Chapter One Hundred thirty Three
"Waiting out here reminds me of when I used to get sent to the principal's office getting caught doing something naughty in class," Corners commented idly.
He wasn't exactly staring at the door to Princess Celestia's private office, but he was aware of its position in relation to his own current position in what basically served as Raven Inkwell's office, who was currently absent from her desk and in there with the one they'd come to see.
His comment hadn't really drawn a response from his companion, leaving the two in a tense sort of silence as whatever was being discussed in there seemed to be dragging on in a manner that made the wait all the more tense to experience.
Glancing over to his right, Tempest didn't look much better off than he did. Although the ugly green hospital gown and the IV pole currently attached to her made her presentation worse.
"Are you really sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"Not really," Tempest eventually replied. "But this is something that I need to do anyway."
There really wasn't much that Corners could say in response. All he could do was shrug and wait.
And then the door opened and Raven stepped out. "You can go in now."
He nodded, Tempest nodded, and the two walked over to enter, with him deferring to let her step in first and move aside so he could join her and shut the door behind them.
Celestia had looked like she wanted to address Tempest first, but turned to him instead.
"Is it really wise for her to be out of bed and walking around right now?" she asked.
"Probably not," he acknowledged as he cast a glance at his companion, before turning back to Celestia again. "But she's a stubborn patient; that's probably what's been keeping her alive. And come Tartarus or high water she was bound and determined to speak with you, even if she had to track you down to do it. So Doc hooked her up to a glucose drip and had me escort her so she wouldn't wastefully burn through any more calories and carbs by aimlessly wandering around the palace trying to find you, and to be there in case she overexerted herself and needed assistance."
Tempest grunted, but otherwise said nothing.
"... I could've come to the infirmary if it was that important," Celestia pointed out.
"I tried to tell her that, but she said it was important that she put in her own legwork, for whatever reason," Corners explained.
"I see," Celestia replied slowly in thought as she tried to properly feel out the situation in front of her. "Thank you for escorting her, Corners. If you'd be so kind as to wait outside, I'll hear what she has to say."
Corners nodded and offered up no arguments relating to medical protocols or anything else along those lines, before turning and exiting the office, letting the door close behind him, and leaving the two alone.
"Now then," Celestia continued as she looked to her guest, "what exactly was so important that you had to seek me out in your condition? I know that I'm a busy mare, but there are still easier ways of getting in touch with me."
"Put me in the dungeons," Tempest stated bluntly.
Celestia blinked, confused by what she'd just heard. "Pardon?"
"The palace staff have been nothing but nice since I got here. Everypony I've interacted with has been treating me with respect and kindness, even when they knew that I don't deserve it. Is this some sort of soft psychological torture Equestria's developed since I was gone, to overwhelm your enemies with guilt until they crack? Because if so it's working and I'm hating it! Just, please, put me in the dungeons or do whatever it is you intend to do to punish me and just get it over with already. I already said that I'd accept whatever punishment you saw fit to dish out, so just do it!"
Celestia blinked again, doing her best to make sense of what she'd just heard.
"Let me start off by saying that we don't torture others. Not in the traditional sense with bodily injury and pain, and most certainly not in the sense of psychological abuse," she began slowly. "Equestria doesn't support such notions, and I certainly don't condone their practice either."
Tempest didn't say anything in response, but the look on her face spoke loudly to the fact that she didn't exactly believe the offered statement.
Not that Celestia could really blame her, based on what she knew. Talk was cheap and all that, especially with who knew how many lies and false hopes she'd been subjected to over the years, both by the Storm King, and who knew how many others that her desperation might've brought her to before him.
"Should I bother asking what sort of gesture would alleviate your concerns? Or are we still at the stage where even that would be written off as meaningless, empty, and inconclusive?" she asked.
"I... don't know," Tempest eventually admitted. "I honestly want to believe everypony really is as nice as they come off as being. But I look at those friendly smiles, I hear those offers of assistance... and then I remember everything I've had to do, and everything that I'd been planning to do to try and get my horn back. I think I'd be better off in a cell, surrounded by stone walls and iron bars. At least that I'd know I deserve."
Celestia shook her head, trying to mentally calculate just how much help and assistance was going to be required in this case. Maybe Luna had been right in her evaluation about this being Rainbow Dash all over again.
"Perhaps you would be," Celestia acknowledged, "but that's ultimately my call to make, not yours. And to accurately make that call, I'll need your cooperation. I'm going to ask you a series of questions, and I want you to answer them honestly. And be warned, I can have Ulquiorra here at a moment's notice to verify your responses if I suspect you're being dishonest with me. Is that understood?"
Tempest nodded in response.
"Very good then," Celestia stated. "First and foremost, how far would you have gone in the pursuit of regaining your horn, if we hadn't learned about your situation and intervened?"
"I... I don't know. At one point in time I would've given anything to get it back. Or at least I thought that I would," Tempest replied, torn between trying to respectfully look at Celestia, and looking down at the office floor to avoid eye contact. "I certainly never had any love for the Storm King and what he wanted to do. I hated that monkey, and what I had to do in his name. But I hate myself more for how desperate I was to believe his lies and false promises of helping me.
"Looking back, in light of the message your Espada delivered from Princess Luna and the others, I feel like an absolute idiot," she admitted.
"Message," Celestia repeated slowly. "Did this message involve him plucking out his own eye?"
"And forcing me to watch and listen to things from his point of view," Tempest confirmed and shuddered uncomfortably.
"I hate it when he does that!" Celestia stated disapprovingly as she tried not to shudder at the thought of it. "I honestly think he derives some twisted sort of amusement from doing it, after I voiced my displeasure for the technique. I made the mistake of showing weakness by blinking first."
"The worst part was what I saw afterwards, though. What I heard, felt, even smelled. They genuinely wanted to help me, based on what some counterpart of me that I never met went through. And I could honestly feel that desire to help me, like it was just radiating off of them.
"Do you have any idea just what that's like? To think that you're utterly irredeemable, to the point you've actually grown numb to how distasteful you are, only to have your beliefs shattered by the realization that there are ponies who care about you, and want to help you out of the goodness of their own heart? Ponies that you would've thought nothing about stabbing in the back if the opportunity presented itself?"
Celestia chose to remain silent and wait to see where this went on its own, feeling that her own experiences weren't appropriate to share at the moment. They could compare their respective notes on the subject of guilt later on.
"And to be greeted by all of these smiling faces and helping hooves, receiving me like I'm some sort of guest of honor? The guilt is real, and it's overwhelming; it was overwhelming the whole journey back to Canterlot, and it's only gotten worse from having to look all these ponies in the face, and knowing what I was prepared to do to them for my own selfish desires. They should hate me, but they don't. And I can't make them understand why they should hate me, because the why isn't going to happen."
Tempest groaned and closed her eyes, lowering her head and looking very much like she was experiencing a migraine at the moment.
"My brain hurts just thinking about it all," she admitted. "Why does guilt have to hurt so much worse than any real punishment?"
"Because guilt knows us better than we even know ourselves, it knows precisely how to exploit that knowledge for the greatest measure of impact, and we haven't reached the point of being so emotionally dead that we can no longer feel its presence," Celestia surmised. "I've been there. Not in those exact circumstances, but I know what you're talking about. And the worst part of it, is no matter how much anypony may try to assure us otherwise, no words are ever enough to make those feelings stop, because we just can't accept them for ourselves."
Tempest slowly opened her eyes and looked back up at her uncertainly.
"Do you feel up to answering a few more questions? We can always postpone if you need a moment."
Tempest slowly shook her head in response, trying not to cause too much pain to herself in the process. "What's your question?"
"If we hadn't intervened, what would you have done if the Storm King had held up his end of the bargain, and restored your horn?" Celestia asked.
"That," Tempest sighed, "I've spent so much time thinking over that same question. The only real options I'd have would be continue to serve him, or otherwise betray him after getting what I wanted. Neither of which speaks very highly of me. I... probably would've betrayed him and his forces so I wouldn't have to be his enforcer anymore, and just quietly slipped away where nopony would ever find me. It's not like I could ever attend your school after that anyway; not after everything I would've done to get to that point."
"I suppose not," Celestia agreed. "Next question. Have you ever killed anycreature?"
Tempest slowly shook her head again. "There's a lot of things in my life that I was forced to do, things that I regret doing and likely won't ever stop regretting. But that was one of the few boundaries that I ever refused to cross. I just... I could never bring myself to actually do something like that."
"I believe you," Celestia eventually replied. "Tell me, Tempest, if I saw fit to have your horn replaced, and give you back what you've been seeking this entire time, what would you do afterwards? Where would you go from here, seeing as your goal would finally be complete?"
"Would anything I could say even matter, after how I admitted I'd stab the Storm King in the back if I got what I wanted out of him?" Tempest asked. "I already said I'd be going back on my deal with him. Do you really think a traitor's words have any worth to them?"
"Humor me," Celestia insisted.
Tempest sighed in response and hung her head in reluctant defeat, knowing that she had little choice in the matter.
"My fate is in your hooves, Your Highness. I said that I'd accept whatever punishment you saw fit to issue me, and I meant it. Do... do to me as you will."
"I respect your willingness to accept responsibility for your actions, Tempest, I really do," Celestia started. "But at present, I really haven't been able to see much that you could be punished for. Perhaps you were planning to commit treason at one point, but as best I can gather it was while under duress. I suppose conspiracy charges could be brought, but they would be exceptionally hard to prove in court since nothing was actually done, and nothing transpired beyond a supposed thinking stage. And I'm really not into punishing ponies for having unpopular thoughts and opinions. I don't think I can even have you or your crew charged with invading palace airspace, since Ulquiorra was escorting you the entire way."
Tempest slowly looked up at her in confusion.
"I'm not saying that you're free to go just like that, as there's still an investigation being conducted," Celestia continued. "But at the same time, I just don't foresee prison, banishment, or execution being in your future," she explained.
"Even if I feel like I deserve it?" Tempest asked.
Celestia shook her head in response. "I can't make that feeling of guilt go away, Tempest. I can't just beat it out of you with a stick like you're a lump of dirty laundry being washed in a river. I'm afraid that's something you'll ultimately have to live with, and simply do your best to move on from in your own terms whenever you're ready to forgive yourself.
"If nothing else, take comfort in the fact you still can experience guilt, as it means you're not so far gone as to be irredeemable. The hurt means you're not dead inside."
"How comforting. I find out I want to suffer because I'm still alive and not a horrible pony," Tempest mumbled. "So I have to go on looking at all these friendly faces, while feeling like absolute scum and can't even let onto why I feel like that?"
"I'm afraid so," Celestia confirmed. "Welcome to my own private level of Tartarus."
Tempest simply huffed in annoyance and shook her head, grumbling something Celestia was certain wasn't exactly polite, but couldn't exactly make out for herself.
"Is there anything else I can help you with, now that I've put some of your concerns to rest?" she asked.
"Maybe," Tempest replied, "one of your engineers, I think his name was Toggle Bolt? He came to the infirmary to see about fitting me for a new prosthetic leg. Is he authorized to do that? Was his offer bait being dangled in front of me like some sort of test of my character?"
"Tempest, you're a mess. You're still in need of a great deal of support and care, just to get you healthy again. That's hardly an appropriate time to be subjecting you to secret tests in some sick "gotcha" type of game," Celestia replied, a disgusted frown barely being suppressed as she spoke. "No, I wouldn't put you through that. I wouldn't even put Chrysalis through that. If Toggle Bolt approached you and made such an offer, he did it of his own volition, because he believed it was a worthwhile endeavor. I certainly won't say no if he has good reason to believe the leg you have is inadequate."
"He spoke about it with so much vitriol you'd think he caught my leg in bed with his wife," Tempest muttered. "He also said something about a discussion on Ironhorse comics while he took my measurements for a new one. Or something like that."
"Oh dear," Celestia groaned. "I'll see about finding you a chaperone for the meeting."
"What?" Tempest asked, before quickly shaking her head. "Your Highness, no, i-it's not like that. He already said that I'm not his type. And honestly I'm not really interested in that sort of thing right now."
This time it was Celestia's turn to shake her head. "I didn't mean like that, although that's good to know. No, Toggle Bolt is a trustworthy pony and he does his job very well, but at the same time he's one of those ponies who can get very... passionate about a discussion on certain subjects. The chaperone is in case the discussion gets to be too overwhelming for you, and you find yourself needing a break from your senses being assaulted by the minute details he might start flinging in your direction with reckless abandonment."
"I'll... I'll think about it, when I'm feeling more up to it," Tempest replied uneasily. "Right now I think I need to sit down, I'm starting to feel a little dizzy. And I should probably fatten up a bit more before I get fitted for anything."
Celestia looked at Tempest, before looking back at her desk and grabbing the chair in front of it to bring it over and offer it, which Tempest accepted and sat down before she could risk toppling over.
"You should probably go back to the infirmary so you can lie down. You look like you're running on nothing but fumes at the moment. That can't possibly be doing your recovery any good."
"Probably not," Tempest agreed. "What about the crew of my ship? What's going to happen to them?"
"As we speak your ship is being repaired, with provisions being acquired for its restocking. Provided they don't demonstrate any hostile intentions, they're free to depart once everything is ready."
"Just like that?" Tempest asked.
"Just like that," Celestia confirmed. "They're certainly a loyal bunch, to bring you all the way to us, despite knowing they'd be cut off from whatever support they might have when venturing deep into the heart of enemy territory."
"They... voted to bring me here. They could've been killed, but they still thought it was important to bring me to help," Tempest muttered.
"They did. Apparently finding out the Storm King was going to betray you, was the breaking point for them," Celestia continued. "Supposedly they're going to depose him once they leave here."
"And you're going to just let them go and do that?" Tempest asked.
"Let them do what, exactly? Resolve their own conflicts inside of their own kingdom, in a manner they feel is best for their circumstances? That's not exactly something I have any jurisdiction to stop," Celestia pointed out. "And frankly I just don't believe they'll use the opportunity to launch a counterattack. They seem rather terrified of incurring Ulquiorra's wrath."
"I don't blame them," Tempest replied. "Princess, I've been to a lot of places in this world, I've trekked from one corner of the globe to another. I've seen a lot of weird things that I can't explain and don't understand. But I've never seen anything even close to that. What is the deal with that thing anyway?"
"I'm afraid that the story behind Ulquiorra is a very long and involved one. One that's best reserved for a time when you're a little more steady on your own hooves, and not at risk of toppling over so easily. If you're dizzy just from standing, you don't need the added complication of your head spinning from all the details you'd be hearing. And Corners really doesn't need to be escorting you back to the infirmary with a cracked skull because you fell off your chair," Celestia warned.
Tempest looked back at Celestia, unable to tell if she was being serious or not at the moment. She cautiously chose not to inquire on the matter, in the event the answer she got was something she wasn't prepared for.
"I... I think I'm ready to go back to the infirmary to lay down again. I'm really not feeling as up to this as I thought I was," she admitted.
Princess Twilight let out a huff of annoyance, trying not to feel frustrated by her current circumstances, but ultimately failing in that endeavor.
A fair majority of her time spent in the Equestria of this current reality, had been dedicated to cataloging everything she could remember about her own reality, that might give this world an advantage when it came to villain attacks and other problems. But at the same time a fair portion had also been spent on her own efforts in trying to figure out a way to return home to where she belonged.
The royal library in this reality certainly had a fair number of books related to the subject of inter-dimensional theory and other related subjects. But a great deal of it was more speculation and theory, rather than hard science. Starswirl the Bearded's notes only went so far on the subject. And much to her disappointment, few scholars and scientists had apparently thought the field was important enough to warrant the investment of their time and efforts to further the understanding of said field. It was difficult to express just how disappointing that conclusion was to actually see.
It also meant she was going to have to try and figure this out on her own. Not that she was actually opposed to a hooves-on learning approach, but not having a starting point was difficult to overcome. And while there was a certain joy to be had in figuring out what others couldn't... she would much rather have something to go on in this case, that would make finding home easier. If a roadmap home existed, she wouldn't turn it down right now.
The lack of any response to her letter to Spike wasn't helping her mood either. She hadn't received it back as being undeliverable, so that was technically a good thing and suggested it'd gone through. But that'd been quite some time ago. Surely a simple reply wasn't asking too much, was it?
Then again, how would she respond if she got a letter from another version of herself who was asking for a meeting? An immediate answer probably wouldn't be at the very top of the list of things that occurred. She would need a checklist to go over about various possibilities, practice rehearsing what she might want to say, figure out what she'd like to say upon actually meeting and rehearse that as well, along with making sure her schedule wouldn't be thrown off by taking time for such a meeting.
Now that she stopped to think about it, really think about it, there was a lot of things she would probably need to see to, before she'd be able to send a response back. So maybe she shouldn't be expecting her other self to just jump into action that she herself wouldn't take.
"It'll all work out," she said to herself. "I just need to extend to her, the same courtesy and patience that I myself would want extended to me in such a situation."
And while waiting, she could try and focus more on figuring out what she came here for in the first place. She certainly wasn't going to get home just by standing around and waiting. There were still a number of things she could try in the meantime, like adjusting the scanning frequency she was using to see if that made a difference.
"Huh. Has my ass always been that bony?"
The efforts at her scanning quickly halted by the approaching sound of a familiar voice that was saying something she never thought she'd heard it actually saying.
"Nah. It must be an alicorn thing."
Another very familiar voice, and the sound of approaching hoofsteps along the soft grass were enough to make her abandon her own endeavors and spin around to face who was coming in her direction, and saw a duo she hadn't seen in a very, very long time. And she wasn't as prepared for it as she'd thought she might be.
Seeing her unicorn self trotting along, with a set of saddlebags at her sides and a wingless Spike sitting comfortably on her back, was a lot like staring into a time capsule, and gave her a very nostalgic feeling as some of her happiest memories came rushing back to her like they were experienced and forged just yesterday.
And then they stopped their approach, barely one meter of distance from one another.
"You know, it's kind of funny. When I heard about an "alicorn Twilight" I thought for certain I'd be taller. Maybe built more like Luna than... well... myself," her unicorn counterpart admitted.
"Nah, you'd totally be built like Celestia," Spike stated.
"This is definitely not how I anticipated this meeting going," Princess Twilight admitted. "And as long as we're comparing notes, the both of you look smaller than I remember."
"Well if time travel really is involved in some fashion, as has been speculated, you might be a few years older than us. So it would only be natural that there would be a discrepancy in height to be observed," her counterpart pointed out.
"Alright, that's a good point," she admitted, "but regardless it's nice to finally meet and see you. Even if meeting somepony who's technically a version of myself is a bit weird to experience."
"Were you worried that if we met, it might cause a sudden and spontaneous ending of existence as we knew it?" Twilight asked. "Because when Spike got your letter asking about us meeting, I was worried that might be a distinct possibility if we were to make physical contact."
Spike nodded in confirmation from his spot atop her back.
"... I can't say that I did. But hearing you mention it, maybe I should've stopped to consider that as being a possibility," Princess Twilight admitted. "But if that were the case, my simply being here would theoretically be enough to cause the same outcome, right?"
"... I suppose that would be the case," Twilight replied sheepishly. "I suppose I should've stopped to consider that possibility as well."
"Sure would've saved us a lot of worrying," Spike muttered as he climbed down from her back. "So. Princess Twilight. Could you do something for us?"
"Of course! What can I do for you?" Princess Twilight asked, feeling eager at the prospect of helping.
Spike didn't immediately respond as he dug around in the bag on her counterpart's left side, before pulling out what looked like a simple hammer covered in blue paint.
"Hold this for a second," he said as he walked over to her and held it out.
The request was a curious one, but not one she could see any reason to turn down. So with a flick of magic she reached out and took the hammer out of his claws, curious about what exactly she needed to do with it.
"I don't think I've actually seen a hammer like this before, where the head and shaft were both forged from a single integral piece of steel. That probably does a great deal for durability, but I can't imagine it does anything to mitigate impact vibrations when in use," she commented. "What're these decorative runes etched into the surface for?"
"To let us know if you were some evil version of Twilight wielding dark magic," Spike stated bluntly.
Princess Twilight immediately looked up at him in a mix of confusion, surprise, and mild horror.
"It's not that we don't trust you," Twilight was quick to offer up. "It's just... a precaution. With multiverse theory being very much real and all, the possibility of an evil Me being a thing has to be contemplated. And since it didn't blow up in your face, it's safe to conclude you're not evil."
"It blows up?" Princess Twilight squeaked in fear.
"Well not exactly like that. But if it came into contact with any dark magic it'd react pretty violently," Spike stated.
"Um, just out of curiosity, how violently would it react if I was evil?" she asked.
"I can answer that one," Twilight quickly offered. "The charms carved into its structure by Celestia react in direct proportion to the amount of dark magic they come into contact with. When Spike threw the hammer and struck Nightmare Moon in the head there was a pretty decent explosion with lots of sparks and smoke generated at the point of impact, but it didn't appear to be enough to extend below the surface of her skin.
"But when he went charging directly into battle and struck the surface of her shield with it? The explosion there was significantly more violent, and generated enough force to physically throw him back an undetermined distance from the initial point of contact."
Spike nodded in agreement with a proud smile on his face.
While the explanation was comforting, Princess Twilight still opted to carefully set the hammer down on the ground away from her, just in case whatever charms in place that differentiated between normal everyday magic and dark magic failed and misinterpreted her as a threat.
"If it's all the same I'd rather change the subject to something a little more pleasant than the one we're on right now," she admitted.
"If we're being honest, so would I. I've already given the idea of an evil warlord version of Me, more consideration than I'm comfortable with," her counterpart agreed. "So. What would you like to talk about?"
"Well..." Princess Twilight paused as she tried to think of a subject or topic that she might like to broach. But the more she tried, the more she found her mind coming up empty.
"Actually, if it's alright with you, I'd kind of like a break right about now. I've been out here trying to figure out the mystery behind however I wound up in your reality, and I've been coming up empty. I'm getting frustrated, and I feel like I need the opportunity to clear my head before I actually get into any discussion."
"Oh, sure, that's fine," Twilight agreed and nodded. "As much as I appreciate a good study session, I've come to learn and appreciate just how important and beneficial a periodic break can be."
"And believe me, it wasn't easy getting her to learn that lesson either," Spike commented as he folded his arms across his chest. "She honestly used to think she could just brute force her way through exhaustion with enough stubbornness and hot coffee, all in the name of getting "just one more paragraph" read before calling it a night."
"Oh, like you've never done the same thing with your comic books, you sassy little turd," Twilight retorted and frowned in his direction.
"Takes one to know one," Spike retorted right back.
Princess Twilight was left both confused and uncertain how to respond, very unaccustomed to seeing herself and Spike bickering quite like that, or using such terms when referring to each other. Was this really what they did in this reality? And in front of strangers no less?
This reality was weird.
Her reality might've had moments where it was stupid, and she would admit it, but this one was just plain weird. Of the two, she didn't know which was worse.
"Whatever," she muttered to herself. "Listen. I know you two just came all the way from Ponyville and all, but would either of you mind if we just relocated back to the library? It's been a long time since I've seen it intact, and I'd hate myself if I missed the opportunity to visit it again while it's still a possibility."
The bickering between Twilight and Spike immediately halted at her statement, leaving the two looking at each other in confusion.
"I don't mind," Twilight replied and shook her head. "But what'd you just mean? Did something happen to the Golden Oaks in your reality?"
"... I don't really feel up to talking about it right now," Princess Twilight offered in response as she slowly glanced downward to avoid eye contact.
"Alright then," Twilight replied slowly, figuring that a different approach was necessary. "We'll head out whenever you're ready."
"Uh, Twilight, one little problem with that," Spike spoke up as he picked his hammer back up. "How do we get back without anypony noticing there's two of you now? Or more importantly, that one of you is an alicorn? Ponies might get curious and start asking questions."
"Hmm, that's a good point," Twilight noted as the hammer was being placed back in her saddlebag. "I suppose we'll just have to teleport. Or cook up some cockamamie cover story about practicing a new spell related to after-images and projection."
"Let's go with the first option," Spike suggested. "No offense, Twilight, but you suck at lying on the spot and under pressure, especially in front of crowds. And I don't feel like trying to run interference when the discussion gets technical with magic details."
"Your confidence in me is overwhelming," Twilight grumbled, just loud enough for the others to hear. But she let the matter drop with a sigh as she shook her head, before once again putting on a smile. "Alright, I think I can get us all back inside the library easy enough. Everypony get in close, and hopefully we don't end up stuck on a windmill along the way."
"Yeah, once was enough," Spike commented.
"Wait, that actually happened?" Princess Twilight asked.
"I don't want to talk about it right now," Twilight replied, "everypony get in close."
Spike took that is his cue to climb atop his Twilight's back, while Princess Twilight stepped closer until their sides were practically touching.
And then, thinking on Spike's words, she took one step more and actually pressed their sides together to ensure physical contact between them, with her left wing sandwiched between their barrels.
"Huh. It doesn't look like all of existence spontaneously ceased to exist due to our touching," she noted.
"That's good to know. One less thing to worry about," Twilight replied, idly shifting her position a bit in response to the touch. "Alright, teleporting for home in three, two, one."
One quick exercising of magic to perform the spell, and the three were gone from sight.
Celestia didn't know for certain that Ulquiorra was in the library as she made her way for what served as the lounge area in the center of the room. But she knew there was at least an eighty percent chance that he was present, and eighty percent was good enough for her.
It was just a matter of actually finding him in the mess of all the various shelves that the room housed.
She glanced to her left, and then to her right. She looked forward, she looked behind, and then just to be thorough she looked up, just in case he was hovering overhead like the apex predator and troll that he was. But he was nowhere to be seen, even if his presence could still be felt somewhere...
Fortunately, he was very good at locating her presence, and would likely know that she was here.
"Ulquiorra, are you in here? I need to speak with you for a moment," she called out.
"Is there a problem?"
She turned to her right at the sound of his voice and caught him standing a mere teen feet away from her current position, with a rather lengthy-looking tome held in his hands and opened roughly in the middle.
She hadn't even heard his trademark approach this time. That in itself was a bit disturbing, but could wait for a later point.
"I'm not sure. That's what I'm trying to find out now," Celestia stated. "Tempest came hobbling her way to my office about an hour ago, and she was all but begging me to throw her in the dungeons. But not in an act of arrogance like a stereotypical villain would demonstrate; there were no grand declarations about her being untouchable and daring somepony to try and strike her, just to prove she couldn't be harmed.
"Instead I was met by a broken pony who was thoroughly convinced that she needed to be punished for what had been done, and had been thought about being done. Her entire demeanor was a lot like Luna's after being freed from Nightmare Moon's influence by the Elements of Harmony; it took my sister a long while to come to terms with the fact that her actions weren't her own. I honestly didn't think I'd be encountering that again, so soon, and from another.
"I know that the report you gave me after your return wasn't the sum total of what occurred; that would've been a short chapter's length all in itself. Can you recall anything happening, anything between the time of your meeting with them in the wasteland, and arriving back at the palace, that might explain her being consumed by a sense of guilt and self-loathing?"
To her surprise, Ulquiorra didn't immediately respond to the question. Instead he looked like he was actually in thought, as if he were trying to recall some particular detail.
Or at least she thought he looked like he was in thought. With him and his limited range of facial expressions, it was so hard to tell what was going on inside that head of his.
"Nothing that comes to mind," he eventually replied. "Contact was made and the message from Princess Twilight Sparkle was delivered. She remained in a state of shock for quite some time before she began speaking again, and the crew discussed what course of action they wished to engage in, based on the information that was presented to them. Perhaps what was being witnessed in your office, was the true nature of Fizzlepop Berrytwist breaking through the mask of Tempest Shadow, now that the persona is no longer needed."
"Perhaps," Celestia reluctantly agreed, not finding that thought to be the least bit comforting to contemplate. But at the moment that was neither here nor there, and would have to be dealt with later on.
Maybe some of those psychological experts they'd approached during Rainbow Dash's dilemma could finally be of some use to them.
"It would be far easier, and much more straightforward, if you simply came out and accused me of committing some distasteful act that might explain her current demeanor, rather than trying to approach in a delicate, sensitive manner," Ulquiorra pointed out.
"I suppose I deserved that one," Celestia commented and sighed, "but I didn't actually suspect you of doing anything. I was hoping that you might've witnessed or otherwise detected something that couldn't be shared at the time."
"Something that would suggest the incursion of another villain?" Ulquiorra asked.
"After everything we've been through in the last few months, I'm not about to discount the possibility of it showing up when we least expect it," Celestia stated.
"A wise decision," Ulquiorra noted. "Had anything out of place been encountered, it would've brought to your attention as soon as possible, either in person or via letter. Whatever is responsible for Tempest Shadow's demeanor lies with her, rather than any outside source."
"I suppose that's a small comfort to be had," Celestia mumbled. "Not that I'd ever wish harm on another pony. But helping one who's been subject to an outside attack, is far easier than addressing an attack that comes from the inside."
"If it helps, you're free to blame me for being too harsh with her," Ulquiorra commented.
Celestia actually laughed in response. "I appreciate the offer, but I think not. The work you do is too good."
Ulquiorra's only response was a simple, noncommittal grunt, as he turned his attention back to the book in his hands, sensing the conversation had finally run its course.
Celestia contemplated saying something in response, but ultimately couldn't think of anything that felt worth saying. So instead she decided now was as good a time as any to take her leave and depart, as there were still other matters to be tending to.
"Princess Celestia?"
Celestia paused in mid-step at the sound of Ulquiorra's voice, and the tone that it carried with it. It didn't sound like he was making a definite statement, but more like it was voiced in a questioning tone.
Curious, she turned back around to face his direction once again, even as he currently kept his back to her.
"When do matters of logic, rationality, and practicality end, and when do matters of the heart begin?"