interesting and amusing interaction between the two. Also, since she has the potential to defeat Celestia would her appearance not bring about possible situations of him? That could go in many ways.
Oh dear god that ending...
3241437
It's a distinct possibility. The only question is when to introduce them, and what other monsters show up before them.
Most of the villains are dangerous creatures from the Everfree, and they do not attack unless provoked. A hydra attack on Fluttershy from one of her swamp visits, timberwolfs on the CMC or something else. An Ursa attack is not vary likely without a good cause and that is overused. You could make Trixie come back for whatever reason and tear her down by making Ulquiorra point out her flaws, maybe the whole alicorn amulet thing? You could bring Sombra back, although setting would better placed in the crystal kingdom and that would tie up with the Cadance interaction. There is the option of going with the 'battling inner demons' thing, making him reflect on his past and how it could have changed him. Perhaps considering his final interaction with Orihime.
In all honesty, I am just waiting for when he shows his regeneration ability. The looks that it will bring, or even his transformation. Imagine Rainbows reaction when seeing his wings.
3241608
The immediate idea that comes to mind regarding his wings and Rainbow Dash, is a look of being stunned by awesomeness, following by snorts of barely repressed laughter as she perceives him sporting a wingboner of his own.
3241125 I was thinking more along the lines of her dying of old age before she make Ulqy smile
3241693You are absolutely right. Would that not cause her to blush as well? She had so many of her own.
3241711
Hmm... she might snort with laughter at first in an immature manner, until she realizes that his wingboner is bigger than hers.
3241221 Oh, I'm well-aware of that, I was just playing along
3241735Ah, the old "mine is bigger than your's" joke. Classic.
Is any of that even gong to make an appearance?
3240423 The fact that he blatantly referenced you was a kind of 'OOOOOH, WHY DID HE RESORT TO SUCH A CHILDISH WRITING TECHNIQUE' thing for me.
3241958
3241952
If I can find the right place to put it in, definitely. And it's going to be quite a scene to write; especially with how Ulquiorra's wingspan is so immense in comparison.
"Based on my studies so far, it seems safe to assume the one called Rainbow Dash is quite lecherous in nature," he replied.
...
Mission accomplished.
My sides hurt at spikes letter when I read this xDD
It begins!!
With this, I think its safe to say definite progress has occurred in Ulqy's life in equestria I absolutely can't wait for more!
3240522 misspelled that all
3241958
Don't laugh, if the Doctor Whooves thing pans out the daleks might wind up making an appearance in the filler.
3241998 Hey, it's okay... you did nothing wrong... uhm, does anyone know how to comfort a zebracorn with a top hat?
3242277
Now but I've got an equally good question. What's a believable excuse for the embodiment of emptiness to arrive at the conclusion that friendship isn't something that can be analyzed from a detached and scientific perspective, but instead must be experienced first hand in order to truly understand?
PINKIE PIE VS ULQUIORRA CIFER.....FIGHT!
3241479
Agreed... Best. Ending. Ever.
3242341
There is no believable excuse.
3242341... I dunno. But, I do know this: there's something odd about the press... it lacks information... of a certain... aviary brand. Because we're surfin' the bird!
I've been waiting for DAYS to pull that off.
He now knows of Wingboners!! Oh this just opend up a whole new level of Comedy!!!!