//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty The atmosphere in the halls was painful as the princesses walked by in forced silence, Luna lingering behind, afraid of what she might be facing and yet worried if she stayed too far back her sister would drag her forward across the marble floors by her ears; a most painful experience she had no desire to experience ever again. "Get in," Celestia ordered once they'd arrived at their destination, her personal quarters. The door was opened quite easily by her magic as she stood there pointing a hoof for her sister to follow. Luna reluctantly and hesitantly stepped into the room, Celestia soon following. The door was pulled shut and clicked into a locked position before a wave of magic washed over the room. Judging from its texture and intensity Luna could tell it was a high level soundproofing; something that didn't inspire confidence in her one bit. "I'm not going to yell until I hear the full story. And I hope you have a good reason for your actions," Celestia told her, the tone of voice causing shivers to run up and down Luna's spine. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" "We do. But we have a question, and if we do not ask now we fear we may never have the opportunity to," Luna stated and breathed to steady herself. "Dost... dost thou still love us?" It was a cheap and shameless ploy, and Celestia could see right through it. Her little sister was attempting to appeal to her emotional side in desperation to saving her own flank. It was no different than a foal in trouble asking their parents if they were still loved despite what they'd done. It was a foalish maneuver that her sister was attempting to use on her with those big worried eyes of hers. And unfortunately it was one that worked as well. Despite her own fury with her sister's actions, she couldn't maintain her anger with her sister herself. She found herself needing to vent her frustration with a sigh as she hung her head and shut her eyes. "My dear little sister, I could never stop loving you even when you were Nightmare Moon, you know that for a fact," Celestia told her before opening her eyes and looking at her once again. "That said, I'm still upset with your course of action. Writing Twilight Sparkle directly is hardly upsetting to me, I'm really quite glad that you're finding ways to interact with our subjects and our friends. But this is another matter entirely." "We are aware," Luna stated. "You believe so? You're aware of how important this situation is right now? You understand how much danger the kingdom could be put in through your actions? You're aware of what you put in jeopardy by bringing Twilight into the equation? You know as well as I do how important she is and what is planned for her in the future. What do you think would occur if something happened to her at this stage in her development?" Celestia asked as she paced back and forth, the vented frustration coming back as she spoke. "We would not let anything like that happen to Twilight Sparkle, she is our friend as well as thou's!" Luna stated. "And how would you prevent any harm from coming to Twilight? Can you tell me that? Luna you haven't seen what I've seen, you don't know for yourself what Ulquiorra's world is like and what the status quo is. If he tried-" Celestia started but was quickly -and vocally- interrupted as her sister stopped her from speaking any further. "If Ulquiorra Cifer had tried to lay so much as a finger on her he wouldst quickly find himself firmly embedded in the library wall!" Luna loudly stated and stomped her right front hoof on the hard marble floor, producing a fine spiderweb crack in the process as her wings flared out dramatically. "We love Twilight Sparkle as much as thee, if not even moreso, as she was the one who made it possible for us to be rescued from the demon! She is our friend and we wouldst never allow harm to come to her! We were there in the Crystal Kingdom, watching and waiting should she and her friends fail to stop King Sombra, we wouldst have ensured the Crystal Heart never fell into his hooves and that no harm come to the ones who hold the Elements of Harmony. Not even our niece Cadence couldst have stopped us should we have found it necessary to act!" Celestia found herself taking a hesitant step back at her little sister's emotional outburst. She'd forgotten how truly frightening Luna could be when she successfully caught somepony off guard just as she'd done with her, going from quiet and reclusive to louder than life in less than a second. "Do not assume we didst not weigh the situation carefully before we acted simply because we are the younger sibling, dear sister, for we did indeed. We believed Twilight Sparkle's involvement was most warranted under these circumstances and responded accordingly. You may not believe that we were careful in our actions but we most certainly were. Thou's student and our friend was never in any danger. Nor do we regret our actions for they were most certainly necessary," Luna said as she tucked her wings in at her sides. Now that Luna's outburst seemed to have passed it was Celestia's turn to talk. And unlike her younger sister she didn't need to catch somepony off guard to be intimidating. "Necessary you say? And how can you say that with such certainty?" she asked as she looked down at Luna. "Thou hadst no intention of allowing Ulquiorra Cifer to interact with the outside world beyond the palace walls, we were most certain of that. We did not believe thee's course of action was the correct path and chose to intervene on his behalf. He is our subject now thanks to Discord, 'tis our responsibility to see to the matter properly," Luna replied, doing her best to present herself in a manner equal to her sister in terms of intimidating presence; an effort she was sadly failing. "How I was dealing with the matter was my decision and mine alone. You don't seem to understand the severity of the situation, Luna; Ulquiorra is not a pony, dragon, gryphon or any other species we've had diplomatic relations with. He's the only one of his kind in this world and he presents a unique situation as well as a unique threat to those around him. He's-" Celestia lectured, but again was interrupted by an outburst from her younger sister. "He is not the first devourer of souls this land hath encountered! Thou doth know that fact better than anypony!" Luna shouted directly at her sister, her emotions flaring about wildly. "Thou doth know what we did as Nightmare Moon on that fateful day! Doth thou not see thine's own hypocrisy in the matter at hoof? Our past actions were forgivable, but Ulquiorra Cifer's past actions are not!? We cannot allow ourselves to abide by such nonsense!" She was left sitting on the floor of her sister's chambers, panting to catch her breath again after that last outburst. Her entire posture more or less silently stated that she wasn't done yet and her sister at least seemed willing to wait for her to get her second wind before saying again. "Twilight Sparkle doth know full well about Ulquiorra Cifer's past and she doth possess no fear of it, rather fascination and intrigue. And we hath seen nothing to even suggest Ulquiorra Cifer has intentions to cause her or young Spike any harm. We art willing to state our continued rule on it." Celestia remained silent in wait for her sister to finish her argument. And while she waited she couldn't help but think. Think back to the incident she was referencing. That was a very, very dark time indeed. A time that their little ponies could never, ever, under any circumstances, ever learn about. Many of them were still learning to trust Luna even now and that was the last thing she needed to get out. Word would spread like wildfire and panic would grip the nation. It wasn't unreasonable to believe that Equestria would tear itself apart at the seams if the truth got out. "If thou doth insist on punishing us for our insubordination then so be it, there is nothing we can do to stop thee. But we doth not believe Ulquiorra Cifer deserves to be punished for actions that he was not in full control of at the time, for we know just what that is like; 'tis a most horrible experience to be sure. Thou wouldst be broken should it ever happen to thee." +++ That was over a week ago. And yet it was a memory that just wouldn't leave her alone. For whatever reason it found motivation to keep coming back at the most unpleasant of times. Try as she might she simply couldn't get over how strongly her sister believed in defending the Espada to her, how much she had put on the line to try and help him because she believed he warranted it. The whole thing ha been an ugly, unpleasant, and emotional episode. Yelling, shouting, screaming, arguing, and crying; lots and lots of crying. More than once hugging had been quite necessary; lots of hugging really, topped off with a great deal of reassurance. She was quite thankful she'd put up the soundproofing spell prior to things devolving into utter madness, as she didn't care to consider what would've happened had the entire palace heard their argument. Eventually all was said and done, and the matter was settled as best could be expected. But the damage was done, and there was nothing that could be done after that point but damage control; something both of the Princesses were well versed in. And now the only thing that could be done was wait and see how each day played out and hope for the best; something she was quite well versed in. It was unfortunately the only defense against another area she had much experience in, which was feeling helpless to control the outcome of things. For all of her powers and abilities, there were still areas even her strengths never amounted to enough. She could juggle the sun and the moon with such ease, and yet there were still so many things that she couldn't do. She'd hoped that one more day of having time to think things over would ease her mind and give her some sort of insight to the matter at hoof, but so far there hadn't been any answers wanting to come forth. As she sat by herself in the royal gardens and looking up at her sister's night sky she felt frustrated, alone, and even scared of the possibilities that might unfold before her and beyond her control. "Someone help me. Is that really too much to be asking?" she asked herself, knowing she wouldn't get a response from the hedge maze. It was at this point in time that a clay flowerpot strolled over in front of her on three stubby little legs, an arm sprouting from the body with a full watering can and pouring its contents onto the dirt inside of it, the upper body of Discord popping out like a weed. "Tell me my dear 'Tia are my ears smoking? Because right now they truly feel like they're burning." "Discord..." Princess Celestia sighed and stood back up. Why him? Why now? Why her? "As much as I'd like to dismiss you I'm afraid that you could be of some assistance to me at this point..." "Really now? Little ol' me?" Discord asked as he pulled the rest of his body out of the mobile flower pot. "And what might you need me for, oh dear Princess of the Sun?" "Ulquiorra," Princess Celestia stated simply. "I don't know what to do with him. There are too many conflicting points to properly sort out. How much can I trust him? Can I even trust him? Is it wrong not to trust him when I find myself trusting you?" "Let me ask you something dear 'Tia. Do you believe I'd do anything likely to bring harm to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the two ponies I care about more than I do my own amusement at instigating disorder in the natural flow of things?" Discord asked in a serious manner. Princess Celestia remained silent at the presented question. And her silence meant he could continue. "Granted the lad has dangerous potential, even I won't deny that. But then again so does your dear student Twilight Sparkle, you know how unicorns can be and what's happened in the past. You remember the last assistant to ever serve under Starswirl the Bearded, you were there yourself. You know as well as anypony what could go wrong with that entire race." She continued remaining silent. All very good points for consideration, that much was for sure. But it didn't make things any easier at all. "I suspect you already know the proper answer, having seen so much in more than a thousand years of rule. You just want some reassurance from someone else," he pointed out, twisting his neck around into a loop as he looked her straight in the eyes. "Trust yourself my dear 'Tia, it's served you well in the past... even if you are far more of a stuffed shirt than I would care to freely associate with." She scowled at him in response. "You aren't exactly the easiest to deal with either, being the living embodiment of a foal's scribbling attempts." "Scribbling attempts? That's low even for you 'Tia!" Discord stated and frowned back at her. It was a stare down between the two, each locking eyes upon the other. Princess Celestia was the first to growl and snarl. Discord followed her example without hesitation, the two inching their way closer to each other until their noses were practically touching. It was a tense moment and one that promised bloodshed and broken bones. Or at least it would have if Discord's face hadn't morphed into something comical right before Princess Celestia's eyes, the results coming almost instantaneously. Despite her best efforts Princess Celestia couldn't hold back her amusement and was soon reduced to a fit of laughter, falling back on her flanks until her fit finally passed. "Discord you're absolutely terrible," she stated and paused to wipe a tear from her eye, "but I really do thank you. That's the first real laugh I've had in days, and I so desperately needed it after everything that's been going on." "Always happy to be at your service m'lady," Discord replied sarcastically and gave a mock bow before straightening back up again. "I'm sure your sister could use the same, but she doesn't really share your unique sense of humor." "I fear you're right," Celestia replied and nodded before standing back up again. "It would seem Luna has learned the hard way that simply because Ulquiorra claims loyalty, that doesn't mean he's willing to spare anypony their feelings. She wound up investing a great deal in this case and has very little to show for it except someone filled with great cynicism and little-to-no gratitude." She still didn't fully understand Luna's motives behind it all. She suspected it had something to do with the shared similarities of the darker nature of their pasts, secrets that they couldn't allow their kingdom to become aware of. Perhaps Luna saw some part of herself in him and had tried to give him the chance she never had herself. She really didn't understand the psychology of it all, sometimes her little sister was far more complex than she cared to admit. "I know, how about we put on some old bedsheets, make spooky noises and make Luna think the palace is haunted?" Discord suggested with a mischievous grin. "That's rather juvenile even by your own standards, Discord," Princess Celestia pointed out and frowned once again. "If we're going to make Luna laugh, the way she really needs to, then we're going to need something more sophisticated than that, something far more substantial... This might require a couple days worth of planning..." she said as she used a wing to stroke her chin in thought. "A-A-ACHOO!" It was a well known but rarely discussed fact that due to the architectural design of the throne room there were certain areas where one could stand and the slightest noise would reverberate throughout the entire room; a fact that made the unsuspected sneeze quite surprising. Of course when the sneeze in question was issued by somepony using the archaic royal Canterlot voice, the results were most spectacular, alarming, and frightening all at once. And if such a forceful blast happened behind you when you weren't prepared, it could literally knock you off your hooves and to the floor. "Bless you, Your Majesty," one of the shadow guards stated after recovering from the initial shock brought about by his commander. "Are you catching cold?" "We art fine," Princess Luna replied and sniffed, stopping momentarily to readjust her crown after it was dislodged from the force of her own sneeze. It was another beautiful day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the sky was clear of pesky crowds, and it was her day off from working at the Ponyville post office. Yes indeed, for Ditzy Doo things were quite good. She was happily flying about high above the town, stretching her wings freely while she hummed a tune to herself. It was indeed the start to a very good day. The kind of day when simply floating about on the air currents seemed like the perfect way to relax with some private time. Or at least it would've been if it wasn't for a royal chariot with two royal pegasus guards pulling it along cutting across her path, a very familiar individual riding on the back of it. "Heya Mr. Ulquiorra Cifer," Ditzy greeted and waved a hoof as they came within earshot. "Greetings Ditzy Doo," Ulquiorra said in response, his tone neutral and even as always. "I was operating under the assumption you were at work this time of day." "It's my day off," Ditzy replied and gave a light shrug, "Cloudchaser and Raindrops said they'd go flying with me later today so I thought I'd practice some of my moves while I had the chance. What brings you by?" she asked as she began flying along to avoid being left behind as the chariot continued on its way. "Princess Celestia has seen fit to dispatch me to Ponyville to interact further with Twilight Sparkle. Apparently there are matters she wishes to discuss in my presence," he replied. Was the pegasus really attempting to fly backwards? Or rather was she succeeding in her attempt? He wasn't entirely certain. "Oh. Well have a good day then, I gotta get going now. Just one question though. Why're you upside down?" Ditzy asked. "If you check, I believe you'll discover it's you that's upside down rather than myself," Ulquiorra replied as the chariot continued on, leaving the wall eyed pegasus behind. "Huh..." Ditzy replied and looked up/down, "so that's why the ground was above me." The meeting with Ditzy Doo had been uneventful if a bit confusing. Regardless, it hadn't slowed down his journey to Ponyville any and they'd be touching down momentarily. This was considerably different from the first two journeys he'd made to this area. The rules had more or less changed and everything was being played by ear at this point in time. He wasn't certain what would be done or what would happen, and he would have to approach cautiously in order to avoid any sort of disaster that might otherwise occur. "One minute until we land, sir," one of the guards announced. One minute. The time would be much shorter if he simply leaped from the chariot and landed feet first in Ponyville as he so easily could. The fact he had to rely on official channels proved to be a waste of time, but one he had to engage in regardless. Earning the ire of Princess Celestia was something he didn't fear per say, but she had the ability to blister his hierro with her presence alone. This situation had to be dealt with accordingly if anything positive was ever going to develop. If nothing else it would present an interesting experiment to determine if Princess Celestia or Princess Luna truly believed they could trust him with more freedoms than previously. The descent was silent, the landing and final stop smooth in nature and allowing him to disembark without issue. Almost at once the wiser of the ponies present took notice and began backing away from the area out of concern, seeing as none of them were the ones who had come to the initial meeting. At least they were intelligent enough not to come charging over to him an in effort to appear hospitable. "I trust you were ordered to observe me throughout the day," he commented to the two pegasus guards as they were disengaging themselves from the chariot. "Not in the strictest sense of the term," one guard replied. "Her Majesty was... unusually vague in her orders this day," the other added. "Officially we're just here for the purpose of transport." A rather strange development. His interaction with Princess Celestia was rather limited despite how much time he'd spent in this world. This seemed... out of character for her as far as he could tell. So many other matters had been subjected to specific orders and rules and yet this time was different. It was a mystery. It was yet another thing he would need to investigate upon returning to Canterlot. For now though there were a number of other options available to him at present. He was familiar enough with about seventy five percent of the town to know where everything of importance was. The town hall, the elementary school, the various locations held and owned by the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, and a number of shops that held no interest to him. Perhaps venturing to Sweet Apple Acres would be a good way to start the day. "Ulquiorra! What a surprise to see you today!" Or perhaps addressing Twilight Sparkle as she approached would be best, as she had found him before he could leave. She was approaching from the west with Spike riding atop her back, a look of excitement on her face as she drew closer to him. "I had no idea you'd be coming into town today. Why didn't you write?" she asked as she stopped in front of him. Write and inform her that he was going to arrive in Ponyville? He didn't see how a fifteen minute journey between cities warranted the effort of sending a note in advance. Even if he did, it would still be foolish to announce his impending arrival, as it would simply give Twilight Sparkle and her friends to organize something in hopes of surprising him. And he truly didn't care for surprises of such a nature. "The matter isn't important," he said dismissively, seeing no reason to really go into a detailed response about the foolishness of her question. "You and your friends have made a number of requests for me to return and Princess Celestia believed it would be a good idea for my studies regarding the notion of "friendship" and such. However I'm uncertain where to start," he explained. He could feel the flare in the unicorn's reiatsu at the statement. For whatever reason she was becoming excited at his words. "Don't worry I know exactly what to do. In the time I've spent in Ponyville I've gotten a really good grasp on friendship and what it's all about," she replied and turned around. "Rarity's shop is closest to here, it's a good place to start." He was remembering the letter he'd received from the Cutie Mark Crusaders, specifically the part that was more than likely written by the young Sweetie Belle and her warning about Rarity's fashion and business-related motives, as well as Rarity's own letter more or less unknowingly confirming the warning. The notion of being subjected to whatever the snow white unicorn had in mind for him wasn't of any particular interest to him. But Twilight Sparkle was Princess Celestia's student and had more experience in this world than he did. Perhaps it was simply best to follow her lead for the time being. However that didn't mean he had to travel in silence. "Are those you consider your "friends" still displeased with you and how you chose to handle the matter of my nature?" he asked. Almost immediately he detected a dip in her reiatsu levels at the question as her ears drooped. "You could say that," Spike commented as he rode along. "They were upset for a few days after the fact, upset that I didn't involve them immediately with the full truth of the matter. I can't really say that I blame them. In my excitement of getting to be an educator and making Princess Celestia happy with my performance I forget lesson number two in friendship: trust. Tolerating other ponies and what they do is very important, but you have to go beyond that and actually trust them before you can make friends. Suspicion and secrecy really isn't the way to go, and I regret to say that I sort of forgot about that. I spent the last few days apologizing to them over and over again for what happened. They say they forgave me but... I still feel bad for violating their trust like I did..." Ulquiorra said nothing in response to the purple unicorn's confession. He'd keep his observations to himself for the time being and how the referred actions related to what he'd heard from the others. The compare and contrast between Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash was at the least interesting. Perhaps the pegasus had used the situation to unleash some of her built up frustration at one of the targets of her displeasure. "And what aspect of friendship inspires the willingness to put your life at risk in order to save others?" he asked as they walked along. "That... I really don't know about that one yet..." Twilight replied hesitantly. Just one more finishing touch... and... perfection! Rarity stepped back and admired her hard work. It was an exquisite dress, the utmost petite of stitches, a wonderful accent of fine rubies without being overblown, and the highlights! Those oh-so-subtle but wonderfully noticeable silver highlights in the key areas! It was all a true masterpiece if she did say so herself. And it was destined for a very good friend and fellow socialite, Fancy Pants himself! She was positively giddy with excitement! And then there was a knock at the door. An otherwise perfect fantasy unceremoniously interrupted and trampled on by the simplest of things. Curse the foul real world and all its unfairness. "I'm sorry but we're closed unless you have an appointment!" she called, trying to keep the irritation out of her voice despite everything. "Rarity? It's me, Twilight!" she heard back. She sighed, figuring she could spare enough time for a friend if even just to tell her the same thing in a clearer fashion. "I'm so sorry, Twilight darling, but I'm simply swamped right now. I'd so love to stop and chat but it's simply not in my schedule today," Rarity explained as she cracked open the door with her magic to see her fellow unicorn standing there. "Oh?" Twilight asked, her ears drooping at the prospect, "I'm sorry I didn't know. I guess we'll just come back another day." She really didn't want to be rude. But she really did need to get the next dress started. And as skilled as she was, it was simply better to do that without the distractions of any conversations. Nodding she closed the door. "C'mon Ulquiorra, let's see what the others are doing," Spike stated. The door was nearly ripped from its hinges as Rarity flung it open in barely restrained excitement. Ulquiorra was here in Ponyville? Really? The dresses could wait, this was really important! "Oh I must really apologize I spoke too soon and was far too brash in my statement! Please everyone step right inside," she said quickly in an effort to keep them from scattering. "Can I get you anything?" Ulquiorra gave a slight rise to his right eyebrow at her statement but said nothing, stepping inside after the other two did. "Thanks, but we're fine. We're really just going around town to help Ulquiorra with the studies Princess Celestia gave him and thought you'd be the perfect first stop," Twilight explained. "Why thank you for your confidence in me, darling. How can I be of assistance?" she asked and looked each of them over. Oh how much she wanted to fetch her measuring tape and notepad and jot down a few measurements for the Arrancar, there was so much potential sitting on those shoulders of his that she could barely stand it! "Well on the way over I was thinking we could get everypony together and head on over to Sweet Apple Acres. It's usually a good place to go," Twilight suggested. Truth be told Twilight had alternate plans in mind. She really, really wanted to learn more about Ulquiorra after everything last week, the shock and disbelief of his displays slowly giving way to pure scientifically based curiosity on the matter. Ghost or not, he was a walking treasure trove of valuable information that was just begging to be analyzed and uncovered. And the best place to do that was Sweet Apple Acres, far away from any other ponies and subject to lots of open space where the chance of collateral damage was minute. She really didn't want to think what kind of chaos there'd be if he ever discharged his cero inside of Ponyville where everyone could see it. "Oh..." Rarity replied, trying to hide the let down at hearing the plans. Did they really have to go to Sweet Apple Acres? Today? Couldn't they do something nice in town instead? Maybe venture over to Sugarcube Corner? "Twilight I... really don't know how to say this without seeming rude but... I simply can't. If it were anything close at hoof, something for around Ponyville then perhaps, but all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres? Darling I'm sorry but I just can't do it..." Another noticeable fluctuation in Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu, this time a significant drop in intensity. She was quickly approaching Fluttershy levels. Did she truly value these specific ponies so much that their unavailability at any given time faltered her this much? Why did she allow herself to become so affected so easily? Was she incapable of dealing with matters on her own? What was this feeling he was suddenly experiencing? Where had it come from? "Couldn't you stay for even just a few minutes? I know I said I'm busy but I could stand a break, it'd be a good opportunity to offer whatever help I might," Rarity stated before turning her attention to Ulquiorra. "Such as in your case good Sir. From what I understand, Discord brought you to Equestria with just the one set of clothing you have on now?" she asked. "Correct," Ulquiorra replied and nodded once. "I was afraid of that really. Such an uncouth being to deal with," Rarity muttered. "I really can't stand such an unacceptable thought. I'd so love to do something that might fix up your wardrobe a little, provide you with some variety since you'll need to have your uniform cleaned eventually. And... not to be critical or anything but your look is so... drab. You really could stand to do with some accessorizing of some sort, some color mixed in to offset your off-white skin." Her reiatsu was currently bristling in an strange manner. She seemed to be working herself into a state of excitement concerning his uniform as she critiqued it and his appearance, while at the same time trying to appeal to him with regard to letting her design him new clothing. This was a strange, strange pony. "Seeing as I'm not alive in the traditional sense, it matters little how few articles of clothing I have available. What I have is adequate," Ulquiorra replied. "Oh but I must insist! I can't in good conscience simply do nothing. Even a new jacket would be quite wondrous really. The long coattails are certain in this year but... I can't even believe I'm saying this, but for last week they were simply uncalled for, you could've fallen off that mountain with a single misstep on them. Just hold still while I grab my measuring tape, I'll be right back!" More bristling. It seemed she was quite determined about this and wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. This was quite the change from last week. "Is she quite serious?" he asked, as he turned his attention to the other two present. "You don't know the half of it," Spike replied, the same look in his eyes that he'd displayed at the first meeting with Rarity. It was still a mystery. "Rarity's... very intense when it comes to being generous. Best just let her do something for you, or she'll spend the whole day going on about fashion-related things. Which kinda brings us to lesson number three in friendship: kindness. In order to have friends you need to be kind to them. I know it's a strange concept after everything I've seen but... well it's a little like the mercy you would've shown the dragon if it left willingly," Twilight Sparkle whispered in an attempt to explain everything before Rarity came back, a number of sewing-related items levitating right behind her. He decided now was an appropriate time to put an end to this foolishness. And seeing as she was business oriented there was one statement in particular that would put an end to whatever she had in mind. "I lack any currency in order to pay you for whatever work you might do," he stated simply and evenly. If she was capitalist oriented that would be sufficient. "Oh I wouldn't think of charging you for it, it'd be my pleasure to design a wardrobe for somepony... somebody of your uniqueness. Outside of my work for Spike I've never done anything for a biped before, this'll be a brand new experience that simply must be done," Rarity replied as she brought out her measuring tape. "Now this will only take a moment..." He felt something at those words. Something that felt completely different from the previous unfamiliar feeling just a minute ago with regard to Twilight Sparkle. He couldn't identify it despite his best efforts. Right now as he looked at Rarity and her enthusiastic smile, there was only one thing that he knew for certain. This was not going to end well.