//------------------------------// // Chapter One Hundred Eighteen // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter One Hundred Eighteen "Are you unwell?" Being able to sit down with Applejack at the end of the day, and simply enjoy dinner with her family would've normally been a highlight to one of Twilight's day. But this time around that simply, sadly wasn't the case. The food had been extraordinary, just as good as she remembered the last time she'd eaten with them. And the portions had been enough for a banquet in her humble opinion, hyperbole notwithstanding. She knew her table manners had been atrocious compared to how she usually conducted herself around others, but she'd been unable to resist the allure of the familiar cuisine that'd been put before her. Everything had been going smoothly enough, up until it came to the matter of small talk and conversation. And that was when everything had slowly but surely fallen apart around her. It hadn't been rudeness on the part of anypony, or invasive questions about topics she didn't feel like discussing, or anything else along those lines that had served to spoil her evening; quite the opposite actually. The conversation had been polite, friendly, and served as a stark reminder of the simple fact that this wasn't actually her reality. The tastes, the sounds, the sights, the smells, they were all indistinguishable from what she knew and remembered, down to the little and seemingly minuscule things others would pay no attention to; like the squeak of a particular floor board under Big Mac's weight, or the wear marks on the table that showed how it'd been well-used over the course of its time with the family. Surrounded by so many points of familiarity, from the large to minute, it was so easy to be lulled into a false sense of security and let her guard down, and simply forget the fact that she was a stranger here. Only to be reminded of the cold, harsh reality at the most inopportune time. In this case, it'd been Apple Bloom casually commenting to her family that the attempts at getting a house-painting cutie mark hadn't panned out. It'd been so innocuous, so trivial, and yet it was the proverbial straw to the equally proverbial camel's back that was her right now. She had seen that Apple Bloom had no cutie mark, and yet she'd simply brushed it off at the time since she saw the pony and not the cutie mark. But to be audibly reminded that this Apple Bloom didn't have a cutie mark, while the one she knew did have hers, had shaken her far more than she would've thought possible. Apple pie à la mode really wasn't a surprise when it came to desert for the evening, although her ability to savor it had essentially been ruined as the full weight of the situation settled on her withers like Big Mac's trademark yoke. And then there had been him. The human-like ghost, whose name she still couldn't figure out how to pronounce properly, who had been sitting and eating with them like it hadn't been any big deal, as if his presence was a casual and everyday thing. She was accustomed to mingling and interacting with a variety of different creatures found outside of Equestria, to the point it could be downright hard to see individual species as if they stuck out like a sore digit. But even she couldn't help but notice that there was something about him that just seemed so off when compared to everything and everyone else she'd had experience with over the years. Something downright uncanny, like maybe he could've belonged here, but simultaneously just didn't belong here. Granted, she was a bit biased, based on her earlier interaction with him, but even allowing for that, it was still hard to ignore just how downright creepy it felt to be eating with him, now that her mind had focused in on the facts. Now that dinner had long been concluded, she found herself standing out on the front porch as she waited for a pickup and escort to Canterlot for spending the evening at the palace. Not due to being ushered out like a guest who'd overstayed their welcome, but rather because she needed some fresh air to clear her head, and let her mind try to settle if at all possible. The fact he was standing with her, and currently questioning her, did nothing to help those efforts. "I find myself stuck in an alternate reality that's simultaneously vastly similar, and imperceptibly different from my own reality. I have no idea how I arrived here in the first place, no idea of how I'm going to go about getting back, and I'm constantly having to remind myself that this isn't actually my world, no matter how familiar it may seem to me. "Unwell" would be an understatement to describe what I'm going through right now," she explained as she glanced back to more directly address him. "Did you go through this when you wound up here?" "I did not. Discord informed me from the very start that I would be brought to a world unlike my own. He was certainly right about that aspect," Ulquiorra replied. "Oh. Right. I guess that makes sense," Twilight replied and turned her attention back to, well, ultimately nothing. "I suppose I can eliminate Discord from the list of possible explanations for how I came to be here in the first place, since he communicated with you but not with me. Although I may be able to use him as a way of getting back home if I can get in touch with him. But getting in touch with him is more an art than a science, so it's not exactly a reliable strategy." "Assuming the Discord of this world and yours are similar enough. Something for which there is no guarantee," Ulquiorra noted. Twilight's head immediately swung back around to look at Ulquiorra, eyes wide and mouth pursed shut at what he'd just said. The idea that there was more than one Discord was terrifying to contemplate, and now she knew just why she'd never entertained the notion to begin with. It was much more comforting to believe Discord was merely a single entity that existed across multiple realities simultaneously. "If it's alright with you, I'd rather not discuss the idea of there being more than one Discord," she stated, once again turning her attention forward, and very much wanting to change the topic to something that was less brain-melting. "I still don't even know how to pronounce your name correctly." "Ulquiorra Cifer," Ulquiorra stated simply. "First name, U-L-Q-U-I-O-R-R-A. Last name, C-I-F-E-R." Twilight's brow furrowed in response as she turned her attention back to him again. "From a phonetic standpoint your name doesn't make sense. It doesn't sound at all like the spelling would suggest," she stated and shook her head. "The first syllable of your name alone. Princess Celestia pronounced it like Pinkie would say "ooh!" at being excited, but its spelling would suggest it's meant to be pronounced like "pull" or something similar along those lines. The rest of your first name, I suppose it makes sense between the spelling and the pronunciation. "Your last name, however, makes less sense from a phonetic standpoint. You pronounce the first syllable like somepony's saying "shh" because somepony's making too much noise, but the spelling doesn't support this at all. The way it's spelled makes your last name sound like it should be pronounced like the word "cypher" with a hard, long "I" rather than a short one." She honestly hadn't meant to go about critiquing his name like she had. It'd all just slipped out without her thinking twice about it. And now that it was out there, she felt kind of bad for doing it. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I shouldn't be making fun of your name." "You didn't," Ulquiorra replied, his voice just as flat and dull as always. "It was a valid, rational point to make about a subject that wasn't understood, with a coherent, well-articulated explanation presented as to why the matter wasn't understood." "Oh," Twilight replied, uncertain of what else she could actually say in response. The following silence wasn't of any real comfort, even though she'd thought it might be. Hoped it might be. But with how the conversation had ended, it just felt oppressive and unsettling. She felt the predator right there, in her presence, easily able to pounce and devour her before she could even let out a terrified squeak of fear. And the lack of conversation was only exacerbating that sense of discomfort as the day transitioned into night. The fact that feeling was practically resonating off of him wasn't exactly helping either. Was she the only one who could actually feel it? Or had the ponies in this world simply been exposed to him for so long, that they were mercifully oblivious to his nature? Before she could spend more time contemplating such deep and perplexing matters, an interruption came in the form of a bright flash of light, as none other than Princess Luna teleported into view, just a few paces away from the front porch. "Well now. Sister was not joking after all," she said as she set her eyes on Twilight. "Greetings, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Twilight's response was less than eloquent, as she more or less leapt the distance in order to land in front of Luna, and hugged her vigorously. Without missing a beat, Luna reciprocated and wrapped her left foreleg around her fellow alicorn's back. "Not that I am unappreciative, but what exactly brought that on?" she asked. "I'm just really relieved that you're alive," Twilight eventually admitted as she released her hold. "Is there a reason that I would not be?" Luna asked as she pulled back to look at her. Twilight chewed at her bottom lip uneasily before eventually speaking up. "Applejack said that Nightmare Moon came back. And that he," she paused as she unfurled her left wing to gesture towards Ulquiorra, "that he... killed her. I was afraid that meant..." Luna closed her eyes and shook her head in response. "Fortunately that was not the case. No, Nightmare Moon was very much her own individual, and very much independent of myself this time around. Which was quite fortunate, considering what all occurred on that night." Twilight simply nodded and set back down on her hooves, thankful that her fears about certain possibilities in this world hadn't actually come to fruition. "Now then," Luna continued, "I have many questions, Celestia has many questions, and I am quite certain you have many questions. If you have objections, I would be most happy to bring you to the palace so we can begin sorting out matters as best possible." "Actually, Princess, not really..." Twilight replied slowly. "Don't get me wrong, I do have a lot of questions. And I'd be more than happy to answer any you might have. But not right now. Right now I'd very much like to rest, and maybe freshen up. I'm probably a little gamey after everything I've been through, and I'm feeling like I can't properly focus my thoughts; not exactly a good combination for an inter-dimensional Q&A session." "Yes, I can certainly understand that. I was very much in need of the same, and much more, when I finally returned from the moon. Far be it from me to deny a fellow fish out of water the opportunity needed to properly settle in," Luna replied, before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "Will you be accompanying us?" "It would be for the best if I did, should something unexpected occur," Ulquiorra stated as he stepped off the porch and towards the pair. Twilight hadn't expected to appear in the throne room as they came out of Princess Luna's teleport. But the fact they had done just that didn't exactly surprise her. The throne room seemed like it was as reasonable a location to appear as any to be found in the palace. It was simultaneously comforting to appear in a location she'd been so intimately familiar with, and discomforting to -once again- have to remind herself that this wasn't her world, even if it looked exactly like it. And then she noticed Ulquiorra standing there in a statuesque manner, looking off into the distance like he was deep in thought, completely oblivious to their very existence. Honestly, if it wasn't for his coloration, she would've sworn he'd been petrified by a cockatrice. "Is he alright?" "He will be in a moment. Our friend unfortunately suffers from teleportation sickness. His senses become completely overwhelmed by the process, leaving him unaware of anything. The greater the distance traveled, the longer he remains in such a state," Luna explained as she observed him, before relaxing as she finally saw him blink and begin to move again. "Fascinating," Twilight replied as she rubbed her chin with her right wing, before finally tucking it back at her side. "I honestly didn't know teleportation sickness was even a thing." "Problematic is the more appropriate term," Ulquiorra stated, before finally returning his attention to the others in the room. "I'll leave you to tend to our guest. Barring unforeseen developments, I have work to do in the library, compiling a list of books that won't have any relevance to the subject of how to return home." As much as Twilight wanted to voice how she appreciated that consideration, she simply couldn't find the words to do it right now. But she did appreciate it, since his doing so would account for the possibility of inter-reality differences that might result in different books having different titles and subjects. If nothing else it would at least give her an idea of what books to avoid in her research. That would at least save her time, and potentially allow her to get back a little sooner than she might otherwise. Exactly how much sooner that would be, would be anypony's guess. Once he had departed, she returned her attention to Luna. She just... first had to figure out what words she wanted to use before she could actually speak. But her hesitation and uncertainty had allowed Luna to take the lead and speak up first. "If you would be so kind as to follow me, I will escort you to my quarters. You may rest there." "Your quarters?" Twilight asked curiously as she blinked, caught off guard by the offer. Luna nodded. "I can assure you the bed linen is quite fresh, so bedbugs will not be a problem. It is also secure, so you will not be bothered by curious interlopers that would prevent you from resting. And I am assuming it is a location you are not overly familiar with. So if you do manage to rest, your mind will not write off everything as simply being a bad dream upon waking up." The reasoning at least sounded solid to Twilight as she listened to the explanation. Whether or not it actually was solid remained to be seen firsthoof, but she could at least appreciate the sentiment. If she actually did manage to rest, and woke up in what looked like her old room in the palace, she probably would assume it'd just been a nightmare, only to be set up for another round of culture shock at the first anomaly making itself known again. "Beyond that, my shift will be starting soon, so I will not be in need of them until dawn. Somepony might as well be making use of them," Luna continued. "That makes sense," Twilight replied and nodded. "I guess I'd better not keep you any longer, what with how long it takes to hang fresh lavender around the palace." Luna looked at Twilight curiously, her head tilting slightly to the left in obvious confusion. "Hanging lavender?" Twilight nodded. "Your counterpart in my reality hangs fresh lavender throughout the palace each night, to promote good dreams amongst the ponies in the palace. It takes her a while to complete the task." "That is certainly a nice sentiment on her part. But why is she doing such a task by herself? What is the night staff doing at that time? Why are they not helping?" Now it was Twilight's turn to look confused, and also tilt her head slightly. "Night staff?" Luna nodded firmly. "The guards who ensure the palace remains safe while so many others are asleep in the comfort of their beds. And the cleaning staff who oversee the janitorial duties that cannot be done during the course of the daylight hours. The the kitchen staff who ensure those who are working such late hours have suitable meals. And the medics who are on call in the event of injury or illness. The counterparts to all those who are on staff when Celestia is in charge during the day. What of them? Why are they not assisting with such a task, instead of letting my counterpart do it all by herself?" The lack of an immediate answer, coupled by the look of confusion etched on Twilight's face as she tried to comprehend what she was hearing, as if it was spoken in a foreign language she was desperately trying to decipher, spoke far greater volumes than mere words ever could. And what Luna was gathering from it, she did not like one bit. "My counterpart in your reality is overseeing the palace all by herself when the sun sets?" she asked, needing actual confirmation. Twilight's only response was a single, confused nod. Luna let out a long, annoyed huff as she hung her head, closer her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her muzzle with her right hoof. "I apologize in advance for what I am about to say, little one. But in light of everything that I have heard I am afraid that it simply must be said," Luna stated as she set her hoof back down and slowly looked up, a stern look across her face. "That is absolute bullshit!" Twilight physically recoiled in response, as if the sudden yell had been a wholly physical slap right across the face. "I understand that there are differences between your reality and ours, truly I do! But there is no reason for such a scenario to ever come to pass! Neither I nor Celestia are capable of tending to the everyday upkeep tasks of this palace by ourselves, even if we were working together, staying awake at all hours of the day, and split the duties down the middle. There are too many ponies who the palace is home to, for such a course of action to even be considered wise or even responsible; we would simply have no way of ensuring their safety and security, to say nothing of the other everyday responsibilities that would need to be dealt with." Throughout it all, Twilight did her best not to wince as Luna went about systematically explaining why the workings of her reality were stupid and unworkable in a real-world setting. But it certainly wasn't easy to just stand there and listen to the sheer amount of disrespect her home was being subjected to, by those who didn't understand the circumstances they had to work with. The worst part of it all... was the bitterly flavored fact that Luna's outburst was actually making a disturbing amount of sense to her as she listened; just as was the case back at Sweet Apple Acres when Celestia had been questioning her. Could she really oversee the Castle of Friendship by herself, without Spike being there by her side to assist her when she got distracted with work and her experiments? Her castle was a lot smaller than this one, and even that was too much for just one of them to tend to by themselves. If Spike wasn't there to pull her fanny out of the fire when it came to housekeeping, she was fairly certain it wouldn't be anywhere near as nice as it currently was. Especially not when she got distracted by one of her experiments. If she couldn't oversee that by herself, then how could Princess Luna accomplish what she herself couldn't do, and with a much larger building to work with? Now that the thought was out there for consideration, it really didn't make much sense in hindsight. Maybe winding up in this strange world was actually a good thing. Luna simply sighed and shook her head tiredly as she concluded her venting. "If you would be so kind as to follow, I will get you situated so you can rest," she said as she gestured towards the doors of the throne room. "For your benefit as a new arrival, my schedule is as follows: I awake at six PM. Night court runs from eight to ten PM, usually as a courtesy to those who could not get an audience with my sister. Patrol in the dream realm runs from ten-thirty PM to six AM, and I try to turn in for the day between eight and nine AM. I am able to function on less sleep if needed, but I do not enjoy doing such, and I tend to get cranky and sarcastic when I am not particularly well-rested. Abide by this scheduling and we will get along quite swimmingly. Fail to do such, however, and you may find yourself an unfortunate casualty in the ongoing prank war between my sister and I." Twilight nodded, certain that wouldn't be a problem. Although after that last part of the statement, she wasn't certain she could do anything else but nod. The idea of being dragged into a sibling dispute between two powerful alicorns who didn't necessarily recognize the rules of engagement from her own world wasn't exactly a comforting idea to be faced with. "I don't think that'll be a problem. Although now I really wish Spike was here with me. Prank wars are more his forte than mine." Dear Twilight sparkle, It is fully acknowledged that sending you this letter may be a bad decision on my part. But considering the track record of Princess Celestia herself, it is highly unlikely to be the worst decision that could be made under present circumstances. At approximately four-seventeen PM this afternoon, an alicorn version of yourself from what is believed to be an alternate reality, appeared at Sweet Apple Acres. Both the mechanics and the reasoning behind such a development are presently unknown to all parties involved, herself included. Presently she is being kept staying at the palace in Canterlot until we determine exactly what to do with her, or until she discovers a way to return home, whichever comes first. A meeting between yourself and her will be arranged at some point so that the two of you may converse. However she is currently facing questions of both ethics and morality that may delay the meeting. During the interim period between her arrival Sweet Apple Acres, and her travel to Canterlot, she mentioned a number of incidents that have transpired within her reality, but not in this one. Whether this is due simply to the differences between alternate realities, or perhaps some form of time travel possibly being involved, is not currently known. When questioned further about the knowledge she possessed, and how it might apply in this reality, she expressed discomfort with the idea of sharing her knowledge, as it could have unintended consequences on potential future events that may result in more harm than good being done as a result of her interfering with a timeline that is not her own. For the time being she is not being pressed for further details about what she knows. However it may eventually prove necessary for us to do such, regardless of her own unease with the interdimensional equivalent of insider trading. We will focus on the matter of security, and trying to determine what happened. The entire point of this letter is simply to provide you with advanced notice of what took place, so you aren't caught off guard when you come face-to-face with another version of yourself. Whether or not you decide to inform the rest of your friends about this development is entirely your choice to make. Signed, Ulquiorra Cifer Twilight slowly read over the letter that Spike had brought her. And then she read over it a second time, just to make sure she hadn't accidentally misread or misinterpreted something. Upon further review, she concluded that she hadn't. "What's it mean, Twilight?" Spike asked as he stood off to the side, waiting anxiously for her to fill him in on what they'd both read. "That's a very good question, Spike," she replied as she glanced at the letter a third time, before slowly rolling the scroll back up. "To start with, I guess it means that in at least one alternate reality I ascended to being an alicorn." Finding the words to express just what this meant, both in general terms, for them specifically, and in the overall broader scope of what this meant for their own reality, was a very tall order. And the fact this letter had come so late in the day really hasn't helped either. Why couldn't they be brought up on this development earlier when she would've had more time to think? But then again, Ulquiorra probably had to write her when he had the necessary time to do it. And if he was focused on Equestria's safety, that naturally took precedent over trivial things like punctuality and whatnot. And even if the timing of his letter hadn't been the best, as this development would likely interfere with her ability to peacefully sleep, she couldn't really deny the fact that she appreciated the head's up about what had happened, and what might happen. If this had been dropped on her without any kind of notice about what to expect, she wasn't sure just how well it would've been received. "And now she's here in our reality," Spike surmised. "It seems that way," Twilight confirmed. "And the Spike of her reality isn't with her. Meaning we now have a princess version of you without her number one assistant to help keep her calm," Spike surmised further. He then let out a long, irritated sigh. "Yep. My workload has just been doubled." Twilight wasn't sure just how to respond to the comment, whether with amusement or annoyance. "Don't worry, Spike, it's not all that bad. I mean, I'm here to help out," she eventually point out. "Well then, make that tripled," Spike replied. Now Twilight was certain the proper response was to frown in annoyance at Spike's antics and insults. If not for the fact he was wearing a smirk that was just daring her to try and keep a straight face as she looked at him. She couldn't help but suspect the little bastard was trying to keep her distracted and off-balanced so she wouldn't be able to let her mind wander to the potential catastrophic complications that might come from another one of her being here in this reality. Truth be told, she really didn't want to think about those either. And like Ulquiorra said in the letter, he and the others would be tending to security matters. They didn't really need her for that. And for once in her life, she would be glad to not actually be needed. "Should I take a letter, or something?" Spike asked. "That might be for the best," Twilight replied and waited for Spike to go and retrieve the writing supplies, before dictating the message for him to take down. "Dear Ulquiorra. Thank you for informing me about this development. I can definitely confirm I wouldn't have appreciated this being sprung on me out of the blue at the time of my counterpart showing up at the library door, with no advanced warning." She paused, wondering whether or not it would be proper to add something along the line of "I'm looking at you when I say that, Celestia" but ultimately decided against it. That was the easy part of the letter. Now it was getting difficult to find the words to express what she thought and felt. Should she tell Ulquiorra to tell her other self that she had some idea of what she felt like in her present situation? This was probably going to take a while.