Two captains are sent to Equestria in order to prevent it from slipping into darkness.
In a place known as the Soul Society, soul reapers have always kept the balance of life and death. But when that balance is disrupted, it is up to the Soul Society's finest to make everything right. For this reason, Byakuya Kuchiki, and Toshiro Hitsugaya, are sent to Equestria in order to prevent their world and Equestria from slipping into darkness.
A old man with a large wooden cane stood alone on an enormous balcony overlooking the city below. This man was not a human, by any standards. He was a soul reaper. His entire body was covered in scars that he had received from countless opponents. The most visible of this being a large X were two of them crossed on the right side of his forehead. He had lived long enough to know every conflict that had happened to the Soul Society since the beginning of it's existence. This man's name was Genryusai Yamamoto, and he was over 1000 years old.
Such an age was not unheard of in the Soul Society. There had been a few lucky individuals who had even surpassed his age. Life in was extended in the Soul Society, aging was slowed, and people can live incredibly long lives. He had only lived this long because of the amount of spiritual energy he possessed. Without it, he would have passed a long time ago.
Spiritual energy is the amount of sync a person has with their spiritual sensitivity and willpower. Every being alive has spiritual energy. If a human were able to have above-average spiritual energy, which is extremely rare, that human would be granted a few superhuman abilities such as seeing ghosts or other souls. If that human were able to harness that spiritual energy he would also be granted even more powers, such as enhanced speed or strength. The more spirtual pressure a person has the stronger they will become. Although, every soul within the Soul Society possess spiritual energy.
Some special souls within the Soul Society were lucky enough to have greater amounts of spiritual energy, which would allow them to become soul reapers. The job of a soul reaper was to keep balance within the Soul Society and the human world. If one of those worlds were to fall into chaos the other would follow shortly. For this reason, the Gotei 13, or the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, was created.
But now, Genryusai thought to himself, The balance of our worlds is once more at risk. But this time, there is a third world involved... If any of these worlds were to fall into chaos, the others will follow. Something must be done. He heard a knock on the large wodden door. Something has been done. He thought to himself. In a gruff, yet commanding voice, he said "You may enter." The door began to slowly creak open revealing two very special individuals.
One was a boy that could have been thirteen or fourteen, but his real age was much greater than that. He had silver hair that went out in random directions, ice blue eyes, and a sword strapped to his back. He wore light black robes, with another white one covering the black ones to represent his rank. One the back of his clothes was his squad number. The boy's name was Toshiro Hitsugaya, and he was the captain of squad ten of the thirteen Court Guard Squads.
The other was a man with long black hair with slate grey eyes, he wore several snow white hairpieces on his head to signify his position as head of the his clan. He had the same clothes on as Toshiro, and had his own squad number delicately sewed into the back of it. His name was Byakuya Kuckiki, and he was the captain of squad six.
The two captains entered the room silently. They knew something important was about to happen, as they had only been called in to see the head captain personally only a few times before, and each time they were assigned a special task. Now, they would be assigned another.
"Head captain," Byakuya said in a smooth voice,"You asked to see us."
"Yes, that I did," Genryusai said, "I sent that messenger only five minutes ago, and already both of you have traveled more than a few miles to reach me. That is impressive," He turned toward the pair, "Such urgency is the reason I asked both of you two to come here. I know you both care much about your place in this world, its balance, and that peace is kept. Well I tell you now: that peace is about to shatter." He stopped to let the gravity of the situation sink into the two captains that were present. They would need to know the importance of their task.
After a lengthy silence, Toshiro asked, "What must we do, head captain?"
"Ahh, yes. What must be done?" Genryusai asked himself. "I believe that only you two can do what must be done. For what you will be doing will require every skill that you have ever learned in the past... you may even have to use your bankai. You will both need to rely on each other, and carry out your duties flawlessly if you are to succeed. If you slip up once, the mission is at risk." He was silent for a moment, "My question to you is this: do you think that you can handle this assignment?"
"Yes, head captain," They spoke in unison.
"Good, now we can begin." Genryusai walked over to his wooden desk and sat down. He reached in to a drawer, and after a few moments of searching, he pulled out 2 sheets of paper, "This is all you will need to know," He stated. He handed one of the sheets to each captain, who immediately began to read it.
After reading it several times to himself to make sure his eyes were not lying, Toshiro quoted from the paper, "Your main mission will be to exterminate hollows who have been appearing in a new land called Equestria. You will act as father and son in this land. Gigai will be provided for you so you will be able to blend in with the population. It is of utmost importance that you keep your true identity hidden. Should the princesses who rule Equestira find out, they will take every available action to eliminate you. If hollows overrun Equestria, both the soul society and the human world will be affected. All three of the worlds happiness, love, everything and anything that is good and we hold dear to us will be lost. Equestria's destiny, is now tied with ours." Toshiro took a deep breath and put the paper down on the desk. "So, when do we leave?" He asked.
Genryusai looked up at Toshiro, "You have until the sun sets, and not a moment later. You will likely not be returning to this place for the next few months, so make sure you say your goodbyes, and get your squad all sorted out so there will be order for when you leave. We will meet at the senkaimon when everything is prepared." He looked back and forth between the two captains before him, "Make these last few hours count." Both the captains bowed and began to leave the room, "One more thing," Genryusai said "Do not tell anyone the details of your assignment."
Both of the captains bowed before Genryusai once more before slowly leaving the room. As the wooden doors closed on their own behind them, both the captains turned to each other and were silent for a few moments. The situation that they were about to be thrown into was odd enough, but acting as father and son? Toshiro didn't even grow up with a father, and now the head captain was telling him that he had to act like a son to a man who he hardly had spent any time with?
"Father and son," Byakuya said "This shall be most interesting indeed."
"Well..." Toshiro began "Yea, it will be."
After a few more moments of silence, Byakuya vanished from his spot with a small whoosh sound, leaving Toshiro alone in the hall to think about what to do next.
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In a small garden, Rukia Kuckiki and Renji Abarai sat holding hands. They were enjoying watching the cherry tree blossoms bloom, and they were enjoying each others presence. The absolute harmony and peace that was in the area was undeniable. Just watching the pink tree was soothing to the soul, it calmed them both, and filled them with utter peace.
The pair had had a very long history with each other, one that was very quickly becoming more and more intimate as the days rolled on. They had begun to see each other more and more not just because of business, as it had been in the past. No, now they were starting to see each other because of their feelings. They wanted to be with each other now, and nothing could separate them in the future.
Neither one of them noticed a small whoosh sound behind them, but after a few moments they could feel the overwhelming presence of Byakuya's power. Rengi and Rukia turned around to see Byakuya looking down at them. The couples faces turned a bright shade of red, "Brother, what are you doing here?" Rukia asked, embarrassment cloaking her voice.
"I wanted to see you both." Byakuya said, "and confirm my suspicions."
At once the pair began to make up excuses.
"It's not what it-"
"I would never-"
"Here on business-"
"Decided to have lunch-"
"Needed to talk-"
"Wanted to take a break-"
"Enough," Byakuya said. "I have seen all that I needed to. You two obviously have been seeing each other for some time. How I did not notice it before is my fault. But," his face got even more serous,"That is not the main reason why I'm here.
Renji was confused,"Then why are you here?" he asked.
"I'm here to tell you that I will be going away for some time. I do not know how long exactly, but I shall return with the next few months."
"Oh," Rukia said softly,"Is it on clan business or were you assigned this by the head captain?"
"I was given this mission by the head captain," Byakuya said. "But that is not important. I will need each of you to take up my responsibilities while I am gone," He turned toward his sister,"Rukia, I'm making you the head of the Kuckiki clan in my absence. Do not disgrace our family name."
Rukia bowed her head,"Yes brother, I will not fail you."
Byakuya then turned to his lieutenant "Renji," he said in a voice of authority, accompanied by eyes of murder "To you I leave the squad. You shall take up full responsibility of everyone and everything in it. This is a major task that I am giving you. Do not fail me."
Renji hesitated, then he bowed before Byakuya "Yes captain. You can count on me."
Byakuya nodded to them both. His task being complete, he vanished with a small woosh sound.
Silence enveloped the garden. After a few moments of searching for Byakuya's spiritual pressure with her mind, Rukia confirmed that Byakuya had indeed left. "He knows," Rukia said "Rengi, he now knows about us."
"Yea," he replied "Well, at least he is leaving now on behalf of the soul society right? He won't be around for a while." While his voice was trying to reassure Rukia, his mind was traveling elsewhere. When Byakuya had looked at Rengi and told him that he was going to be in charge of squad six, his face and voice had sent a completely different message: touch her and I murder you. Renji shivered before sitting back down.
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Rangiku Matsumoto stood before Toshiro Hitsugaya in a large room. Rangiku had thick orange hair, grey eyes, and a somewhat lazy attitude. She was in fact older than her captain, much older, and she had just received the news from him that she was to be left in charge of the squad. Now normally this news would make someone jump for joy in the Soul Society. It would be a sign that their skills as a fighter and leader are being recognized. But for Rangiku, it just meant more paper work, more boring assignments, and less time to worry about how she looked.
"But why!?" Rangiku whined "Why do I have to be in charge? Can't you make one of the seats do it? I'm sure they would love to take charge of the squad."
Toshiro sighed and said "I really don't care what you think about my decision, it is final. You shall be in charge of squad ten until I return from my mission. I expect nothing but your best when I return." Rangiku groaned and dramatically fell onto the nearby couch.
"But why? Why did you have to chose me?" she asked.
"Isn't it obvious? You're you. And you have been slack on all your paper work. You have been forcing me to do them for you for years since I became the captain of this squad. I think it is time that you took responsibility for yourself now. This should be a good way of doing that." Toshiro said.
Rangiku groaned. She was being scolded like a child by a child. This was going to be a very difficult few months.
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As the sun began to set on the Soul Society, Byakuya and Toshiro stood before the senkaimon. It just looked like an ordinary wooden gate, but it was actually a portal between worlds. It was used so that people from the Soul Society could get back and forth between the human world. Yet now, it was going to be used to transport to a completely new world.
"Are You ready?" Byakuya asked Toshiro.
"Yes. For the good of all, I must be." Toshiro replied.
"Good." He reached his hand out and pressed on the door, and it began to open on its own. This revealed nothing but white, like looking at paper, except it had a slight mist around it. "Lets go. The supplies will be on the other side."
Toshiro nodded, and the two stepped forward into the white.
Princess Celestia was sitting in her thrown room. It had been a long day full of complaining nobles, diplomacy, and court charges. She had just set the sun to end her day, and now came for her favorite part of the day; dinner. Cake was being served today. Just and only cake, Celestia's favorite meal of the day. Ohh, how she so enjoyed cake. The very thought of the meal began to make her mouth water.
Celestia was about to head toward the dining room when she suddenly felt an overwhelming presence of power hit her. It was a sensation that she had only felt a few times before, and it meant nothing good. The pressure was so strong that she struggled to sit upright in her thrown for a few moments. After a few moments the pressure on her body lifted, but it still caused her legs to shake. Never before had the mere presence of somepony make her struggle to keep upright.
Luna suddenly teleported in front of Celestia "Sister," Luna said "Did thou fell that?"
"Yes," Celestia replied "It can only be one of those things again. Luna, assemble the night guard. We are going to make sure that this one does not do any damage. I will gather Shining and a few others. We must act with haste."
"Yes sister," Luna said before she vanished with teleportation.
Celestia soon followed her example and appeared before Shining Armor "Captain," she began "Assemble your best. Another monster that dare threaten Equestria has just appeared."
Shining, who was shaking slighly, saluted "Yes ma'am!"
Celestia teleported away once more, but to the castle armory this time. Before her stood golden armor that was made specially for her. She began to use telekinesis to put the armor on while she thought to herself. This one is powerful... I can feel it's power even from this far away. She began to search more thoroughly and inspect it's power, and her eyes widened when she realized where it was. Ponyville. She began to panic, the elements of harmony were at risk. They had yet to be exposed to the evil that and destruction that these beasts were capable of. But there was no way that they had missed the felling of it, not when they were so close.
Celestia finished putting on her armor and teleported just outside of Caterlot's walls, were shining, Luna, and those they assembled were waiting. They had reacted extremely fast, but they knew what was at risk. The safety of thousands depended on them.
"You all know the deal," Celestia began "The safety of everypony depends on us. You all know how dangerous these things can get. Let's all make short work of this."
"Sister," Luna began. She too was dressed in her own version of Celestia's armor, except her's was midnight blue with the moon crest on the chest and flank. "There is more than one this time. I can barely feel the presence of it before, but it is there."
Celestia nodded and closed her eyes to focus. She reached out her mind to the exact source of the energy, and did indeed feel two beings. Their powers felt so similar to her it was no wonder that she couldn't feel it earlier. "I see." Celestia said. She looked over the group once more, and could see fear in the eyes of the pony's. "Listen up. The lives of your families, are at risk. The lives of your friends, are at risk. The lives of the innocent, are at risk. I need you all to be strong. Not just for the pony next to you, but for the ponies that you care about. Now," She turned her head to see the faint glow of ponyville in the dark night "lets go kill us a monster." The group cheered, and they charged toward Ponyville ----------
Twilight stared at the book before her intensely. Her eyes were trying to absorb and catch every single detail that was before her. She would need every single piece of information for the moment ahead of her. After a few moments of searching, she finally looked up at her five friends who were comfortably wrapped up in their sleeping bags. They were having a slumber party, and Twilight had spent the whole day studying up for it. She looked at one of her friends in particular who had a purple mane "Rarity," Twilight said "Truth or dare?"
Rarity thought for a moment "Dare."
Twilight smiled evilly to herself as she took took one last look at her book "I dare you," She paused for the dramatic effect, and all her friends started to lean in. "To kiss the floor." Twilight couldn't help but smile when rarity gasped and opened her mouth in shock at the request.
"How vulgar!" Rarity yelled "How can you ever even think about making me do that!? Me? Kiss the floor?I would not do that even under the worst circumstances! I refuse to do this, chose another dare."
Rainbow Dash snickered "Those worst circumstances just so happen to be that you will lose the game if you don't do the dare."
"Well," Rarity stated "I would rather lose the game than have to-"
"Really?" Rainbow Dash interjected "You would rather lose the game than be able to play it? If you lose you won't be able to play the game with us for the rest of the night, just so you know."
Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash "Well that is the biggest lie I have ever heard. I will not be removed from the game just because I did not do a dare."
Twilight looked down at her book "It's actually true, Rarity. You can be disqualified from the game if you do not do the dare and participate."
Rarity looked at Twilight with disbelief. How can anypony expect a mare like to her to stoop so low as to kiss the floor? Preposterous. She would never do that if her life depended on it. Yet, she was facing disqualification for the rest of the night. These where her friends. They of all ponies should be able to understand her qualities and standards as a young mare, but perhaps that was why Twilight chose this dare.
Rainbow was loving the look of pain on Rarity's face, and decided to make her own fun of the situation by slowly saying "The whole night... You won't be able to do anything for the whole night. The whole dang night. Do you know how long that is? It's pretty long."
Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash. She was purposefully taunting Rarity just so she could see possibly the cleanest pony in Equestria do one of the most disgusting things. It would be quite the sight to see, and Rainbow would not let Rarity forget about it for the next month probably.
Yet these where here friends. They would do anything for her. They would put their own thoughts, feelings, and worries aside for her just so she would feel welcomed. They had saved the world together multiple times, and they would do anything possible to make sure that she was OK. Perhaps a floor wouldn't taste that bad...
Rarity took one last look at her friends before she closed her eyes, and slowly lowered her head. Each centimeter lower her mouth got to the ground the more strain appeared on her body. When she was several inches from the floor several veins appeared on her forehead. Almost there. This will all be over soon. This is gross! Why do I have to lick the floor? Why? This is disgusting, making me do this. I will get Twilight for this, and when I do it will be glorious. Oh yes, she will regret this moment.
Rarity was just about to touch her face to the floor when a sudden pressure came over her. It immediately forced her whole body to the ground along with her friends. It was so strong that it felt like several thousand pounds of metal had sudden fallen onto her back. She tried to stand back up but couldn't. After a moment she struggled to breath. Her lungs where beginning to scream for air, and she could start to see several black spots come across her vision. I can't.. What is causing this? I can't get up! I can't breath! I can't breath. I can't...breath. I... can't...
Just as Rarity thought it was all over, a purple bubble appeared over her body and each of her friends. The pressure was immediately lifted from her body as she gasped for air. She began to take the deepest breaths of her life as she sat there trying to regain the oxygen that her body so desperately needed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Twilight was covered in sweat. Her horn was aglow in a purple aura that gave it away that Twilight had just possibly saved Rarity's life.
Twilight continued to reinforce the barrier around her friends, and the residents of Ponyville. How she had thought of this certain spell, she did not know. Perhaps all that studying had indeed payed off and it became a natural reaction. However, she had noticed that she did not seem that affected by the pressure that came upon the group. Everypony else was on the ground barely able to breath, while she was just on her her front hooves. She began to wonder why she was less effected by the pressure that had come across her friends.
Now that everypony was no longer struggling to breath, Twilight began to pinpoint the location of the pressure. She could already tell it was coming from somewhere close. It only took her a few moments of concentration to find its exact spot. The edge of the everfree forest, near Fluttershy's house. She looked at her friends and noticed how they were all still breathing hard. I will have to go without them. They are in no condition to leave. I have to find out who did this. She took one last glance at her friends before she bolted out the library door.
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There was a still breeze near the everfree forest. A few birds chirped their songs while the trees rustled softly. The day had gone by like any other. The sun had just set, and all was at peace. A stallion and his offspring had a picnic been near the forest when the sun set. They were both asleep. All was quite, happy, and normal. When slowly, a white slowly materialized into the air. For a moment, nothing happened. That changed however when two beings sprinted out of the white. They both grabbed the two ponies that had fallen asleep and the items around them. An instant later, they vanished in a blur.
5 miles away in the same second, the beings blurred into existence. One was considerably taller than the other, and they both wore the same clothes with the only difference being the symbol etched into their backs.
Toshiro was the first to speak "Think anybody saw us?"
"That is unlikely. We where there for only a moment." Byakuya said. He observed Toshiro for a brief moment and could see how tense he was. Byakuya then realized suddenly that Toshiro was letting off an enormous amount of spiritual pressure. "Control yourself," Byakuya said. Toshiro's face went slack at the realization at what he was doing, and he quickly calmed himself down.
"Sorry," Toshiro said "It's just, a new world. We might be the first people of the soul society to ever be here. All the new things that we might see, do, touch, and eat, the possibilities are endless." Toshiro smiled to himself. He looked over at Byakuya to see him staring at him with a unemotional expression.
"You should not let your emotions get the better of you," Byakuya said.
Toshiro merely shrugged before he looked down at the gigai in his arms, which was his new disguise. "No way... these are horses. There must be a mistake." He studied his unconscious gigai more closely. it was a ice blue, the same color as his eyes. It had a silver mane, and his squads symbol on the flank. The most distinguishing feature however, was that it had a pair of wings extending from it's back. Toshiro nearly laughed,"Wings. Ha! Byakuya, check this out." Toshiro glanced over his shoulder to see Byakuya studying his own disguise, not even paying attention to Toshiro.
Byakuya's gigai was the same slate gray color that his eyes where. It had a black mane, with his squads symbol on the flank. It also had a horn sticking out of the top of the forehead. "How fascinating," Byakuya said to himself. He looked up at Toshiro staring at him.
"Do you even think that they will still work?" Toshiro asked Byakuya, "I mean, our bodies are no longer similar in appearance anymore. Do you think the head captain made a mistake in making the proper gigai?"
"I do not believe that the head captain would supply use with inadequate materials." Byakuya stated "Perhaps these are accurate representations of the species that live here. That gives us no reason to assume that mistakes were made and that we will not be able to proceed with our mission. No, the best way to test these is to try to get into them just as any other gigai."
Toshiro nodded,and put his hands on the forehead of his horse gigai. He took slow, deep breaths, and concentrated on becoming one body, mind, and soul with the gigai. Over the next few seconds, Toshiro's body slowly faded away into nothing until there was nothing left of him. In that instant, the blue horse immediately opened its eyes.
"It would seem that it worked." Byakuya said. The joining of their bodies went on just as expected. Byakuya knew now that instead of the blue horse having it's own conscious and being able to control itself, it was Toshiro that was in complete complete control. Such was the purpose of the gigai, to provide a disguise in material worlds and to interact with the people living there.
Toshiro lifted his now blue head off the ground. Everything felt different to him, the weight of his head, the balance of his legs, the presence of a tail, and the feeling of wings. He wondered how he would ever be able to get used to this new form. He struggled to get upright in a sitting position. He no longer had hands, instead he had four flat hooves. He floundered around like a fish trying to get his hooves in a steady position so he could lift his body up.
Byakuya merely stared at Toshiro struggling to get off the ground with amusement. He then set his gigai down gently on the ground, and walked over to the several bags that they had grabbed. He opened the largest one to find it filled with thousands of gold coins with the word Bit written over each and every one. This must be the currency of the land. Byakuya thought to himself. He proceeded on to the next bag. It contained a few books along with several pieces of paper. Our documents and history books about the land. And finally, there was a small envelope. It contained a map of the land and the location of the house they would be staying at.
He glanced back at Toshiro for a short moment to notice that he had somehow gotten into a standing position, and was flexing his new limbs. He seemed intrigued with his new wings in particular. Toshiro had wings before, multiple times in fact, but they where never an actual part of his body before. Byakuya assumed that learning to fly for him would be much easier than learning to run, or canter, as it were.
Byakuya was just about to test his own gigai, when he suddenly felt the presence of several powerful beings heading toward him. His head snapped up "Toshiro," Byakuya said, "It would seem your excitement has attracted the curosity of others." He could feel them getting closer. They were moving at abnormally fast speeds. "We must leave this place. I do not need to remind you what would happen if we are found."
Toshiro nodded. He disconnected the bond he made with his gigai and was once again his own self, his gigai feel to the ground unconscious. The two of them quickly grabbed the bags off the ground and secured their gigai under their arms. "Let's go," Toshiro said.
They were both about to vanish from the spot, when a sudden voice yelled "Halt!" The two captains looked in the direction of the voice. They saw that the presences they had felt were now staring right at the pair. They were different colors, and had horns and wings coming out from their bodies. They where unsurprisingly the same type of being that they had for gigai. One of them, a midnight blue, shouted at them "If thou does not relaease our subjects this instant, we will not hesitate to destroy thee!"
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"Just over this hill!" Luna shouted at the ponies she was leading. They had been going as fast as their bodies would allow them to arrive at where they felt the invaders presence. She would not allow them freedom to wreak absolute havoc on her citizens as they had in the past. Should that happen, hundreds of lives were at stake. These monsters where absolutely devastating. They devoured whatever came in their path of destruction. They especially went after the ponies and would gorge themselves to no end.
Once they had arrived at the top of the hill, they saw two bipedal beings with a few bags, and two ponies securely gripped under their arms. Oh no... they have our subjects! She thought to herself. She then used her royal Canterlot voice to yell "Halt!" The two beings turned toward her. One was considerably shorter than the other, but that did not matter. If they were given at all the chance to eat the ponies at all, she knew that they would not hesitate. "If thou does not release our subjects this instant, we will not hesitate to destroy thee!"
As Luna uttered the threat, the right side of her face exploded in pain as her body was thrown to the ground. She cried out from the sudden attack. She heard other grunts and shouts of surprise from the ponies around her as well. Luna immediately stood back up. Her jaw throbbed. She quickly looked around her to see that the creatures had vanished from sight, with their pony captors with them.
"No!" Luna cried. They were so close! How had they been able to knock Luna clean off her hooves without her even seeing them move? How did they get away so fast? They where there one moment, then gone the next. How!? Now the whole of Equestria was at risk. If these beings could move so fast that Luna couldn't even follow them with her eyes, how could she even hope to stop them? She clenched her jaw as she boiled in rage.
A loud groan came from Celestia as she struggled to breath. She had been hit with the force of a train right in the stomach. She didn't know how they were able to move so fast. One moment she was glaring at the two creatures, the next she was lifted skyward from the sudden force that smashed her soft belly.
"Princess Celestia!" Celestia turned her attention toward the voice. It was surprisingly her favorite student, Twilight Sparkle. "Princess!" Twilight yelled, "Are you alright? You were all standing one moment, then you all acted like something hit you. What happened? I don't understand how something could have hit you when I saw nothing, but those creatures are gone. They nearly suffocated my friends back at the library! What were those things?"
Celestia's mind was spinning to hard to hear Twilight clearly. She needed to figure out a way to resolve this issue, and did not have time to answer questions that she was asking herself. "Twilight," Celestia said with authority, "I need you to go back to Ponyville as soon as possible. I need you to alert me at once if those creatures, or anything else, shows up that you have never heard or read before in your books."
"But princess-"
"Listen to me, Twilight." Celestia intervened "Those things are dangerous. They are capable of mass destruction. I should not have to explain, as they just nearly killed us. If you want to protect your friends, you must alert us as soon as one shows itself. Please Twilight, I will need to concentrate as we hunt down these beasts. You must do this for the good of all Equestria. If i cannot defeat these creatures, I will need you and the other elements to give it your all. Until I send word that I will need your help, I need you to stay safe."
Twilight was about to open her mouth in protest, but the steely gaze that Celestia gave her made her think otherwise. She bowed her head "As you wish, princess." Celestia nodded in approval before heading over to Luna and Shining. Twilight had one more question however, "Princess," Twilight said, "What shall we call this new creature. Since you said Equestria has basically never seen it before, what shall it's name be?"
Celestia glanced at Luna, who nodded. Celestia then turned toward Twilight and said "We have decided to call this new type of creature a hollow."
"Excuse me," Mayor Mare looked up from her desk to see a gray unicorn staring at her. He had saddle bags across his back that looked like they were stuffed with material. A traveler, they are always good for business. Perhaps this one will have his bags stuffed with bits instead of camping material for the shops around Ponyville. She smiled to herself, more business, meant for taxes. The unicorn continued, "I believe that someone bought a house in our name last week, and we have just arrived to take up residence in it." He slid a piece of paper over the small wooden desk toward Mayor Mare. "I think you will find that everything is in order."
Mayor Mare picked up the piece of paper and studied before slowly nodding her head, "Yes, everything is. I remember you had a family member come by to arrange this last week. Bless his soul, he was such a sweet old stallion." She smiled at the memory and looked up at the grey unicorn in front of her, "You are very lucky to have him as a family member."
He merely stared at her in silence while she signed the paper and handed it back to him. "Everything is all set. Hope you enjoy your stay in Ponyville, Mr. Kuckiki." The grey unicorn nodded at her and took the paper with his mouth. He carefully put it in his saddle bags that were on his back. He was just about to leave when Mayor Mare said "I think you will need this." She held out a pair of keys in her mouth. The unicorn accepted them and proceeded to leave the building. However, he did not notice Mayor Mare push a big pink button behind her desk after he left.
Outside, a young pegasus sat outside sat looking bored. He was acting, of course. He was in fact teeming with energy at just the mere thought of living here for several months. He could already the huge cultural difference from the place that he grew up in. To be able to learn, see, and understand why these ponies lived these ways would indeed be an exhilarating experience. He began to wonder what kind of foods they eat.
"Toshiro," The pegasus looked up to see a grey unicorn approach him "Everything is prepared." He said it as if he expected Toshiro to understand.
Toshiro rolled his eyes "Be more descriptive. I'v had quite enough of your indirect statements. When you say 'everything is prepared' you could mean that the cookies just came out of the oven, or that a surprise has just been set. You need to be less vague when you talk, dad."
His dad just stared at him in silence, then turned around and walked away. Toshiro raised his eyebrow before following him, "Oh so perhaps there is a surprise being set, or perhaps the cookies have been taken out of the oven. I wonder what kind they are. Perhaps you decided to go with the elegant and decorative look of strawberry, or perhaps you were thnking of me and went with chocolate, my favorite." He said with sarcasm in his voice "So really, were are we going?" His dad just glanced at him and proceeded to walk. This irritated Toshiro even more, "At least tell me were we are going." Silence was his only answer. Toshiro grunted before giving up trying to pry information from his dad, knowing it would all be for nothing.
While they walked, Toshiro kept noticing ponies staring at them. When he would look at them and make eye contact they would quickly look away like nothing happened. Also, out the corner of his eye he could have sworn he was being watched by something pink. Each time he would look to see what it was it would disappear just to be seen again out of the corner of his eye a few seconds later. This made Toshiro uneasy at being outside in public.
His dad however, was indifferent about the whole situation. What good was it to be concerned by such trivial matters? It did not matter to him. These ponies could do as they pleased for as long as they wanted to as long as they did not interfere with him. He did not care for a few stolen glances at them. While the appearance of something pink was odd, he did not want to bother himself with it. By the looks of it, these ponies varied in colors darastically. It was just another one of them, probably a child wanting to get a better look at them.
After a few moments of walking, Toshiro saw his dad walk right up to a house. It looked just the same as every other building in Ponyville. "This," Toshiro's dad said "Is our new home."
He looked at his dad and waited for him to continue. Instead he just said nothing. He stood there with his eyes closed like he was expecting praise and thanks for delivering him to his new home like some kind of hero. Even though this was no big feat, he was acting like it was one. Toshrio sighed before saying, "It's nice, I guess." His dad kept his eyes closed. Toshiro grunted and stomped up to the door.
As Toshiro raised his hoof to open the door, his dad spoke up, "There is a large group of ponies waiting behind those doors." Toshiro stopped. He looked at his dad suspiciously, who hadn't moved. After a moment he could feel them behind the door as well. So that's why he was so silent. For once, he actually understood why his dad preferred not to talk, but this could not even account for all the many other times he had remained silent.
"What should we do?" Toshiro asked. This was a odd situation for them. What would these ponies be doing in their new home? Then it hit him. Have we been discovered so soon? He immediately dismissed the idea. There was no way they could have known about them this quickly. Instead, this must be one of the lands many of the strange ways these people lived. Were they all going living in the same house? Perhaps this house was meant for multiple families, and these would be their neighbors?
Toshrio was lost in thought until he saw his dad turn around and suddenly walk away. What are you doing now? He asked himself. He asked at his dad, "Were are you going?"
His dad stopped in the middle of the road and said, "I'm leaving. They will eventually exit our house. The best thing we can do is wait them out. Instead, I want to become antiquated with this town. That is all. You can do as you like from this point on." As he spoke he continued to walk away from Toshiro. Not a very father-like thing to do at all. He continued to walk until he rounded a corner and left Toshiro alone.
Well, Toshiro thought, I actually thought he would want to open the door. He looked back at the wooden door. It hadn't moved an inch, but he could definitely tell that there was bodies behind of it. Toshiro could see the faint outline of different colors through the dark windows as well. What do they want? He asked himself. Was this really an ambush meant for them? Why would there be so many in such a small building? He looked at the door one last time. There really is only one way to find out. He reached out his hoof and gingerly pressed against the door.
Inside, the house it was completely dark. The only light came through the windows, which was oddly not enough as it should have been. Toshiro carefully stepped inside. He didn't know what to expect. He could feel the eyes of what was in the area boring into him as he slowly made his way into the house. What are they waiting for? Just as his tail cleared the door, it slammed shut. In the next moment, all the lights turned on, and in the loudest voice possible everypony assembled yelled, "Surprise!"
Toshiro jumped at the sudden sound. His ears went flat against his skull and his wings flared open. He bent his legs slightly and looked ready to pounce at the first pony who dare approach him. This didn't scare or even unnerve the ponies who just surprised him. Instead, many of them started to laugh and talk in excited tones about how they 'got him'. It was only when Toshiro noticed the huge sign that said 'Welcome to Ponyville!' in bright colors that he saw this was not a threat on his life.
A pink pony with blue eyes approached him, "Ohohoho! We got you good! Welcome to Ponyville! My name is Pinkie Pie!" She extended a hoof and smiled widely. Toshiro glanced at her suspiciously before shaking it. He gave a small grunt when he felt electricity course through his arm and pulled his hoof back. Pinkie laughed and said,"I got you again!" She then began to laugh even harder at the look of confusion on Toshiro's.
"Please forgive muh' friend here mister, she is a wild one." Toshiro turned his head to see a orange pony with a blonde mane go up to him. "Names' Applejack. Pleasure to meet you. Y'all don't need to be so worried 'bout this. Jus' one of the things we do when new ponies come to town." She smiled at him. "There are few other's who would have liked to come to this here party, but couldn' make it due to last nights event."
Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "Last nights event?"
Pinkie Pie gasped, "You mean you couldn't feel it? Well, it felt like over a thousand pounds of something just slammed into you! You could hardly even stand! Well at least i couldn't anyway. After a while it became really hard to breath. But don't worry, whatever it was, Twilight, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna drove it away! Though, Twilight seemed incredibly worried about it when she got back."
As Pinkie finished, Toshiro's mind was racing. So just my excitement caused them to fall to the ground? And if those were the princesses that the head captain told us about, they are extremely weak. They were helpless when we stunned them to make our getaway. He looked at the two ponies before him. This world really is weak. No wonder hollows would want to prey on these creators. Toshiro smiled at the two, "Nice to meet you. The name is Toshiro."
Pinkie frowned, "Toshiro? What kind of a name is that?" She glanced at his flank, on it was a '+' sign. "And what does that even mean?"
"Pinkie," Applejack said, "Don' be so rude to our new guest. He calls himself whatever he wants to. As for his cutie mark, I think that you should tha' its rude to ask what it means."
Pinkie huffed at this, "Well sorry. It's just that his name is weird and his cutie mark is unusual."
"Pinkie! Why I should put you in a ball and fire you out of that cannon you carry around if you don' shut up right-"
"That won't be necessary." Toshiro interrupted, "I am more than willing to awnser any questions concerning myself. My name comes from my grandmother. As for the symbol on my flank," He looked behind him, "it means-" He hesitated for a moment, then continued,"It means that I am good at math." He looked back at the two ponies who were previously arguing.
Pinkie thought for a moment,"Oh! I get it now! Its a plus sign!" she shouted.
"Yea..." Toshiro said uneasily.
"Mister, I'm mighty sorry for my friend here, she normally doesn' act this rude." Applejack apologized.
Toshiro nodded at Applejack. He turned back to Pinkie who was smiling to abnormally big, "Well now I've had enough talk for now. Let's-" she pulled out a cannon from nowhere and aimed it right at Toshiro Crap. "-Party!" Pinkie fired the cannon and barrage confetti came out. However, Toshiro was no longer standing were he was a moment ago. Instead he was standing directly behind Pinkie ready to dodge another shot.
Applejack looked around confused. Were had he gone? He was there one moment, then gone the next. How could he even move that fast? He has no horn, so he can't teleport. Did he fly? No, that could not explain it since there were no wing beats. So... how? Perhaps he just ran and I blinked when he did? Applejack thought to herself.
Pinkie didn't seem to care at all that he was no longer there. She laughed at the confetti and turned around to stare Toshiro right in the eye, "You're good at this! Perhaps I shall have to do more extreme things to get you again. This should be fun!" Toshiro blinked at her and looked at what she had fired. Confetti? He looked back at Pinkie who had a crazy look in her eyes. What is her deal?
Applejack noticed Toshiro and Pinkie having a staring contest, "Alright you two, I think that's enough for now. Lets enjoy this party that Pinkie has prepared."
Toshiro kept staring at Pinkie, "How exactly did you prepare this party so quickly?"
Pinkie smiled even wider, "Why silly, Mayor Mare told me about you coming to town. That's when I followed you to your house, and set up the party just before you opened the door!"
Toshiro blinked. She prepared it that fast? "How did you get everyone in the house without us noticing?"
"I just brought them with me!" Pinkie responded. Toshiro wanted to question her further about this, but the look on Applejack's face said not to question it. Pinkie laughed one more time before running in a pink blur toward a food table. What a strange pony.
Toshiro looked at Applejack, who said, "C'mon mister. I'm sure there are plenty of ponies who want to meet you." She guided him over to a large group of ponies, and he began to meet and greet them all.
----------
Princess Celestia was in a rocky desert. The sun beat down on her relentlessly, making her sweat under the heat. The heat parched her throat. There was no life at all, just the sharp and jagged edges of the mountains and rocks that pierced her hooves sharply.
"Glory, Were are you?" Celestia shouted into the nothingness. Her voice bounced off the rocks creating a dull echo. "Glory," She called again, "I know you can hear me. So now were are you? Why don't you reveal yourself?" Suddenly the sun itself descended from the sky and shot right for the ground in front of Celestia like a comet. Celestia had to avert her eyes to keep the light from blinding her. She did not understand why Glory had to make this much of an entrance.
A loud bang signaled that the comet had landed, kicking up dust and debris that had been lying on the ground. Celestia looked right at the fire that the explosion had created, and out of it stepped a pony in the image of fire. It had no physical body, instead it was just flames. It was almost a perfect replica of Celestia. It was the same height, had wings and a horn, and the same commanding aura.
"There you are, Glory. Look, I know that we-"
"You should have brought me." Glory spoke in a loud and commanding voice. It was feminine, but it commanded authority that someone would hear from a warlord. "Celestia, even after these thousands of years, you should know to bring me if a hollow appears. I sometimes wonder if you have even grown."
Celestia just smiled slightly at this,"I will remind you that we are one in the same. We are not that different in that regard."
Glory ignored this, "For the good of your citizens you should have brought me. Instead, you just thought you could take it on by yourself without me. Now you have endangered the lives of many by letting not one, but two of these things away."
Celestia glared at her,"I do not need to be reminded of this, Glory. I already went through that whole ordeal by myself. I don't need to go through it again."
Glory's eyes became a even brighter color of flame at that remark, "Well, I hope that you have learned your lesson now."
"I have. So, now that we have gotten over this, I think we should go over some things before we go into combat." Glory nodded at this. Then with a voice of command and power, Celestia said, "Bankai."
