Chapter Thirty Three
Chapter Thirty Three
Twilight jolted awake, her sleep disturbed by a sudden commotion in close proximity to her ears. It was silent again as her eyes adjusted to the dim light supplied by Luna's moon at this pre-dawn time of night. Once they finally adjusted and she no longer had to squint to make out the various objects around the room, she could hear the same disturbing noise again. As she looked around the room she realized that the disturbing noise turned out to be Rainbow Dash snoring... with her face pressed against her chest and holding her close, her forelegs wrapped firmly around her.
It took her a moment to recall everything that'd happened, most of it being very bad in nature. But despite all the bad, a lot of good had still come of it; such as repairing a friendship she had absolutely no idea had been fractured to begin with. If nothing else, she could at least say that the relationship she and the others held with Rainbow Dash had been strengthened. They had that at least.
The irony of it all. If she hadn't experienced the meltdown over what 'Tia had done to them, she might never have learned just how upset Rainbow Dash had been. It was almost like that saying, what was it again? One of one thing, half a dozen of the other?
Rainbow Dash gave another snore against her chest, the commotion seeming to set off a chain reaction that caused the others around them to snore or otherwise mumble but not wake up. All in all it was cute, really. But cute or not, this wasn't exactly the sort of situation she was entirely comfortable waking up in, with one of her friends utilizing her as a pillow, rather than sleeping in/on their supplied sleeping bag.
Maybe she'd crept over in her sleep during that last hug during their meeting in the dream world with Ulquiorra and the others? It would at least make some logical sense out of everything. But regardless, she still needed to get the pegasus off of her; especially with her muzzle still bandaged up and swollen. Sleeping like this really couldn't be all that good for her recovery.
"Rainbow Dash, wake up," Twilight said as she nudged her friend. The pegasus snorted a bit but simply readjusted her position, resting her face back in Twilight's chest again and continued snoring away, oblivious to what was going on.
Twilight frowned some. She knew Rainbow Dash was a heavy sleeper and all, but she really couldn't just leave her in this situation all night. She decided to roll out the heavy artillery in this case.
"Oh Rainbow Dash," she whispered and craned her neck to bring her next to her friend's ear, "I just got a copy of the latest "Daring Do" book..."
Rainbow Dash snorted in a startled manner and popped her head up, eyes half lidded as she proceeded to look about the darkened room.
"Huh? "Daring Do"? Where? Where?" she asked as she moved her head from side to side. This continued until her ears detected Twilight's giggling, and her sleep clogged mind slowly putting the pieces together. She blinked her eyes a few times before scowling at her. "Very funny, Egghead," she grumbled, "what's the big idea anyway?" she asked before pausing to yawn, mumbling something about how well she was sleeping and how it was far too early to be up and awake.
"The big idea was to wake you up because this isn't your sleeping bag. You were sleeping on top of me," Twilight stated.
Rainbow Dash blinked in confusion for a moment and looked down, realizing that indeed it wasn't her assigned sleeping bag from last night, but rather it was Twilight's sleeping bag and the aforementioned unicorn that she'd been sleeping on.
"Oh. Sorry about that," Rainbow Dash replied, but made no immediate move to get back up and off of her. "I wondered why my pillow was so soft. I tell ya, Twi', you're kinda plushy."
Twilight blushed at Rainbow Dash's comment and how casually she just tossed it out there, as if they were having a conversation about books or food or something run of the mill. But instead of run of the mill things, Rainbow Dash was talking about her being plush and soft like a pillow or some piece of furniture.
Adding to her confusion and embarrassment, Rainbow Dash seemed perfectly content to settle in against her, and get comfortable for going back to bed all over again.
"R-R-Rainbow Dash," Twilight objected as the pegasus settled her head on her chest and shut her eyes. She wanted to object at a much higher volume, but doing so would disturb the sleep of their friends. And after everything they'd gone through today, they all needed their rest.
"Oh lighten up, Twilight," Rainbow Dash replied with a chuckle as she opened her eyes again and climbed off of her, "I'm just having a little fun with you, that's what friends do with each other. Not that you aren't cozy or anything," she said and gently poked Twilight's exposed belly with her hoof.
Twilight's forelegs jerked as she covered her belly in response to the poking. She gave the mischievous pegasus a disapproving frown, but it was short lived as she truly couldn't bring herself to be displeased with Rainbow Dash's antics. The least she could do was allow her friend to have her laughs. In hindsight, after the whole "Mare Do Well" mess, they were fortunate Rainbow Dash was even still talking to them. They'd all apologized, but she still felt that they were going to need to do a lot more than simply say they were sorry to make everything right.
"Maybe I need to stay away from Sugarcube Corner for a while," Twilight commented before rolling over onto her stomach to get into a more comfortable position.
"I wouldn't go that far, I didn't say you were fat or anything. Plush, not plump," Rainbow Dash pointed out. There was a huge difference between being fat and being soft. Pinkie was... well not to be rude but Pinkie did have a fair amount of pudge to her from all the sweets she gobbled down. Twilight on the other hoof didn't carry much extra weight on her bones, but she was still physically soft, like a big cuddly stuffed animal or... wait, what was she thinking!? Immediately she shook her head in an effort to clear away those thoughts about her friend. "Bad Rainbow Dash, bad!" she thought to herself.
A change of subject was needed. Yeah, that was it, a change of subject. Something that could be discussed other than their physiques.
"Hey... Twilight?" she asked in a whisper as she sat down next to her friend, opting not to go back to her designated sleeping area just yet. "Did you have a really weird dream before you woke up?"
Twilight thought on the question, trying to recall what she'd experienced during her slumber, between the apology they'd all issued to Rainbow Dash, and now during this conversation. She could vaguely recall a dream where she'd been giving a guest lecture at the most prestigious university in all of Canterlot, but that was drastically overshadowed by what came next, by the meeting between herself, her friends, the Princesses, and Ulquiorra. They'd all been there in some darkened area and, discussing matters pertaining to several theories about Ulquiorra as to why he was here in their world, why Discord had brought him here, if the dragon and changeling incidents had been connected, and who could possibly be behind it.
All in all it had been a really weird dream to experience.
"Now that you mention it, yes I did. Everyone was in it and talking, and you were wearing a Wonderbolt uniform," Twilight explained.
"Okay now that's creepy. I dreamed that I was the Captain of the Wonderbolts, I was doing my aerial maneuvers over Canterlot, and then the next thing I know I'm crashing into what's his name and Princess Luna is there, and then each of the girls were brought into the dream for some kind of great big meeting," Rainbow Dash whispered. "When Princess Luna brought you in, you had your mane done up in some kinda bun, red rimmed glasses, and a really ugly necktie."
Twilight blinked in surprise. That was how she dreamed herself being when she was giving the lecture. Well except for the necktie of course, she thought it looked good. But the similarities were way too coincidental to just be isolated dreams held by them individually.
The only logical, scientific conclusion she could come up with, was that Princess Luna had brought them all together just as she'd explained in the dream. Meaning they'd all had the same conversation and heard the same facts, terrible and disturbing as they might be.
"Did I hug Ulquiorra?" she finally asked, one last effort of hoping it had all just been one wild dream.
"Did you ever. Not that he accepted the apology you gave, the big jerk," Rainbow Dash replied, louder than she'd intended but thankfully not enough to disturb the others. "So it was a dream, but not a dream. It's times like this I'm glad I don't use unicorn magic, it gets way too confusing," she stated.
Twilight ignored Rainbow Dash's comment, instead choosing to think on what had been said during the meeting. Right now she wasn't entirely sure just what to focus her attention on more; Ulquiorra's theory about them being targeted in an organized manner, or Chrysalis' plea for the other changelings. Either way it was something grim to be considered.
However her thought process was interrupted as Rainbow Dash started talking again.
"So the dude can beat a dragon all by himself, and he actually needs our help. How awesome is that?" she asked.
"More like terrifying actually," Twilight replied. Ulquiorra had brought up theories based on observations and snippets of conversation that, when revealed, made a great deal of sense and left her wondering why she herself hadn't realized it beforehoof. The dragon, the changelings, his arrival here in Equestria, it was all too coincidental to just scientifically be written off as purely coincidence. "What if Ulquiorra is actually right? What if there's someone orchestrating attacks against us and the rest of Equestria? That's... that's..." she paused, unable to come up with the proper word.
"Heavy?" Rainbow Dash suggested.
"That's not exactly the term I would've gone with, but yes, that thought is... heavy... in nature," Twilight stated.
"You're worrying too much, Twi', after all we've been through, is there really anything left that could be thrown at us that we couldn't deal with?" Rainbow Dash asked casually. "We hold the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful force in Equestria. We defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Princess Luna, we beat and reformed Discord over to our side, you're the prized student to Princess Celestia, we're friends with the two most powerful ponies in the whole world. And on top of that all, we've now got U.C. thrown into the mix, who's not only strong enough he can beat the living daylights out of a dragon without even trying, but he can freakin' transform to get even more powerful! We've got this situation well in hoof and in the bag, there's nothing that can be thrown at us that we can't deal with easily," she stated, barely able to keep her voice at a whisper the more she went on.
Twilight really wanted to believe her friend's optimism, that no matter what the situation was well within their control and there was nothing they could face that they couldn't deal with. They had the Elements of Harmony and possessed the ability to neutralize any threat they encountered. Celestia and Luna -it felt really weird to think of them without including their title as Princess in their names- possessed enough magical strength to move the sun and the moon respectively. Discord regarded them as his friends and would likely do whatever was necessary to keep them safe, and he possessed reality warping magical abilities. And now there was Ulquiorra, somebody with so much strength and skill it just boggled the mind how such a small frame kept it all in check. All in all they were a group of eleven very strong, very powerful beings. Was there anything in Equestria they couldn't face and defeat?
"I hope you're right, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied and yawned, "we should really see about going back to bed. Tomorrow we've got a lot of work to do; even more than usual," she stated.
"Yeah? How do you figure?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Considering everything that happened yesterday, we may need to see to damage control. Changelings or no," Twilight paused to yawn again, "a lot of Ponyville likely still thinks Ulquiorra was serious about trying to kill them. If he's going to be visiting Ponyville again in the near future, and perhaps regularly, then we need to do everything we can to assure the rest of the town they're in no danger from him. And that's to say nothing about them possibly seeing him actually fighting against Celestia way up above. This whole situation," she yawned again, "could be a whole lot bigger than we thought," she explained.
"Oh. Yeah. Good point, I forgot about that," Rainbow Dash replied. It really wouldn't be all that good for all of Ponyville to go scattering and hiding like they had with Zecora. "I guess expecting everypony to just forget what happened and come to that party Pinkie's gonna throw for him, would be a bit much."
"Probably," Twilight stated and yawned. The excitement was dying down and all she wanted to do right now was sleep. She rolled over, fluffed her pillow until it was just right, and promptly collapsed face first onto it. That was that.
"... Hey Twilight?"
Or maybe not.
With a groan Twilight raised her head and glanced over at Rainbow Dash through a single opened eye, the unseen frown more or less demanding an answer as to why her slumber was being violated. A fact that was more or less lost on the cyan pegasus.
"Was my idea for the changelings really that terrible?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight let out a very tired sigh as she began tiredly running calculations, trying to measure if the effort to raise her head was a worthwhile employment of power just so her voice would be clear. Eventually she determined it was.
"From a detached perspective dealing with facts and figures, the idea of converting the changelings so they can eat pony food leaves many questions unanswered and simply opens the door to a lot of headaches that would need to be ironed out before it could ever be implemented successfully," Twilight explained, pausing briefly to stifle a yawn. "However from a perspective of heart and kindness, I thought it was a very touching idea and I liked it. It's just," she yawned again, "it's just not something that can be implemented just like that. Not without taking everything into account and... oh forget it, I'm too tired. Rainbow Dash, you're a very caring pony, and I'm glad, and very lucky, to have you as a friend. That's all that's important right now."
"Thanks Twi'," Rainbow Dash replied, touched by her friend's kind words.
"Now please, please, please shut up and let me go back to sleep," Twilight pleaded.
"Oh. Right. Goodnight, Twilight."
"Goodnight..."
It had been raining since early this morning, the overcast sky shutting out her magnificent sun. For once Celestia was perfectly alright with that, the weather was highly appropriate for how she felt right now. On this day her magnificent sun brought her absolutely no joy.
She didn't want to admit to the fact that this morning's incident with Chrysalis had shaken her and greatly disturbed her; far more than she cared to think about. The day court had been cancelled early on this day, just before noon, due to the nature of the petitioners proving to be too much for her to bear in her current state.
Making matters worse was the fact that it was all her fault, and she had nopony to blame but herself.
The usual petitioners were no problem to deal with. She'd been putting up with them for a thousand years by herself through both good and bad, this day was no different.
The real problems had started when the petitioners came in search of answers regarding yesterday. The changeling invasion, the green rain, the sudden appearance of the strange white biped who did battle with her high above in the sky -apparently not high enough to escape the watchful eyes of whatever subjects had escaped changeling capture- and the status of the kingdom's security. How could she possibly tell them the truth? How could she inform her own terrified subjects that yesterday had all been an elaborate plot of hers to deal with the changelings once and for all, while at the same time avoid throwing the kingdom into a panic at the revelation that even she was prone to stupid ideas just like everypony else?
While she was on that subject, how could she possibly explain the nature of Ulquiorra to them in their current state. There was only so much damage control she could do right now.
And then the critics had come. Those that seemed to draw an almost perverse pleasure in making her squirm under their scrutiny and accusations, pressing her on matters of great sensitivity. Only this time their accusations had hit much closer to home than they usually did. It was with them that she tried closing the day court.
It was one of the few, few times in recent history, that she'd ever taken a serious and authoritative stance with her subjects, and ordered them to do something, and informed them there would be repercussions for disobedience. After that they couldn't wait to get out of there.
The divot left by Twilight's period of undiluted rage hadn't helped matters one bit. And with the skilled stonemasons currently unavailable, simply regenerating the melted marble via magic wasn't an available option. It was currently being replaced the old fashioned way.
Right now she was standing silently outside the office of Canterlot's chief medical examiner, regarded as the best in his field of expertise, conveniently located just a mile from the palace.
To her side was Ulquiorra standing just as silently as she was, the Espada being unusually attentive to her on this day. And by that she meant he hadn't taken his leave from her presence except when it was necessary. It was strange, almost disturbing, how he'd been violating his own usual pattern of behavior so readily. And while he hadn't been fretting over her wellbeing, his cold silence and emotional distance didn't seem to possess the same nature it normally did. It was... all quite strange really. It was like he could exercise concern, but had no desire to actually show it.
"You didn't have to follow me here, you know," she pointed out, finally breaking the silence in the room that seemed to easily grow in thickness and tenseness.
"There are questions that need to be answered. That would not be possible back at the palace," Ulquiorra replied simply.
Princess Celestia's decision to release Chrysalis and her hive, as well as the decision to subsequently feed them, had been entirely illogical in nature. But it had been her decision to make. However it had been his decision to intervene when Princess Celestia had lost control of the situation, and fell victim to Chrysalis' attack.
Sometime after that, Princess Celestia had sent for the medical examiner for the purpose of performing an autopsy on the changeling queen; a process he saw no beneficial purpose to, as the cause of death seemed quite obvious, seeing as he was the one who administered it. But then again, it wasn't his place to question her decisions on the matter.
"I assumed you'd come to insult me for my moment of weakness, and my decision to release Chrysalis and what remained of her hive. To hammer home the point that my heart makes me weak, about how I'm illogical, and soft, and how this entire mess could've been avoided if I'd simply allowed you to exterminate them from the moment they'd been discovered," she replied. Ulquiorra said nothing in response. Even after she waited he still said nothing, it was disturbing. "What? Nothing about how if I'd let you do the logical thing, the entire mess with Twilight could've been avoided, and a lot of misery wouldn't have had to happen? How I was out for revenge for some as of yet undisclosed incident in the relatively distant past, and was blinded to what might happen to those around me in carrying out this whole elaborate and convoluted plot? Nothing about how badly things could've gone from my decision to actually feed Chrysalis, and her resulting actions?" she asked him pointedly.
"From the structuring of your questions, it would seem that you have already given consideration to such possibilities. There would be no purpose in me saying anything along such lines at this point," Ulquiorra replied simply, not once turning his gaze towards Princess Celestia, nor making any efforts to look beyond the remnants of his Hollow mask.
She wanted to say something, anything, in response to Ulquiorra's cold logic, something that would take the edge off this day. But she couldn't. Despite how she felt, taking out her frustrations on another was too undignified, even for her own lax standards. Ulquiorra really hadn't done anything to deserve her anger being directed at him; at least nothing new since yesterday when he'd accused her of being obsessed with revenge.
For now it was just more silence, stretching on without any readily identifiable end.
Minutes ticked by like hours as the two simply stood, Celestia being the first to yield and actually sit down as the waiting continued.
Eventually though patience won out, as the medical examiner -a gray unicorn stallion dressed in standard doctor's garb- stepped out into the hallway, a clipboard grasped in an alabaster aura.
"Doctor, what have you learned?" she asked almost as soon as the examiner was out of his office.
He looked at Princess Celestia, sparing only a momentary glance at Ulquiorra, before shrugging and answering the question he'd been asked.
"As per your instructions, Your Majesty, I was quite thorough in my examination of the body. The cause of death was due to severe organ trauma caused by impalement by a large implement. Death would've been quite sudden in nature," the stallion explained as he looked over his notes before passing them to her. "Along with immune system indicators that would suggest long term viral infection of some sort, I also discovered signs of malnourishment that suggest this changeling hadn't fed for an extended period of time. Considering the severity of the damage to its internal systems I believe that had she not been killed, she would've died regardless within a week at most. Even if you'd given her all of your love, Your Majesty, there was nothing you could've done to save her," he explained.
Celestia sighed and closed her eyes while lowering her head. When she'd sent for the medical examiner to have an autopsy performed on Chrysalis' body, this was definitely not the kind of information she'd been expecting to hear. She had no idea the situation had been so bad, so desperate.
"I see," she replied slowly.
Ulquiorra remained silent as he listened. This report made some sense in explaining why Chrysalis had been so weak at the time he'd found her, and why she had gotten weaker and weaker as the day went on.
"That's not all, either," the doctor explained as he flipped to another page, "as per your instructions I was thorough. Among other areas explored, I also examined the changeling's brain. It's really a fascinating organ compared to a pony's brain, remind me to show you the differences sometime. Anyway. I examined the changeling's brain and found something of great interest. While there are many and startling differences, you'll notice my observations. As you can see, I noticed signs of considerable mental instability. And from what I've seen I'd venture a guess and say that at some point in the recent past, the changeling experienced some sort of violent traumatic event that caused her to, for lack of a better term, snap. And I truly don't believe she ever recovered from whatever psychotic episode took hold of her on that day."
"What you're saying is Chrysalis was insane," Ulquiorra elaborated. Was it truly necessary to use such a complicated manner of explaining the situation when a simple "she was insane" would have sufficed?
The doctor remained silent for a moment, stopping to nod before flipping his notes to the next page. "In simple terms, yes. However there's far more to it than that and I'm... not entirely sure what to make of it. Present alongside the physical indicators of a mental disorder, are signs of a severe physical disorder that has damaged the various lobes of the brain and nervous system to varying degrees. I've never seen anything like this in a real world setting, only in medical text books, and even then only when dealing with other species. But if I had to hazard a guess I would say the changeling was suffering from an advanced stage of... spongiform encephalopathy..."
"I'm unfamiliar with that term," Ulquiorra stated simply, finding himself mildly interested in the doctor's statement about Chrysalis suffering from some form of brain damage.
"Spongiform encephalopathy is a brain disease, but unlike psychosis which deals with the mental aspects, spongiform encephalopathy deals with the physical aspects of the mind, causing lesions and deterioration of the brain tissue. It's incurable and untreatable in nature, and those who contract it die a very debilitating death. However I'm uncertain how she came to contract it in the first place. Changelings possess no traditional functioning digestive system like ponies, making digestion of any sort of food impossible, which should make spongiform encephalopathy impossible to contract. The only way one becomes afflicted with it, is engaging in the act of cannibalism," he explained.
Cannibalism? The utter irony of it all. That was an area he was well versed in, as it was a part of his very nature; the reason for his own existence and level of evolution. But to hear confirmation of it actually taking place in another species. Now last night's conversation suddenly made a greater amount of sense. Chrysalis has said a number of the other changelings had sacrificed themselves in order for her to live on. If love were truly physical in this world, and served as a source of nutrition for the changeling species, then perhaps they had used their love for her to ensure her survival, and left nothing for themselves. And in the process they must have caused her to contract this disease. Perhaps that was the traumatic event that caused her to lose her sanity as well? A veritable double whammy as it were; losing one's children, and contracting a fatal illness for their efforts without even realizing it.
There were many questions to figure out currently. When had the changelings sacrificed themselves for Chrysalis? When had she experienced her psychotic break? When had she contracted the spongiform encephalopathy, and for how long had it been ravaging her system? If she was brain damaged on top of being insane, then how well could they trust what had been said by her?
He'd assumed that whatever entity had used her as a pawn hadn't been smart enough to remove any traces of itself from her mind, and thus left behind loose ends that could lead back to it. Now, however, he could no longer be certain of such. For all he knew her efforts to name someone as responsible were nothing more than the delusional ramblings from one who was both insane, and going into shock from traumatic injury and severe blood loss.
"Doctor, just before Chrysalis died, she was trying to say a name. You're regarded as the best in your field of medical examination. Is there any way you could recall this information? Any way at all?" Celestia asked him hopefully/desperately.
"I'm afraid not," he replied with a sigh and closed his notes, "I possess a great many skills in the realm of medical examination, but sadly that's not among them. I could tell you almost anything else about the changeling's body and its state before she died, but matters pertaining to the mind are beyond my expertise. As ravaged as it was I'm not certain any information could be retrieved even if I knew the proper expert to name. Truly it's a miracle she was able to function at all," he explained. "If she had anything to say, I'm quite certain it was unintelligible gibberish at this point."
Bad news meant different things to different individuals. In this case it was no different. For Ulquiorra, this news meant that they were officially without any leads in the mystery pertaining to who or what was behind the two attacks against the holders of the Elements of Harmony. They had a mystery on their hands, and there was nothing they could do but wait and see what was down the line, just waiting to strike when they least expected it.
To Celestia, however, bad news of this magnitude meant far more and far worse; at least with regard to herself. Ulquiorra was out one unconfirmed theory based around his own random observations. But to her, discovering the truth about Chrysalis' condition left her feeling devastated. She had no idea the situation had been so dire, that the changelings were so close to extinction and this had more or less been their last attempt at saving themselves from total annihilation.
And what had she done? She'd hastened their suffering without even realizing it.
"Thank you for your work, Doctor, you've been most helpful and informative in the matter," Celestia replied, "come, Ulquiorra."
"Just a moment, Your Majesty," he spoke up, "what do you want me to do with the body?" he asked.
"For the moment just leave it in cold storage. I'll be back later, once I have the opportunity to make the proper arrangements," she explained. He nodded in understanding of her request. With no new business to tend to she took her leave, teleporting away with Ulquiorra in tow. There was plenty of business to tend to back at the castle as it was.
"I possess significant doubts that I will ever become accustomed to this method of transportation," Ulquiorra commented upon their return to the palace throne room.
The very notion of instantaneously disappearing from one location and arriving at an entirely different location was quite strange, completely different from his own sonido or any other method of travel. Not knowing the mechanics behind it didn't help any. Being thrust into a location he didn't properly understand wasn't on his list of desirable activities. Nor was finding himself stuck inside a wall if something went wrong.
"It's preferable to being rained on," Celestia pointed out.
Ulquiorra said nothing in response. Debating the benefits of teleportation compared to other means of travel wasn't what he wanted to do right now. Instead there was another matter in need of discussion.
"In light of this new information, what is your intended course of action concerning the remaining changelings?" he asked bluntly.
"In light of this new information..." Celestia paused, "I intend to show mercy on this matter. With so few changelings left alive, I simply don't see the point in going through all the red tape to have them shipped off to some penal colony facility. Nor do I wish to accumulate anymore blood on my hooves than I already have. I intend to ask Discord to implement Rainbow Dash's plan from last night, and enable them to survive on regular foods like anypony else. After that they'll be escorted out of the borders of Equestria proper and allowed to go wherever they wish," she explained.
Mercy? Princess Celestia believed that this course of action was one of mercy? True mercy would be a swift death to end their misery, not allowing them to continue existing in such a pitiful state. If the changelings had succumbed to their own hunger and resorted to cannibalism against one another, then it stood to reason that they were all in a similar state as Chrysalis.
But then again, he wasn't the one in charge. If Princess Celestia had made up her mind there was little he could do. Little except for questioning the wisdom of her decision.
"You're aware that by leaving them alive, a new queen will rise, their numbers will multiply, and they might launch another attack at some point down the line, correct?" he asked, referencing the reasons she cited when convincing him to go along with this charade in the first place to prevent a full scale, full frontal attack for the purpose of decimating the hive and every changeling present.
"I'm aware of the possibility. But it's a chance I'm willing to take, in hopes that the gesture and the newfound food sources, will be enough to satisfy them. Once a new queen evolves, then maybe a proper diplomatic relationship can be entered into," Celestia explained.
Ideological nonsense and nothing more. He would need to begin questioning Princess Celestia's mental stability if she kept spouting off such ridiculous statements and expecting others to consider them valid. She wasn't being logical in the slightest.
But again, what could he do on the matter? There was very little that he could actually hope to accomplish on his own. He would simply have to abide by whatever her decision was, and be prepared to act for whenever things went horribly, horribly wrong, just as they were destined to.
"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied and left it at that. He knew when it was time to let a topic of discussion drop, and when to attack it viciously. And right now this was the former. "And what of my own fate, now that there is no longer a crisis taking precedent?" he asked.
To some, his present course of action might seem strange. Princess Celestia had informed him that once everything settled down, she would be dealing with him and the trust issues that resulted from his secrecy... and more than likely, the way he'd sold his supposed defection to Chrysalis. What he was doing right now, was going out of his way to remind her of the fact that she was supposed to be upset with him, and make her return to an earlier promise of dealing with him for his actions, and issue whatever consequences were going to be coming his way.
But as always, there was a methodology not only to what he did, but also why he chose to do it. And in this case it was a necessity to determine future interactions, and how to proceed from here on out. It was necessary to gain a greater understanding of Princess Celestia's character, and her degree of reasonability.
Celestia thought on his words. There were so many conflicting things going on right now, that she really had no idea just where to begin on thinking things through, and determining how to respond accordingly. She knew that she had reason to be upset with Ulquiorra... but after everything that had happened up to this point, she couldn't help but wonder if they were good reasons.
First there was the matter of his deception, and how he'd deliberately kept the status of his resurrection from her. He'd allowed her to believe that her binding spell had been successful, and that unpleasant aspect of his character had been safely, and effectively, locked away and no longer something to worry about.
And then he'd gone and shown her that she was wrong in that assumption, that she'd failed in her attempts, and he'd simply been playing her for a foal the entire time.
He'd tried to pass his secrecy off as a matter of self preservation, reasoning that if she knew about how her spell hadn't worked, she'd treat him as a hostility to her world and her subjects; possibly to the extent that she might actually kill him if the truth was known.
But then she stopped and thought about the matter, about his words during all their interactions. Right now she was remembering the conversation they had the day after Ulquiorra had visited Ponyville, how he explained that he and the three Espada ranked above him were forbidden from using their resurrections within Las Noches, as the release in power from any one of them could destroy the entire city. And then how he'd fled Canterlot before using his resurrection, explicitly stating that it was to prevent the palace from collapsing around them. And after what she'd felt of his strange, unique nature, she could see the reasoning behind that.
Such thoughts brought her back to the garden, and how his attempt at using his release -something that she'd insisted upon- had failed. He'd been faking the entire time... possibly because he knew actually completing the act would prove catastrophic for them to experience. Perhaps... perhaps his deception hadn't been so much for protecting his own skin, as it was theirs.
The second matter was their combat high above Canterlot. Or more specifically, how he'd utilized Twilight's presence during that instance. Instead of focusing his attention on her, as she was the primary target for that part of the deception, he'd instead turned his attention toward her student and attacked without mercy, and with an attack that could've killed everyone in the throne room; a fact she knew for certain, having felt the incredible force behind the Cero Oscuras for herself. That alone would be sufficient to hold against him... until she once again stopped and thought about it. That was something that'd been going on since last night's conference, and it was complicating everything.
The combat had... now that she thought on it, it'd seemed very strange to encounter. If Ulquiorra had really intended to kill her with the Cero Oscuras, wouldn't he have simply utilized his sonido to appear in close proximity to her before releasing it? Instead he'd taken the time to explain exactly what she was going to be facing off against, giving her ample opportunity to prepare for a dodge or block with her shield. And on top of that, he'd attacked from a distance, thus adding to the time she had to react. If he'd been serious from the start, she suspected he would've gone with a very different approach.
Of course his clashing with her wasn't what had her upset, but rather when he'd chosen to involve Twilight. He'd correctly gathered that in order to protect her student, she'd throw herself in harm's way without hesitation. But everything that lead up to that moment... he'd been so slow in adjusting his aim toward the palace and where Twilight had stood on the balcony. He'd directly asked her, if Twilight was strong enough to withstand his attack. He'd asked her and then actually paused, before actually discharging it, giving her the necessary time to prevent any harm from occurring... and all after first confirming that she could indeed do such. He hadn't charged headlong into the matter, and simply determined that it was safe to attack Twilight directly; instead he'd felt everything out in a methodical manner, determining the best course of action to minimize casualties, in his own unique way.
Add to that was the fact that her own deception had relied upon being in the presence of Chrysalis. And one way or another, he'd gotten her back into the throne room where her ashen replica was designed to be for the swapping. If he hadn't gone with the course of action taken, it's possible things might not have succeeded.
Then there was the third matter, of the conversation they had afterwards. How Ulquiorra had accused her of being a monster, uninterested in the emotional wellbeing of her subjects and friends, accused her of having no concern for the psychological trauma her actions could result in for everypony involved in their deception, and accused her of simply being out for revenge against Chrysalis. That, more than anything, left her the most furious.
But after much thought, she realized it wasn't the Espada that she was truly angry with. He'd been the recipient of her fury, but not the intended target of such. It'd taken her so long to understand that the one she should truly be angry with right now, was herself. It had been her plan to proceed in the manner they had. It'd been her that brought Twilight and the others here, and left them uninformed of everything. It'd been her that told Ulquiorra to be convincing in his performance. All he'd done -other than criticizing her tactics- was follow the open-ended instructions she'd given him to go by.
She supposed she could hold his actions in last night's conference against him, how he'd utilized terror of the unknown to secure his unrestricted travel. But that thought died nearly as fast as it'd come up. She'd been present as Ulquiorra explained how he saw the situation, what had caused him to formulate the theory, and why he believed it to be accurate. And looking at it from the perspective of coincidences not occurring -at least not in rapid succession- even she wondered if he was onto something that she'd missed.
Chrysalis' dying attempts at a final statement had certainly lent credibility to the notion, regardless of what the doctor might've said about her mental state.
Of course that didn't mean she was happy with how he'd conducted himself and backed her into the proverbial corner. But she could at least understand the reasoning behind it. And in light of everything that'd happened, she could do little more than be sore with him for his choice of tactics; just as she'd been sore with Luna for going over her head, and bringing Twilight into this mess in the manner she had. But being sore and resenting one's actions, didn't justify significant consequences for such.
"I've given this matter a lot of thought and consideration. What we find ourselves in is a very difficult situation, full of uncertainty. What I said yesterday, was said during a moment of emotional instability, and a period of being distraught with how things had progressed. Had I been approached when I was calmer, I don't believe I would've acted anything like I did yesterday. I'm sorry, Ulquiorra, making you the recipient of my anger wasn't appropriate. Nor was it appropriate to deal with the matter in the way that I did. I was upset, but I should've been upset with myself rather than you," she explained and hung her head.
Ulquiorra remained silent as he observed Princess Celestia. She was soft in nature. Full of doubts and uncertainty, and a good deal of remorse for what she did. She recognized when her actions were wrong, but apparently that recognition only came after they'd been carried out, and the consequences could be witnessed.
He could so easily exert psychological control over her right now if he were motivated to do such. Allowing her to see the error of her ways, while pointing out prior to and after things had gone wrong, would establish his credibility in the future for whenever the next incident should arise, and her notions differed from his own. But timing was everything, and right now he didn't believe the timing was right to go through with such a strategy. He would instead wait and see how things played out on their own, without his influence.
"Since you first arrived in this world, you've been a hero at least five times already, and it hasn't even been a full two weeks yet! You've saved Twilight and her friends, my subjects, you even saved me when I was too naive to suspect Chrysalis' last act of deception. I honestly don't know what is appropriate to say in this situation," she stated.
"Then perhaps it's safe to conclude this matter," Ulquiorra replied. Why some believed that talking was a constant necessity was beyond him. "And if these two matter have officially come to an end, I will need to return to Ponyville at the earliest convenience. There is still one more matter of importance to tend to," he stated simply, deciding to change the subject of discussion. He also needed to evaluate whether or not she was being sincere when she told the others she would reinstate his permission to travel; to say nothing of her seriousness when she claimed to supposedly forgive him, in light of her rethinking things.
"Oh? What kind of matter?" Celestia asked, curious about what could've brought up such a sudden change of topic. Maybe it had to deal with his theory, and the belief that he needed to be present and available anytime a significant crisis arose?
"The unicorn Rarity still possesses my uniform jacket from yesterday. I wish to retrieve it before she makes any attempt at modifying it to suit her tastes, or to make it conform to her sense of fashion."
His... jacket? That was the matter of importance he had to tend to? Was he joking? That was the thought, but it only took one look at his expressionless face to tell her that he wasn't. Unfortunately his deadpan deliver just added to the unintentional humor of it all, forcing her to try not to laugh.
"Proceed then," she said simply. If he was that set on retrieving what was his, who was she to refuse under these circumstances. He gave a brief nod, before disappearing in a burst of sonido, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Thoughts that she didn't necessarily want to be left with, without a distraction from them. Despite all the work that had gone into patching everything up, that didn't mean the sting of everything was gone. There were some aspects that would take considerably more time to heal than others.
Her attention was drawn to a sudden tingling occurring just overhead, as a scroll materialized before her. Curiously she opened it to read who had sent what.
Dear Celestia,
I just want to start off by saying, that feels as weird to write out as it does to say.
I've thought a lot about everything that's happened since yesterday. And through all of that thinking, I've managed to realize something important. While I might be mad over how things proceeded, you still deserved better than what you received. When we spoke last night I wasn't thinking, and instead let my emotions guide me. The proper response should've been after everypony had sufficient time to calm down, sort things out, and determine how they really felt. But I was too upset to remember that fact. So to make up for that I'm submitting this to cover what was glossed over, left out, or otherwise forgotten in the heat of the moment.
I was upset with what happened, and for multiple reasons. It's not every day you watch somepony supposedly die and crumble to dust because they were protecting you from harm in the process. And it's not every day you find out that the death you witnessed was nothing more than the equivalent of one big joke.
To put in simple terms, you hurt me, Celestia. You hurt me in ways that I truly didn't believe were possible until I actually experienced them for myself. I can't even begin to describe the emotional state that I was in at the time, because I truly don't even know what it was. Deception, anger, sadness, etc. they were all being experienced at the same time. Every single emotion I was experiencing was fighting for dominance over the others in some weird contest.
Even now, when I think about what happened, I still feel hurt. I understand why you took the course of action that you did; at least I do now after I've had a chance to talk with everypony, and do a little independent investigation on my own to verify everything. But simply knowing the why doesn't change what was experienced. It puts it into context, but that's about it. I hate to say it, but there really are some things for which books can't properly address.
I don't hate you. I can say with all honesty that the statement to the contrary was a mistake on my part. If I could recant it I would. In all honesty I don't believe that I could ever hate you. I can be upset with a course of action you take, but that doesn't translate into being upset at the pony directly. You've done so much for me in the past, been a teacher, adviser, and even the one who helped me have friends in the first place. The sheer wrongness there would be in hating you can't even be covered in ink and parchment. I should know, I've been trying to do just that and failing miserably.
Knowing that you aren't perfect in your rule... it makes it easier to talk to you. I'm not so scared of messing up around you anymore. I understand that you're a Princess, but knowing that you make mistakes too, makes it seem easier to relate to you now. It's not so terrifying to think about that fact anymore. It might sound strange, but I actually feel like a weight has been lifted right off my withers.
Last night when you talked about wanting to be regarded as a friend, I admit I was skeptical about it. But now, as I think about it with a clear mind, I think that it's something that can be made to work with a little effort. As I've learned, friendships aren't perfect in nature, but the ones that are invested in are the ones worth maintaining.
There are so, so many things that I wanted to say when I started writing this letter. But some simply don't fit the overall flow, and others I just can't seem to put into actual words. It's almost like trying to describe the color of red to a pony that's blind; some things simply don't translate. Complicating the matter is that I can't ask others for advice on this particular problem. I don't know if I was justified in my anger and what I did, it's just so complicated. I don't even know if it's appropriate for me to still feel negativity toward you when you've chosen to not feel the same toward me.
Any advice on this matter would be welcomed right about now.
I wish there was more I could say. I really do. But at the moment this is all I have that I can contribute.
Your friend,
Twilight
Celestia read over the note silently. She could understand Twilight's uncertainty over everything; uncharted territory tended to cause that in ponies. Even for her, in all of her experience, there were things she didn't know how to address properly. And right now the exact manner in which to proceed was one of them. Here Twilight was reaching out to her for guidance, and yet she had nothing to offer in response. Try as she might, she couldn't think of any advice that seemed eloquent for this.
Not eloquent, but perhaps relevant. Conjuring quill and parchment, she began writing a response.
"Dear Twilight," she dictated as the quill went to work, etching out the words she spoke. "If there is any proper advice to be had on the matter, I would most certainly welcome it myself right about now..."
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And suddenly Equestria is no longer a utopia of sunshine and smiles…
To think the Changeling nation is the equivalent of a starving third-world county whose inhabitants also happen to be judged as a wicked race.
Woo update
The twists and turns of topics that seem so simple and yet are so complex make the story ever so interesting. The revelations make it ever so more colorful as the details and reasons behind the actions are explained very creatively. Great chapter.
Yes! I love that someoneelse recognizes that possibility! Mad cow disease for the win!
This chapter reminded me that while a majority of narrative exposition over dialogue can be troublesome to some readers, it still tells the story nonetheless in the minds of the characters involved
Clearly, Ulquiorra wasn't in the mood for the doctor's shit. But then again, when is he ever in the mood for anypony's shit?
Considering he made it known that manipulating Celestia was a tempting thought despite the current situation, it almost drew a chuckle out of me after I finished the chapter and made this comment
It warms my heart that Twilight and Celestia are gradually rekindling their relationship through the anger and tears that transpired the other day
And now I await the next installment come next week.
Another good chapter felt a little short this time but still decent.
Cant wait to see next weeks chapter :3
Everyone is starting to think more logically. Ulquiorra's influence is spreading is seems...
I think the quote is six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Saftey of Equestria can cme later, this Hollow needs his jacket NOW!!!
the more i think about it the more i wanted Ulquiorra to show his second release during his battle the look of shock and fear on their face would have been awesome
3738210
It would've been, but his second release might've wound up killing everyone, ponies included.
And besides, Ulquiorra wasn't being serious during the fight. It wasn't part of Celestia's plan.
Great work! Keep it coming!
The scene with Rainbow and Twilight was pure gold! Plush? D'aaaw!
And the fact that Ulquiorra was more concerned about his Jacket than howCelestia was going to punish him... Gonna have to agree with Celestia, it took some effort to hold in my chuckles. 
Below are the edits for this chapter:
*But the similarities were was too - But the similarities were way too
*It had been raining since early - extra space between 'raining' and "since'
*of undiluted rage hadn't helps matters - of undiluted rage hadn't helped matters
*at least with regard to her. - at least with regard to herself.
*"Thank you for work, Doctor, - "Thank you for your work, Doctor,
*the conversation had the day after Ulquiorra - the conversation they had the day after Ulquiorra
*their resurrections with Las Noches, as - their resurrections within Las Noches, as
*of the conversation had afterwards. - of the conversation they had afterwards.
*arise, and her notions differed from her own. - one of those 'her' should be 'his'
*things she didn't know how to address them. - things she didn't know how to address properly.
3738297
Ulquiorra Cifer Vs. Celestia, fighting to the death at 100% strength and no pony/structure around to be caught in the crossfire: in your opinion, who wins?
I foresee another event! While Discord begins to alter the changelings (if he agrees), Ulquiorra will compare it to his own Arrancarfication, with the following evidence:
Species hated for their gluttonous nature (Hollows have to eat souls to relieve their pain, changelings eat love for literal nourishment)
Practically hunted down, wight he intent of absolute elimination (Hollows in the literal sense, changelings in the more 'we don't like you, get out of our home' sense)
Are now being morphed into a form better suited to their hunters (Arrancar become like Shinigami, in case you didn't notice)
Being performed by a story-breaking powerhouse (the Hogyoku is a friggin GENIE IN A MARBLE, and Discord is, well… Q)
Honestly Dash's idea would work better if instead of letting them eat normal food just let them eat any emotion
>>>But if I had to hazard a guess I would say the changeling was suffering from an advanced stage of... spongiform encephalopathy...">>>
That's what she gets for eating sheep brains.
I was expecting Chrysalis' brain to have some sort of black net-like covering of parasitic tendrils; a neural clone... created by noneother than..
imalbum.aufeminin.com/album/D20060827/84710_4XX8GL8QXHVCWMGSAEQ76GNMU22WTT_scorpius_portrait_main_H152729_L.jpg
Oh come on! We haven't had a single "Farscape" crossover yet! It must be done!
3739872
Farscape, yes! Thank you for stating that! I'd love to see something set in season 3 with the crew of Moya happening upon Equestria and seeing it as a potentially viable planet to allow for Zhaan's recovery.
3738600 Ulquiorra. Celestia's too hesitant.
Unless she pulls an Ichigo and transforms into Super Hollow form and PWNS like a BAWSS.
3739880 I have a feeble gasp of an outline that has Zhaan and Zecora striking up a close friendship.
Naturally, Scorpius would be the semi-villain, seeing the magic of this world as quite useful in his plan for revenge against the Scarans. But then he's infected with friendship and starts singing spontaneously. And the crew gets really freaked the hell out and they flee in terror.
3738297 i know just let my imagination run wild ok
3738197 A man needs to look good.
3738600 Freaking Ulquiorra would win! He would kick Celestia's flank before she could even say, "I'm screwed."
lol
Thanks to that cute beginning, I now want some TwiDash shipping in your story.
I see you've read the John Carter book(s).
3758418 No holds barred? Celestia. She can pull down a freaking solar flare and flash fry him where he stands
Dear Princess Celestia:
Potato.
Wait!? When the hell in the last chapter did this happen? Or was it the one beforehoof cause I'm not sure but still.
4312407 Absolutely genius. *claps*
Am I correct in assuming Ulquiorra would fit as a hyper-competent side kick? I mean sure, he defers to Celestia, but he certainly comes off as far smarter (he's poked holes in her logic (trusting Discord but not him), seen through her attempts at testing his character (refusing Discords offer to remove the seal)), more efficient (the end result for the changelings turned out exactly as he expected; Chrysalis dead with the rest of the changelings scattered so it would have made little difference if he killed her from the beginning), and given recent events, is also indicated to be far stronger in battle, and is actually content for things to remain in her control despite the fact that he notes he could make an attempt to manipulate her.
4146298 Maybe, but the question is, would he let her? If the same logic of 'attack the horn stops magic' works on her, then considering that he can move faster than the eye can see, that would mean he wouldn't give her that chance.
Assuming that logic works of course.
7609292
Unfortunately Ulquiorra quashed this idea way back in chapter two.
I ship it
I kinda want to see Twilight trying the fire a celo... 🤔
Even one of her own. A celo de amidad! 😁