//------------------------------// // Chapter One Hundred Two // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter One Hundred Two Pinkie didn't like violence, not one little bit. In fact she absolutely abhorred it. But even she could understand that there were times and circumstances under which violence was necessary, warranted, and even justified, no matter how distasteful it ultimately was. She knew this, her friends knew this. She hadn't let that distaste stop her from coming out here, however, even when she was informed of the very real possibility that they might have to kill Nightmare Moon themselves since the Elements of Harmony still weren't functioning. The decision to come along hadn't been made lightly, though. She'd weighed the matter quite heavily in the time that they'd had, before ultimately arriving at the only conclusion she could draw, and still live with herself. There was so much as stake right now, she simply couldn't, in good conscience, stay behind in Ponyville while the others opted to go on ahead. She abhorred violence. But what she abhorred even worse than violence was the thought of standing aside and doing nothing, and letting somepony die in the process when it could've been prevented. That was simply something she could not accept, and would not accept. So to protect those innocent ponies, she would willingly dive headlong into the lesser of two evils and engage in all manner of violence on their behalf. Granted, with Ulquiorra on the job and doing the majority of the heavy work, she hoped that wouldn't to be necessary. But unfortunately that was proving to not be the case. Something had happened and now Ulquiorra was the one at a disadvantage, meaning they had to step up and fast. The moment Flitter, Cloudchaser, and Bulk Biceps got Nightmare Moon on the ground she sprang into action, taking a page from Blossomforth's playbook by getting behind her and delivering a Germanian suplex to slam her head into the ground, before climbing out from under her and atop her barrel to straddle her. "No party for you!" It was a sentence that Pinkie never thought she'd utter to anypony or anything, as she never imagined a scenario where it would be appropriate for her to say something. But in this particular case it was a highly appropriate statement as she proceeded to rain down numerous, pounding blows on Nightmare Moon's prone form with her front hooves, each of them causing her body to jerk and spasm from the force of the impact. She understood that it probably wouldn't do any good in the long run, what with all she'd seen Nightmare Moon surviving up to this point. But right now that was all beside the point. Ineffective or not, she refused to stand by and do absolutely nothing. She would do what she could, and simply hope for the best. "What... what did you say?" Ulquiorra was rarely one to find himself outright stunned by what he encountered. But the statement by Twilight had done just that and left him unable to trust his own ears. Surely he must've heard wrong over the din of chaos. Clarification was needed. "I said take my soul. Use it to revitalize yourself, and stop Nightmare Moon," she said, more or less repeating her previous statement. So he hadn't heard her wrong after all. In one way that was good as it meant his senses were still intact and could be relied on. But it also meant her statement was real, which presented its own complications and issues in need of dealing with. "You would die," he pointed out. Twilight, in response, shook her head. "I don't care. I'd rather die than just stand by and watch my friends die instead. And if we don't stop Nightmare Moon, if we don't kill her, that's precisely what's going to happen; everypony is going to die!" There had been no hesitation in her voice as she spoke and acknowledged the reality of what she was saying. Nor had there been quiet resignation of her fate. Instead there was only unwavering certainty in her position, and the belief that what she was proposing would work. Rarely was such conviction ever seen. "I'm sorry I have to ask this of you, Ulquiorra, but it's the only way," she continued as she used her magic to pull her mane back into an impromptu ponytail and turned her head to better expose the side of her neck to him. "We're out of time, we're out of options, it has to be this way if we're going to save Equestria. It's like you said yourself, six for six million? Well this is one for all. Nopony else is going to die on my watch, so just do it!" This was not the type of situation Ulquiorra ever expected to find himself in. That had been par for the course since his arrival in Equestria, but this development had to be the most unexpected of all. Worse yet was how this development was serving to affect him. He couldn't remember the last time he had actually partaken in the consumption of a soul, Hollow or otherwise. Once he'd achieved Vasto Lorde status, there had been no need for such, as the reishi of Hueco Mundo had been sufficient to sustain him as he'd wandered the desert. Now he was being provided with the chance to do such once again, and he could practically feel his mouth watering at the offer being presented to him, with his mind being filled with desperate urgings to go through with it. She was so close to him, he could practically smell her soul, and the sweet aromas wafting up from it. It was tantalizing, like a cut of prime meat being offered up to a hungry carnivore who hadn't eaten in so long. Or an addict who had spent years being clean, only to be met with overwhelming temptation as their habit of choice was presented to them once again after such a long absence. And she was presenting herself to him willingly, despite knowing what it would mean for her. He could do it, too. There was nothing to stop him from succumbing to the sudden rush of primal desires presently flooding his mind. He could sink to his baser instincts and consume her soul where she stood without so much as even a second thought about it. No one would ever be the wiser as to what happened, either. They would have no way of knowing how she died, or that he'd been the one who did it. He could blame her death on Nightmare Moon, and no one, not even Princess Celestia, would have any reason to doubt his account of things. "I can't," he stated, both to her, and to himself. "At this point, a single soul simply wouldn't be enough to do anything worthwhile. For proper revitalization to be a possibility, a great many souls would be necessary." Control was returning to the forefront of his mind as reason and logic reasserted themselves, serving to drown out the more primal aspects of his Hollow nature. At the moment there were far more important and pressing matters in need of addressing than cravings. At this point, even if he accepted her offer, a single soul wouldn't even be enough to stop his- That train of thought immediately stopped as a new line of thinking presented itself to him. Just like that the answer to the question at hand presented itself, and he knew what needed to be done to solve this problem. Pinkie's intentions in fighting Nightmare Moon herself had been good. But good intentions always had a way of, one way or another, leading to bad outcomes that were counterproductive to what was supposed to accomplish. This was something she came to realize only too late when one rage-filled blow slammed in the hardened changeling goo hard enough to crack it. Granted, she hadn't been aiming for it at the time, as even she understood what purpose it was supposed to serve. But Nightmare Moon had managed to jerk her head right into the path of an incoming blow. The force of the impact had been enough to slam her head back into the ground. But the maneuver had served the purpose of freeing her from her restraints. In a magical flash she found herself being flipped and slammed on her back against the ground with Nightmare Moon standing over her, and wearing a sneer that just screamed how she was going to inflict all manner of horrible things on her. Fortunately Lyra was there to cover her back with a stream of fire erupting from the tip of her horn and striking Nightmare Moon's right wing, sending the alicorn screaming in pain and leaping off of her quarry. "Burn, you whore! Burn!" Lyra yelled furiously as she unleashed another stream of fire on Nightmare Moon's new position, giving Pinkie the opportunity she needed to evacuate back to where her friends currently were. Her efforts, respectable as they were, lasted up until she was ensnared from behind in Nightmare Moon's magic and flung away to the side like she was nothing more than trash. Others who were brave enough to join in the fray didn't fare much better. Colgate, Thunderlane, Bulk Biceps, Vinyl Scratch - anypony who tried found their efforts amounted to very little, as they were easily defeated and discarded in much the same manner. Despite knowing full well that she probably didn't stand a chance against her, Applejack hadn't hesitated to charge towards Nightmare Moon, intent on delivering the best beating she could muster. The clash would've been hard and devastating for one or possibly both of them, if not for Ulquiorra blindsiding and grabbing Nightmare Moon around the throat with his left hand, and lifting her high enough the ground for her forelegs to dangle uselessly, as she struggled against his ever-tightening grip. "Your fight is with me, Nightmare Moon, not anyone else," he stated simply as he tightened his grip on her throat even further, before taking off into the sky with her in tow, far out of Applejack's reach. So close. She was so dang close! The plan had been to drag Nightmare Moon several thousand feet above the ground, to the point the atmosphere would be too thin for her to breathe properly. Although that plan was revised to approximately two hundred feet when she broke loose by kicking him away with her hind legs, and halting their upward ascension. No matter, he could improvise; such as reapplying his vice-like grip on the cannon of one of her extended hind legs, and hold her in place for punching her right in the face. He had been aiming for her horn, but she had managed to jerk her head just enough that it landed flat on her snout. She proceeded to return the favor with her unrestrained hind leg, by kicking him square in the face. To which he followed her example, and kicked her in the chest. Thus devolving their engagement into a matter of hand-to-hoof-to-foot combat as she struggled to get loose, while he fought to keep her restrained. The reishi in the Everfree Forest was far too thin to sustain him in his efforts, but it was still sufficient enough to provide him the opportunity to stand, thus putting him at a minor advantage to Nightmare Moon as she would still need to levitate herself to stay aloft. However it was insufficient for providing a firm enough surface to body slam her should it come to that. He would simply have to avoid utilizing such tactics in this engagement, as he was not about to let her get away again. He had to keep her away from the others to ensure they were out of range; both of what she might do, and of what he would do. With Nightmare Moon presently indisposed with combat against a superior opponent, the good citizens of Ponyville could more easily focus on other important matters, like getting out of the area, and getting medical attention for their injured members. But first they needed to determine who was in the greatest need of care, and focus on getting them out of the area first. Those who could still move would have to prioritize helping out those that couldn't. "Luna!" But their own crude attempts at triage would have to wait, as Twilight came galloping up to their position, eyes wide and looking quite panicked as she nearly collided with the currently de-powered alicorn. "Twilight Sparkle, what is the matter?" "Ulquiorra's dying!" The statement was so far out of left field, Luna couldn't help but blink in response. "I am, sorry? What do you mean Ulquiorra Cifer is dying?" "Yeah, Twilight, Ulqi's already dead, how can he die again?" Pinkie asked as she scratched her head in confusion. "He's running out of power," twilight stated quickly, not even stopping to catch her breath before she continued. "He didn't recharge in Canterlot when he had the chance because there wasn't time. The second he got Celestia back to the palace he made his way back here to fight with Nightmare Moon again. But he doesn't have the strength he needs to fight her. He doesn't have the power he needs to utilize his attacks, or even heal the damage his body has taken so far." "Okay, so the situation's bad and we're behind the eight ball again. That's par for the course," Rainbow Dash noted. "But how does that mean Ulquiorra's dying?" A chorus of other voices from those present joined in, echoing the confusion. "Ah reckon Ah know," Applejack spoke up, but hoped she was wrong. "A while back Mr. Cifer had ta chop off his own leg when a cockatrice petrified it. When he did it disintegrated 'cause there wasn' any power goin' to it anymore." Twilight nodded in confirmation, thankful that somepony understood. Ulquiorra's body was like a battery or a lit candle, and once it ran out of mana to sustain itself... She honestly didn't know for certain, and she desperately hoped she was wrong, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to execute a suicide play to take Nightmare Moon out. He'd already demonstrated once that he had no qualms with dying in the name of doing such if he believed it was necessary. It certainly wouldn't surprise her if that was his intention, to make the best of his current situation. "Dear Faust," was all Luna could say in response to this revelation. Now she really wished she hadn't insisted on him taking Celestia back to Canterlot. If she had simply listened to him, they might not be in this position at all. Then again, if Celestia had listened to her when she'd advised against coming out here, they might not be in this position at all. There had simply been too many mistakes made on this night, and too many were paying the price for such bad decisions being made by those who should've known better. "Well then let's stop talking, and go and do something about it!" Rainbow Dash stated with a displeased tone as she looked around. "Seriously, we were defending Equestria and promoting harmony before he ever showed up. Let's go kick some evil ass!" "Rainbow Dash, there's nothing we can do!" Twilight snapped right back. "The mana in the area is too thin to be of any use to Ulquiorra. We've been using so much magic in our fight against Nightmare Moon, there's nothing left for him to feed on!" It was a cruel twist, how what they used to fuel their spells was the same thing Ulquiorra used to sustain his own existence. They could still perform their various spells with the mana available, but it just wasn't enough for him. If only they could... Wait... wait just a minute... "Actually, maybe there is something that we can do," she said in a far more positive sounding tone than just a moment ago. "Ulquiorra needs a massive infusion of mana right now; far more massive than a single pony could ever muster on their own. So instead we're all going to do it together. We're going to give him all the mana we have, so he can put an end to Nightmare Moon once and for all!" She could just kick herself for not thinking of performing a mana transfer earlier, especially as they had performed one for Luna not even an hour ago. But that was neither here nor there. Granted, in her defense, she'd never considered the viability of a transfer as big and complicated as what she was proposing, as it was on a much larger scale than anything she'd encountered in her studies. But right now it was the only play they had left to play. "But what if it's not enough? What if it doesn't work?" Ditzy asked. A chorus of other concerned voices soon joined Ditzy in agreement, questioning whether or not this tactic would actually succeed. Spike, in response, growled as he climbed up on Pinkie's back to better address the crowd in his own unique, eloquent way. "If this doesn't work then we all die, and it'll be all your fault because somepony was holding back and made it not work! He's risking his life for us, so the least we can do is give him whatever support he needs! So if you wanna see another sunrise, you all just shut up and focus on making it work!" Twilight nearly squeaked in surprise at just how forceful Spike had sounded in his delivery, and how abrasive his manner of address was. But as best she could see, it was having the desired purpose of getting everypony present focused on what was needed of them, rather than the possibility of their efforts failing. That was good, they'd need to be positive for this to work. She'd have a talk with Spike later. Right now she had to focus on her part of this operation. All of the positivity and generosity in the world wouldn't do them any good if she couldn't the mechanics just right. "Ulquiorra, please hold on. I promise, help is on the way," she silently pleaded, before addressing the others present. "Alright, everypony, gather close. We only have one shot at making this work, so focus! Give everything you've got to Ulquiorra, don't hold anything back!" The others looked at one another uncertainly, before nodding in agreement and stepped closer to Twilight as her horn started to glow in preparation for what needed to be done. There was no sense in Ulquiorra denying the blatantly obvious facts that currently faced him. He could feel himself growing weaker, the longer this fight against Nightmare Moon raged on. He'd been reduced to basic physical attacks against her, and their own validity was highly questionable, considering how much of a beating she'd been taking up to this point, and showing no true signs of being worse for wear. He himself, however, wasn't so fortunate on that front. Her scythe had been successfully blocked, and even shattered for the time being, but not before he'd lost his remaining wing to its cutting edge. For his efforts his palms had been left badly burnt, to the point that he could barely open his hands at all, on top of all the other injuries he'd already sustained in this fight. He was slouching, he was panting and gasping for air, and he was starting to have trouble with properly coordinating his physical movements. His high-speed regeneration was being starved for reiryoku, as what little he had left simply couldn't be spared. And he could forget about his Segunda Etapa at this point in time; he'd already wasted too much reiryoku for it to even be a consideration. Had he been prepared for the equivalent of a marathon rather than a sprint, perhaps he wouldn't be in this position right now. He could feel himself reaching the end of his tether, and to a much greater degree than when he'd faced Ichigo Kurosaki. Nightmare Moon was most likely going to be the death of him, even with her reiryoku levels depleting as they were; not nearly fast enough to make a difference here. It was a fact already being emphasized as she cracked her neck, and looked ready to continue fighting him. He already knew that he would never win this conflict through strength, but then again he really wasn't trying to do that, as he had another strategy in mind. One that she would soon come to experience for herself, when it was far too late for her to do anything about it. "You've reached your end, Espada, even I can tell that," Nightmare Moon commented as she scowled at him dismissively, doing her best no the telegraph her own state of weariness. "You're ready to drop. Just go on and give up already. You'd spare yourself so much suffering if you just submitted. Surely you don't want your last moments to be excruciating..." Ulquiorra said nothing, not interested in dignifying Nightmare Moon's comment with a response one way or the other. Two more minutes, and it wouldn't make anymore difference anyway. It was a given that his last moments were to be excruciating, so he was going to do his best to ensure that she shared in the experience. Nightmare Moon scoffed in annoyance. There was simply no reasoning with him; he was far too stubborn to realize that he was outclassed. He was intent on his existence being spent suffering miserably. Oh well, that was his decision to make, and she would honor it. "Have it your way then," she replied. But before she could actually go about ending his worthless existence, a deep thromming-type sound was heard as a massive wave of mana exploded in the distance up towards the sky, traveling in a multi-colored pillar, causing her to stop in her tracks as she watched it ascend. At first she thought it was the Elements of Harmony in action, but that thought was quickly dismissed when she realized there was too many colors present, and the feeling it radiated was all wrong. No, this was something completely different. And then the pillar of light actually changed its trajectory, and arced downward, bearing down on Ulquiorra's position, and slamming into his back with enough force that it nearly knocked him right off of his feet in the process, as it completely enveloped him. The light was absolutely blinding; worse than Celestia's attacks had been. It was bright enough she had to shield her eyes, as the light radiated outward with great gusto. What was going on here!? By now the mana wave had vanished, but its after effects were still very present, in a bright white ball of mana hanging in the sky where the Espada had hovered, the entire surface crackling and shimmering with lightning arcing all around it. But as bad as the brightness itself was to her, what was contained within it was much worse. She could see the blackened silhouette of Ulquiorra within, partially obstructed from the glare around the edges of the outline, but still easily visible enough for her to tell that he was no longer slouching, but standing upward with a sense of renewed vigor. Worse than that was the fact that both of his wings were in the process of regrowing; something that he hadn't been able to do on his own just a moment ago, otherwise he would've done it! And then his wings shot outward, piercing the surface of the sphere, as it started to contract in on his body. "No!" she shouted at the realization of just what was happening. Those worthless ponies were reinvigorating him! This couldn't be! This wouldn't do at all! She had to put an end to this before he was fully recovered! Quick as she could, she called on all of her available magical strength, channeling it all into the tip of her horn, violent little blue and white sparks popping and falling freely as she did so. She had to end this immediately while she still had the option available to her! Throwing her head forward, Nightmare Moon let loose with the biggest magical blast she could muster, a great deal of heat beginning to radiate from the dark blue beam hurtling straight towards the mana sphere, intent of piercing it at him all the way through. But it didn't work like she'd hoped. Instead of penetrating the sphere, her beam was actually splitting apart, and cascading off of the sides like it was nothing; like a stream parting to travel around a stone that was far too big for the surface to cover. Had those worthless ponies been able to amass so much mana, that it actually eclipsed her own!? It couldn't be, it would've taken all of Ponyville and Canterlot to do that and... No. No it was even worse that that! Her beam wasn't cascading against from the mana sphere, but rather Ulquiorra's outstretched left hand! She'd missed it through the brightness she'd been up against, but as the glare faded, and he became fully visible once again, it was as clear as day that he was stopping her attack with nothing more than his bare hand! She was too late to stop his invigoration! And just like that, her beam cut out. There was no point in pouring out good mana towards a useless cause like this anymore. She was going to need it for other purposes, she was positive of that right now. Twilight collapsed to the ground in a crumpled pile, the others following shortly after her in much the same fashion. She felt unbelievably weak, and unable to stand after that. But that was to be expected, considering how much mana she'd poured out in such a short amount of time. She had said they needed to give it their all, and that was exactly what they'd done. She just didn't expect that their all could possibly be so much! She'd felt it all for herself when she was serving to channel and direct it, and it'd been completely overwhelming. That was the extent of what they could do. Now it was up to Ulquiorra to do the rest from here on out. She just hoped that it had been enough to actually make a difference. Otherwise they were all finished. "Do it, Ulquiorra," she muttered, too weak to stand up, and unable to see anything more than a blurry light above them right now. Ulquiorra calmly drew his hand back, and slowly turned it over to look at his palm as he flexed his fingers. The damage that has once been present from contact with Nightmare Moon's scythe was now completely gone, with nothing but unmarred skin being visible. Nor was there damage from blocking her attack with his bare hand; something that he wouldn't have attempted to do previously, but had done out of simple necessity. There were so, so very many unfamiliar sensations and feelings he was playing host to now, as they coursed their way through him. They were strange, and conflicting, and chaotic, and so vastly different from anything he had ever felt before. But at the same time, it somehow felt like the sensation of chaos shouldn't be resisted and opposed, but rather embraced and welcomed. In some strange and unexplainable way, it felt... right. "I see now," he finally said as he broke the silence. "This is what it means to have friends." "F... friends!?" Nightmare Moon squawked, completely taken off guard by what he'd had to say. What would a killing machine know about friends? It had to be a trick. "It's a concept I can finally say, with absolute honesty, that I comprehend," Ulquiorra replied as he turned his focus away from his hand, and up towards Nightmare Moon where she hovered. There would be time for properly analyzing everything later on. Right now he still had work to do. Nightmare Moon scoffed, trying to regain her lost composure in the face of the current threat. "I'm so happy for you," she replied sarcastically with a sneer as her horn began to glow again. "Unfortunately for you, you've realized the concept just in time to lose it! Your friends will die for this!" She might not have the magic necessary to stop the Espada, but the ponies who had contributed to this atrocity were another story. He had dared to declare that he would impress upon her what true despair was, and now he would be made to pay for it. She was going to make him pay, by taking away those that he had come to refer to as being his friends. She was going to impress upon the worthless Espada what the truest form of despair was, when she took everything from him! She felt the impact before she actually saw it land against her barrel, immediately breaking her concentration. Along with Ulquiorra's wings, his incredible speed had apparently returned, allowing him to kick her unprotected ribcage hard enough to send her flying upward, before she actually saw him standing in front of her. Maybe that threat really hadn't been the best idea she'd ever had. "That will not be happening," Ulquiorra stated as he appeared directly in front of her before she could even blink, his right arm drawn all the way back, before swinging it forward at unbelievable speeds. Every last nerve ending in Nightmare Moon's body was alight right now, her pain receptors thrown into overtime as they tried to comprehend what had just happened. The white hot pain was the most excruciating thing she could ever remember experiencing, and she briefly wondered if she'd been screaming the whole time; the way her senses had reacted to the pain, there was no way for her to really know just what had happened. By the time her senses had come back, she'd become aware of the very distinct fact that she had blood dripping down her face, and getting into her eyes. That, and her wings didn't seem to want to cooperate anymore. Suddenly it was very difficult to remain aloft of... Panicky she felt atop her head, and immediately pulled her hoof back from the pain of touching the spot where her horn was. Or rather had been, as it was now gone! He'd completely cut her horn off right at the base of her skull! No, that wasn't accurate. He hadn't cut her horn off, as his javelin was nowhere to be seen; he'd chopped it off, all the way down to the root bed, with nothing more than his bare hand and pure brute strength! "Stop! Please!" she begged, desperately flapping her wings to try and remain aloft. "I'm sorry I threatened the others! Truly I didn't mean it, I was out of line!" "Truly I don't care if you meant it or not. I'm still going to kill you regardless," Ulquiorra replied coldly and dismissively. "Your time has come to an end, and that is all there is to it." He clenched his hand as he summoned his Luz de la Luna, but stopped as he felt it materialize. What he was holding in his hand didn't feel right, it felt different. As he looked at it he realized this was not his Luz de la Luna. This was something different, something else entirely. It had the same basic javelin structure, but that was where the similarities ended. The reiryoku wasn't of a teal green coloring. Instead it looked like it was filled with the shimmering, pulsing light from a simple crystal prism. Like a rainbow, but with a far larger gradient of varying colors. Just as it looked different, it also felt quite different. Before it was just sort of... there, its presence detectable like any physical construct would be. But this was radiating some strange, foreign sensation through his hand and against his exposed skin. The closest physical analogy he could draw on was that which would be experienced if one were to step out of the shadows and into the light of a bright, sunny day for the first time. But even that didn't seem adequate to describe it. This was not his Luz de la Luna. It was as simple as that. This was... this was... "Luz de Amistad!" Slowly, he turned his attention away from it, and back towards Nightmare Moon, immediately inducing a sense of panic in her as she realized he was now focused entirely on her. "No! Please! You don't have to do this! Please let me live! I'll give you whatever you could possibly want, just name it!" Nightmare Moon pleaded. "Whatever I could possibly want in this world, I already have," Ulquiorra stated, before he sonidoed directly in front of her, and rammed his javelin straight through her chest in a single, swift motion, punching right through her ribs and straight into her heart. "And your continued existence is not a part of it, Nightmare Moon." Nightmare Moon's body tensed up at the impact, before he drove the javelin even deeper until it punched straight through and out her back. She jerked and spasmed wildly as she threw her head skyward and released an animalistic -bordering on outright demonic- roar as a black light shined out of her mouth and eyes, before ceasing as her entire body went completely limp. The fact she was currently impaled was presently the only thing serving to prevent her body from dropping to the ground. Ulquiorra waited and observed, waiting for any sign that this was some sort of trick. Waiting to see if she still had any fight left in her and was going to decorporealize and recorporealize herself once again. But no such signs ever came as she continued to dangle limply and lifelessly, impaled on the end of his javelin. And then something completely unexpected happened, and he watched as thirty nine bright, white, spherical lights erupted from her body and proceeded to scatter. He might not've known for certain what he was seeing, but he certainly knew what he was sensing. Her victims were finally free from her grasps. Finally, after so long for so many, it was really over. Twilight was reasonably certain she'd passed out from exhaustion at some point in the wake of performing the transfer, although she couldn't be sure one way or another. Details were fuzzy and hazy in the immediate aftermath, but that was likely to be expected, considering what she'd just done. Honestly, if they survived this, she was going to have one hell of a scientific paper to write and submit on the subject. She didn't know how much time had passed after the transfer had been completed. She honestly wasn't aware of much going on around them, until an extremely bright light shone high above them, accompanied by some sort of roar before dying out, although the light remained for quite some time afterward. Her vision was much like the rest of her senses right now, still fuzzy and unfocused with exhaustion, but she was fairly certain she saw Ulquiorra high above, slowly descending toward the ground before finally landing. Honestly it was hard to tell against the backdrop of the sky because of how big and black his wings were, and how much of his white frame they obstructed from view. She suspected the thestral vision had worn off, what with how much mana they'd donated to the cause. "Is it over?" she asked, although right now even speaking coherently was difficult. "Did we win? Is Nightmare Moon dead?" "Quite dead," she heard Ulquiorra confirm, before observing as he... she assumed he was pulling his javelin out of her chest as it dematerialized. She didn't feel renewed by this news, but she did feel relieved, like the weight of so much worry had been effortlessly lifted right off her withers. Nightmare Moon was finally, truly dead. Their efforts hadn't been in vain. Her body was weak as she tried to roll over, and even weaker as she tried to stand back up, resulting in her promptly falling onto the ground again. She eventually decided that crawling over to where Ulquiorra was touching down might be in her own best interest. "Don't come any closer, Twilight Sparkle." Ulquiorra's words gave her reason to pause, but only momentarily before she continued her forward trek towards his position. "You don't want to see this. It doesn't concern you any further. Just stay back." His words of warning continued to be ignored as she continued moving towards his position, undaunted by his efforts. What he didn't understand was that she needed this. She needed confirmation for herself of Nightmare Moon's defeat, not merely his accounting of such. He didn't warn her a third time as she continued crawling along, not even bothering to stand up any longer, as it was far too much effort and she wasn't confident enough in herself to try. She would stand up later once her legs didn't feel like jelly. "Oh no..." She desperately wished that she had actually heeded his warnings after all rather than stubbornly refusing to listen. What met her at the landing spot wasn't the body of Nightmare Moon, but rather the lifeless body of a foal with a gaping, cauterized hole in their chest. "What-" "Much like a parasite, Nightmare Moon took a host after all, rather than simply constructing a new body for herself," Ulquiorra elaborated. "Did... did you know?" she asked, her mind reeling from this revelation. "I did. From the moment she made her appearance, I knew the truth of the matter," he explained. "There was good reason I warned everyone that I was the only one who possessed the mental fortitude to do what ultimately needed to be done." Twilight's mind and body were both quaking in light of everything, as she realized firsthoof just how unprepared for this she really was. She thought after everything they'd been through, that she'd been through, that she would be able to deal with stuff like this better. But she was wrong. She was so very, very wrong... "We should return to Ponyville. There is still much that needs to be done." She was vaguely aware of Ulquiorra's words. Just as she was vaguely aware that he'd apparently returned to his sealed state in the aftermath of Nightmare Moon's defeat; something she observed as he knelt down to pick up the body in front of them. But at the moment her mind just couldn't parse it all together in a coherent fashion. It just absolutely refused to push aside what had happened, in order to process any new information. She just... it just... couldn't. What had they just done? One minute she was relaxing over the news that Nightmare Moon and was no more, and the next she was facing the revelation that they had killed an innocent foal in the process. What had they done? What had they all done? What had she done?