//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty Six // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty Six "It's mine! It's finally mine!" Chrysalis howled excitedly, Celestia's crown perched atop her head and signifying her rule. She took a moment to adjust to its newfound weight, before quickly bounding up the stairs that lead to the throne, and made herself comfortable, her rule complete now. Ulquiorra stood silently as he observed the fruits of his labor. Celestia was dead, her body reduced to nothing but ash, just as her tyrannical rule had been. That which had been wrong with this world had now been set right. "And I owe it all to you, Ulquiorra Cifer. Without you, my rule would still be just a dream, trampled upon by the likes of that nag Celestia," Chrysalis stated. "Thanks to you my hive will no longer have to hide underground, and in the shadows, creeping about in order to survive. We can now be forward, and noticed, and nopony will try and oppose us! This is the greatest day in all of changeling history!" she cackled. "Thank you for your praise, My Queen. My only regret is the manner in which she died. Had there been a body to claim, we could have impaled Celestia's head on a stake and paraded it around Canterlot to properly signify and celebrate your rule," Ulquiorra replied calmly as he looked back over at what remained of the pile of ash, what hadn't been scattered either by himself, or in the wind caused by the two changeling drones that had swept in and restrained Twilight Sparkle while she was crying on the floor. "Yes it's such a pity. Oh well no matter, there's still Princess Luna's head once we find her," Chrysalis replied and laughed in a mad cackle, one that wickedly reverberated off the walls of the throne room in a distorting manner. However it wasn't destined to last for long. Just seconds after her laugh began, it was immediately silenced by a significant disturbance in the room. It wasn't necessarily limited to just one sensory organ or another, but rather seemed to be affecting the air in the room itself. Something was permeating the entire area, and making her exoskeleton tingle in the process. It was like the mana in the air itself was suddenly being utilized against her, as it reverberated off the phantom teeth marks on her horn. "What in Tartarus is going on here?" she asked as she looked around. Whatever the disturbance was, Ulquiorra was well aware of it. The disturbance in the area was... familiar... but he couldn't quite figure out just what it was. And then there was an explosion of reiatsu in the room. And if he had a heart, he would swear that for one brief moment in time, it stopped beating. The texture of this reiatsu was easy to identify, but the intensity of it was unlike anything he could remember experiencing in recent history. Out of some morbid curiosity that seemed to exert an irresistible hold over him, he turned around to confirm for himself just what was going on. The surge of reiatsu they were all currently experiencing was coming from Twilight Sparkle's prone form. This wasn't an unconscious flaring of her reiatsu, like he'd witnessed several times before, but rather a deliberate show of strength. By now he could see a purple aura surrounding the unicorn's entire body. The two changeling drones on top of her were now displaying what he could only assume was great discomfort, and difficulty with maintaining a hold on her, despite the fact she wasn't moving at all. By now the surges in detectable reiatsu were becoming more and more intense in nature, seeming to serve as an outlet for the silent unicorn's rage. Her reiatsu was pulsing violently, the air around her and the two struggling changelings becoming visibly distorted, taking on an appearance similar to humidity over a paved road on a hot, sunny day. Perhaps the most startling fact of all was the pulsations traveling through the floor of the palace. He could feel them reverberating up his feet and legs right now, like being present for the aftershocks of an earthquake, or the release of an Espada's resurrección. Was this all Twilight Sparkle's doing? Did her reserves of reiatsu truly run so deep, that she could cause disturbances to the entire area through the simple act of not keeping it restrained? Chrysalis' eyes went wide with shock and terror at what she was seeing, and what the drones were relating back to her regarding their struggling to keep Twilight restrained. If this kept up much longer she was going to break loose, and once she did, there was absolutely no telling what would happen "Keep her restrained! Don't let her get loose!" In just a moment several more drones had swooped in and dog piled on top of Twilight to keep her pinned to the ground, landing on top of fellow changelings, or any piece of exposed pony flesh available, trying to keep their prisoner restrained and unable to move or retaliate. Off to the side where the others lay, the situation was just as hard to believe. What they were bearing witness to, was just another in a constant series of unbelievable events that seemed to defy logical explanation. "Good gracious," Rarity breathed in disbelief from where she lay. She always knew her friend was strong, but she had no idea that she was this strong! Even during the incident with the Ursa Minor, she hadn't felt anything like this. "I'm scared," Pinkie whispered, not wanting to watch anymore, yet at the same time being unable to look away from what was unfolding before them. The half dozen or so drones that'd been tasked with keeping Twilight pinned down to prevent her movement immediately became victimized by what they were up against. With unbelievable ease they were easily hurled away by the ever-increasing pulses that came from her body, sending them flying back and crashing into walls or whatever was in their path. Chrysalis' mouth hung open in disbelief as they watched things unfold. Her drones had been discarded like they were utter trash, allowing Twilight to stand back up with ease, and stomp her hoof loudly on the ground. Whatever ashes hadn't been scattered previously were now being blown away by the sheer amount of force coming off her body. By now her mane and tail were billowing about, wildly and uncontrollably as a result of her unrestrained power being left unchecked, the results looking as if she were trying to stare down a cyclone. Ulquiorra was trying to believe what he was seeing at this point. His pesquisa had told him that Twilight Sparkle was strong, that her reiatsu was considerably higher than she often displayed, but he hadn't expected anything like this. She was easily reaching previously unachieved levels, as the look on her face was a mix of violent emotions. And her eyes... her eyes were full of rage, anger, and pain. "Her eyes," he thought, "they're just like the eyes of-" His thoughts were quickly interrupted as Twilight's eyes glowed and became whited out with her own unrestrained power, much as he'd witnessed occur with Princess Luna during her fit of anger. Immediately this was followed up by her throwing her head back, issuing a bellow of absolutely primal, animalistic rage that resonated much like the royal Canterlot voice, the act coinciding with an even greater pulse of magical energy making itself known to all, and the floor beginning to crack beneath where she stood. "This is so not good!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the others, trying to be heard over their angered friend. She'd never admit to the fact, but she was feeling scared at this point. Really, really scared. Twilight's howl came to an end as she brought her face back forward, locking her eyes on Ulquiorra. Immediately the purple aura surrounding her faded away, the glow flowing directly into her horn, and causing it to glow with such an intensity it was almost white hot, with little lavender sparks falling from the tip and to the floor. "Meet your demise!" It was the only intelligible statement made by Twilight, followed by another howl of vengeance and fury as she lowered her glowing horn and pointed it directly at where Ulquiorra stood. The resulting blast of pure magical energy was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before, and something they never wanted to see again. The beam that flew from Twilight's horn was massive in terms of scope, the sheer force of the blast was strong enough it easily slid her halfway across the throne room's marble flooring, before she finally managed to come to a complete stop and maintain her ground. This fact did nothing to distract the others from what occurred on the other end, the blast completely engulfing Ulquiorra's entire body, wings and all, and continuing on unabated to come into contact with the side wall of the throne room, and part of the balcony. The sound of the attack was deafening in nature like a dragon's roar, causing everypony's ears to hurt from what they were forced to hear. The light coming off of it was as blinding as staring directly into the sun. And the heat was intolerable, like being near a dragon's fire, and felt like it would singe their fur right off just by being in proximity to it. And the entire time the ground shook violently, the entire castle feeling like it was quaking in fear from what was going on inside the confines of its own walls. Chrysalis herself tried hard to squeeze herself into the far corner of the throne on which she sat, terrified by what was going on right in front of her. Out of a matter of pure animal instinct, every changeling drone in the immediate area scattered and retreated to the far end of the room. It was only out of shock and fear, that the ponies themselves didn't take the same course of action. Rainbow Dash tried to speak, but no sound came out as she moved her mouth. She found that she was far too terrified to vocalize anything she was thinking. Where had Twilight been hiding all that power this whole time!? How did an introverted egghead get to be so unbelievably strong? And just as it began, it came to an end, the only signs of the beam's existence being a channel cut in the marble floor, and the smoke rising from the area. When it was all over Twilight fell to her knees, gasping for air, physically exhausted from exerting so much mana in one go, steam rising off her horn as the heat-induced glow began to fade. It was an exercise even more tiring than dealing with the Ursa Minor. "Such destructive potential," Chrysalis whispered in absolute terror as she looked where Ulquiorra used to stand. There was nothing left but smoke and cinders... and a massive round hole in the wall that'd been behind him, the wind gently blowing the smoke about. She'd desperately underestimated this one. "That's nothing," Twilight mumbled as she slowly rose back to her hooves and turned to better face her, her body wracked with heaving pants for air at this point, as she tried to remain upright. "You're..." she panted, "next..." more panting, "Chrysalis!" she finished as she lowered her horn to point right at the changeling queen, preparing to unleash the same fate on her that she'd subjected Ulquiorra to. "Not quite." That voice was unmistakable at this point. But it had to be a mistake! There was no way Ulquiorra could still be alive after a blast of that magnitude... right? It'd melted and cut a channel right through the marble floor, burned a hole through the outer wall of the palace, his still being alive had to be an impossibility. Unfortunately for them it wasn't an impossibility, the notion dispelled by the beat of a single black bat wing, scattering the smoke, and revealing Ulquiorra unmoved from his original spot, and completely unscathed. He hadn't even dodged the attack, he'd stayed firmly in place and taken the full force of it, just to prove that he could withstand it. It was like the dragon's fire incident all over again, only much, much worse. Everypony's mouth hung open in shock. "Had you directed the entirety of your fury's destructive force at Queen Chrysalis, you would have succeeded in completely disintegrating her," Ulquiorra spoke as he slowly walked forward. "You could have even killed every changeling drone in the city, had you a method of scattering your blast into hundreds of different trajectories," he continued as he got closer. "Instead you chose to direct your fury at me. And as a result you have burned through your reiryoku. You barely have enough left to stand, nevermind the possibility of firing a second shot. You had the opportunity to do something in response, and you chose to waste it in short sighted anger; just as Celestia chose to waste her opportunity to kill me, while I was still weak enough for her to do something about it." The kick from Ulquiorra that landed in Twilight's ribcage wasn't hard enough to actually break her bones, but in her weakened condition it was more than enough to send her rolling across the floor, and over to where the others were, held by the regrouped changeling drones, crashing into Pinkie and Rarity as she came to a hard stop. "These six are going to be quite troublesome to deal with," Chrysalis stated before turning to look at Ulquiorra. "Tell me my dear Ulquiorra Cifer, what would you recommend doing with these six?" she asked, eager to see what his response would be. Maybe they'd kill them outright? Or perhaps torture them slowly as the loudmouthed one had wanted to do to her. Or maybe she'd just feed them to her hive, and let her minions take care of the problem on their own. Ulquiorra turned his head and looked over his shoulder before addressing her. "Under normal circumstances I would recommend killing each of them, as they are nothing more than trash. However I have come to know these six quite well in my time here. In fact, you could even say that I've come to hate them. I feel death would spare them any future suffering, and misery, at watching the downfall of the last remnants of their kingdom, and the capture of their friends would be too merciful," he stated before turning back to face them. "Twilight Sparkle is the strongest of them, and she can barely move. In her current state, I'm amazed she's still strong enough to breathe. I don't believe they present a tangible threat at present. I would recommend placing them in a holding cell for the time being, until we're ready for them to experience true despair. After all they hold dear lays in ruin, then and only then will they have permission to die." Chrysalis' mouth hung open in disbelief at these words, amazed at the sheer amount of evil of what he was proposing. Brutal psychological torture, this had definite potential indeed. She could just imagine the trauma they'd experience at being forced to watch as their friends and families were rounded up and executed, their homes burnt to the ground, and the residents enslaved for the purpose of food and cheap labor. She knew she liked this Espada for some reason. Eagerly she nodded in agreement. "Yes that will do, I believe that will do just fine. I leave their fate in your hooves, Ulquiorra Cifer, do with them as you wish. Make them suffer for all the misery they've caused me and my hive!" Chrysalis commanded. "As you wish, My Queen. I shall escort them to an appropriate holding cell," Ulquiorra replied and began walking towards the doors of the throne room. "Follow," he commanded. Obediently the drones picked up the struggling and protesting ponies, and began following after Ulquiorra as he lead them to a more proper location. Chrysalis held her breath until the last signs of the group could no longer be seen. Once they were out of sight, she let loose a shaky breath, and looked at the divot Twilight Sparkle had left in her anger induced attempt to kill Ulquiorra. She'd quite literally melted the marble of the floor with her attack, and blown a huge hole in the wall and taken out part of the window and balcony in the process. She didn't even want to think of how much mana that little mare had, or what might've happened if she'd done like Ulquiorra had suggested, and directed her fury at her first. She was going to need a minute or two to properly compose herself and settle her nerves. Coming so close to death had a way of rattling even the most stoic of individuals. And necessitating a potty break. And from the smell emanating in the room... one of the ponies had apparently experienced the same need. One by one, each of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony was unceremoniously tossed into the holding cell by the changeling drones, Twilight Sparkle being the last to be thrown in, before the steel door was slammed shut with a resounding click of the lock. "You'll stay here for the time being, until Queen Chrysalis sees fit to summon your presence again," Ulquiorra stated simply and turned to leave. The cell bars rattled as Rainbow Dash slammed herself against them, desperately trying to latch onto his frame before he got out of foreleg's reach. "You just wait until I get out I'm gonna show you a thing or two!" she threatened. Ulquiorra ignored her boasting. There was nothing that she could do to inflict any measure of pain upon him, especially not in his released state. She couldn't even harm his hierro at his weakest, what could she possibly hope to do now? "Ulquiorra!" He paused in his pace at the sound of the voice. This time it was the otherwise mute Fluttershy speaking to him. Curiously he turned to face her as she stood up against the bars at the front of the holding cell, a pleading look in her eyes. "Ulquiorra why're you doing this? Why're you helping that monster Chrysalis when all she wants to do is hurt innocent ponies? Why'd you save us from the dragon back at the caves if your only intent was to betray us? Aren't we your friends?" she asked. "You're quite foolish if you truly believed we were ever friends. I didn't choose to save you from the dragon for any reason other than following my orders. My actions now are no different, I'm merely following orders," Ulquiorra replied. "You're all quite foolish if you believed your "friendship" could tame me, and turn me into something no different than a pet. You're all far too trusting in nature, to realize that the world is full of dangerous people who will take advantage of you, if given the opportunity." No more words were said as Ulquiorra turned and walking out of the holding area. The drones lingered behind a few moments longer, before following after him, the sound of a heavy door closing behind them down the hall, signalling that the girls were locked in and alone in the dimly lit area. Applejack pressed against the cell door, banging on it with her hooves. It was definitely locked, and quite tightly, so getting out of here that way wasn't a possibility. "Well now wha' do we do?" she asked. "I'll tell you what we should've done. We should've cut Chrysalis' horn off like I suggested!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Rainbow Dash!" Rarity protested loudly. "I know you're upset darling, but I can't possibly believe you'd so willingly suggest such a barbaric and cruel practice, and do so, so readily!" she stated. "Do you even stop to consider the weight of your words?" "What's that gotta do with anything? If we'd cut Chrysalis' horn off when we had the chance, we coulda told that traitor we defeated her, and we were rightfully in charge now! Then Princess Celestia might even still be alive if we did!" Rainbow Dash pointed out and stepped closer to Rarity. "That doesn't change what you were suggesting! Do you even know what dehorning is? In unicorns it's the magical equivalent of castration in a stallion! Cutting off a unicorn's horn deprives them of any ability to do magic, and renders them helpless. It's no different than cutting off a pegasi's wings. Would you really want your wings to be cut off with a hacksaw?" Rarity asked as she stepped closer to Rainbow Dash to stare her in the eyes. "This isn't about you and me, this is about a changeling named Chrysalis! So who cares if sawing off her horn is barbaric, she's responsible for the situation we're in right now!" Rainbow Dash stated. "Maybe we really should've killed her when we had the opportunity. You can't tell me that her life is worth the whole kingdom of Equestria! What's one death of one enemy really worth?" she asked. "All life is precious, Rainbow Dash, it's not for us to decide who's expendable and who isn't. We aren't judge, jury, and executioner to determine who gets to live and who gets to die. Yes Chrysalis is the enemy, but that's not our call to make. Once you start down that path of killing, there's no coming back once you have blood on your hooves!" Rarity stated, the two of them nearly nose to nose now, narrowed eyes locked together. "Well maybe I'm actually willing to go down that path! Maybe I'm willing to kill a few enemies to keep the peace! Did you ever think of that you stuck up, prissy, egotistical horn-headed nag!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, poking Rarity in the chest with her hoof to punctuate each insulting word. The rest of the ponies stared on, slack jawed and horrified, at the words that were flowing back and forth between Rarity and Rainbow Dash, the nature of the exchange becoming far more heated and hateful with each passing moment. Words were about to give way to hooves the way things were going. "QUIET!" Fluttershy shrieked, bringing the attention of the two vocal combatants directly to her, and directly into her intense piercing stare. "What's the matter with you two? How dare you fight each other tooth and hoof like that? Don't you know that all we have right now is each other and we need to work together? You shouldn't be fighting each other like that, we're the Elements of Harmony and we need to be harmonious! And on top of all that we're friends, and friends shouldn't be fighting each other like you two are right now!" she scolded them furiously. Over the course of the lecture their anger towards each other started tempering, before melting away. By the time Fluttershy was done scolding the two of them they both felt -as Applejack would so eloquently put it- lower than the belly of a snake, each of them looking at the other apologetically. "Rarity I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things, I didn't mean them," Rainbow Dash apologized. "It's quite alright darling, I understand. We're all running quite hot under the collar right now. We both said some things we shouldn't have. The important thing is that we understand such," Rarity replied before enveloping the pegasus in a hug. "I don't know what came over me! It's like being around that traitor just brought out the worst in me, I don't talk like that, I don't think like that," Rainbow Dash stated, horrified at the memories. What'd come over her? "Yay! This requires a "making up with friends" party!" Pinkie cheered. "Uh... Pinkie? Ah think we got bigger problems ta deal wit' first, like gettin' the hay outta here," Applejack pointed out. "Yeah good point," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded as she pulled away from Rarity. "So what've you got hidden away for a situation like this?" she asked Pinkie. "Beats me," Pinkie replied and shrugged. "What?" Rainbow Dash asked in a confused manner and tilted her head. "Pinkie you're always prepared for weird stuff. I know the tree where you hide trampolines in case of trampoline emergencies in Ponyville. You've even got a special spot picked out for storing basketball stuff in case of basketball emergencies, and nopony in Ponyville even knows how to play basketball! How can you not have something in mind for escaping a prison cell!?" she demanded to know, the very idea seemingly impossible. "I was too busy thinking that we needed the Elements of Harmony to see this one coming. Duh!" Pinkie replied. "Well that's just great, how're we supposed to get out of here?" Rainbow Dash asked. "... I have a plan," Twilight mumbled as she pushed herself upward into a sitting position. Immediately everything went silent at her words, and she felt five pairs of eyes on her. And all for good reason. She'd been nearly catatonic since the whole fiasco, nearly went to pieces and completely lost her sanity at witnessing Princess Celestia's death. She hadn't said a word, or even had a conscious thought since her failed attempt at killing Ulquiorra in retaliation for what he'd done. She'd very nearly gone completely off the deep end, falling to a state of catatonia that one could never hope to come back from. But she couldn't suffer that fate; not yet anyway. There was too much that needed to be done before she could afford to go away. She had to pull herself together, compartmentalize her mind to strengthen her psyche, and focus on something constructive; something like a plan for actually getting them out of here, and righting things as best possible. That was the only thing she could do right now, in order to hold herself together. "I've been thinking on it ever since we got in here. But I need help in carrying it out," she explained in a tone and manner that suggested she was exhausted and about ready to fall asleep on her hooves. Groggily she turned to Rarity. "Rarity I'm gonna need your help the most. Can you lend me some of your mana?" she asked. "Twilight darling, you know I'm always willing to help out a friend. But what in Equestria are you going to do with part of my mana?" Rarity asked curiously as she stepped closer. She was quite happy her friend seemed alright, coherent enough to think up a plan. But the poor dear looked dreadful right now. She looked like she was half dead right now. She couldn't begin to imagine how much she'd exerted herself already, and yet here she was trying to push even further. "I'm running on empty here, I'm no good to anypony right now. There's a spell I know that allows for unicorns to quickly recharge their mana reserves, but it requires a much greater amount than I have to contribute right now. I can't even cast a basic illumination spell. And if we're going to pull this off, I'm going to need a full tank to run on, as there's a lot of parts involved," Twilight explained. "Wha' ya got in mind Sugarcube?" Applejack asked. "First we need to get out of this holding cell, that requires a lock picking spell. Once we're free, Rainbow Dash and I can proceed to Ponyville and pick up the Elements of Harmony, and bring them back here. While we're doing that, I need you girls to carry out what's arguably the most important part of the plan. I need you to find Princess Luna, make sure she's safe, and keep her that way if at all possible. You heard what Chrysalis and Ulquiorra were talking about. If Princess Celestia was no match for him, Princess Luna is doomed on her own. You need to protect her at all costs, until we can get back here, and serve as reinforcements," Twilight explained. "Uh... Twilight? Why can't I just go pick up the Elements of Harmony myself? I mean, it'd be easier to carry just them, than it would be to carry them and you at the same time. No offense or anything, but you're really extra weight I'd have to take into consideration," Rainbow Dash pointed out. "I'm aware of that fact, Rainbow Dash, but that's not the entirety of the plan. I need to come along because I need you to take me to Zecora's hut in the Everfree Forest. For this plan to work, I need to talk to her directly," Twilight stated. "Zecora? Why Zecora? I know she's smart and all, but, isn't this kinda out of her league?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, I don't think there are any balms made from roots, berries, and tree bark, that are gonna help us out in this mess." "It's nothing like that. I need to talk to Zecora directly, because she's the only one who..." she paused. What she had to say next was far from easy. What she was about to say, was one of the hardest things she'd ever considered; she didn't even know if her friends would have her back right now. But right now was a desperate situation, and desperate times called for desperate measures. Taking a steadying breath, she continued speaking. "Who currently knows of the exact location of the Alicorn Amulet," Twilight explained, only to be met with surprised gasps from her friends. She'd half anticipated that. "The Alicorn Amulet?" Rarity asked, "Twilight darling you remember what that horrid thing did to Trixie don't you?" There was a considerable amount of protest from her friends at hearing that aspect of her plan. It wasn't surprising one bit that they were upset by it, she was upset too, and she shared all of their concerns. But unlike them, she was seeing the bigger picture and what was really at stake. "-and it'll be raining grapefuits by Groundhog's Day!" Twilight blinked at that one, having missed whatever the beginning of Pinkie's statement was, too far inside her own thoughts to even pay attention to her friends trying to talk her out of it. That one was random even for her, especially without knowing the context behind it. "Does anypony mind if I finish speaking before you all go flying off and objecting by default? Please?" she asked as she looked around them. No objections were voiced, leaving her to speak freely. But first she needed to lay back down on the floor. Sitting up was tiring her out even more. "Look. I know better than almost anypony just how dangerous the Alicorn Amulet is. I faced Trixie when she used it, I saw for myself what horrible powers she wielded, and what they were doing to her. But this isn't about me, or about any of us, this is about Equestria as a whole. Princess Celestia is dead right now; the same Princess Celestia that raises the sun every day. Think about that for a minute. Even if we get the Elements of Harmony, and unleash them, and turn every changeling into stone, Ulquiorra included, none of that will bring her back to life. Princess Celestia is dead and gone, it's over for her. That's why we need to ensure Princess Luna's safety at all costs. Without her, Equestria and everypony living here won't have long to live. If she can't take over the duty of raising and lowering the sun at the proper time. Without the sun's normal cycle, the crops won't survive, and we'll all starve to death. I don't even know if Princess Luna can do it on her own. I might need to assist her on the matter, and we work as a team to maintain the proper balance from here on out. And if that's the case, then I'm going to need the Alicorn Amulet, to try and keep the proper balance of day and night," she explained as calmly as she could. To her it made sense. She was Princess Celestia's prized student. And as such, who else was better qualified to assist Princess Luna in the task at hoof? Silence. Nothing but silence from her friends at her words. That was more along the lines of what she was expecting. Unlike Trixie, she wasn't thinking about herself when it came to the Alicorn Amulet, but rather the continued existence of the entire world, and every pony living there. Surely her good intentions would be enough to counter whatever corrupting influence the amulet held when coupled with her Element of Harmony status. "I've said my peace. I've laid out things as coherently as I can. But I can't make any of you agree with me. Just try and understand where I'm coming from on this," she said, pausing to push herself back up into a sitting position again. Slowly she turned herself to better look at Rarity. She was going to be key in this whole plan working. "So, can I still borrow some of your mana? Or am I just crazy and should forget the whole plan?" she finally asked. "... How much do you need darling?" Rarity asked finally. How could she deny her help to a friend in need, when said friend was planning out how to go about saving the entire world, from what just had to be their darkest hour? "About.. half maybe? It's a really complicated spell," Twilight explained. "Yeah... speakin' o' which..." Applejack spoke up, bringing their attention back to her. "Ah know ah'm jus' a simple country farmpony an' all. But considerin' how many unicorns live in Canterlot, aren't the holdin' cells enchanted er somethin' so nopony can perform magic while locked up?" she asked. "Actually they are, but only on the lower levels with the prison cells. The fields are so strong you can't even feel the mana from inside one of the cells. But this is nothing more than a converted storage room ,with bars replacing one of the walls and the door, meant for holding troublemakers until the proper authorities arrive. We can get out of here easily," Twilight pointed out. "I guess we lucked out on that one," Rainbow Dash replied. Twilight ignored Rainbow Dash's comment before turning to Rarity again. "Ready?" she asked. "Whenever you are darling," Rarity replied and nodded. Both unicorns closed their eyes and lowered their heads until the tips of their horns were touching each other. The others watched in silence as the baby blue hue of Rarity's magic flowed freely from her horn and into Twilight's, where it was sucked up like a vacuum. The process only lasted about a minute before being stopped. "That should do," Rarity stated as she opened her eyes, before having to catch herself. "Oh my, now I feel rather dizzy after that..." "Thank you darling that feels so much better," Twilight said as she opened her eyes. Upon hearing her voice she blinked and cleared her throat. "It seems a bit of your accent bled though with the transfer," she giggled, before going serious again. "Alright I need to concentrate on this one if I'm gonna cast it properly." The others nodded in understanding as Twilight sat down on her haunches and closed her eyes. They all watched as her horn began glowing, first with the baby blue hue natural to Rarity before it shifted over to her own purple coloring. And then they watched as the immediate area around her horn was filled with a white fog-like substance being drawn into her horn like water flowing down a bathtub drain. All the while, the air around them felt like it'd taken on a sudden chill. +++ "Is it really alright for you to leave without killing me?" he asked. "I have no reason to fight you," the Shinigami stated as he kept his back turned to him. Hardly the wisest move when facing an enemy. "... What's that supposed to mean?" he asked in mild curiosity. "You're my enemy, but you yourself still have yet to hurt any of my nakama!" the Shinigami stated as he continued walking away from him. "Is that so?" he asked. He truly didn't understand this one's thought process. Recognizing him as an enemy but refusing to fight him out of some foolish notion about his involvement? That simply wouldn't do... "What if I were to tell you that I was the one who brought Orihime Inoue to Hueco Mundo in the first place?" It was the briefest of pauses before the orange haired Shinigami reacted, drawing his over sized zanpakutō, and attacking him, the attack easily blocked by his wrist, bringing him easily within viewing distance of the Shinigami's eyes and all the rage they contained. ** +++ "Those eyes," Ulquiorra thought to himself as he stood in the throne room, staring out the hole where the window once remained, and down at the city of Canterlot, the changeling drones buzzing about now that they had no reason to conceal their existence from the world. It was a comparison he couldn't help but make. The instability of her reiatsu, the piercing eyes during a moment of unrestrained rage, and the guttural howl of fury. There was little doubt left in his mind, Twilight Sparkle shared many similar aspects with the human Ichigo Kurosaki. This revelation meant he could no longer doubt her, if he wished to keep his head attached to his neck. The fact she still possessed such strength after casting a forcefield over all of Ponyville was especially disturbing. "You seem troubled," Chrysalis commented from her throne. Ever since Ulquiorra's return from escorting the prisoners away he'd been silent, simply standing and peering out the window deep in thought. That level of silence was quite disturbing, she daresay even suffocating. "What's on your mind, my dear Ulquiorra Cifer?" she asked as she stepped down and approached him. "The unicorn Twilight Sparkle," Ulquiorra replied, not even bothering to turn around to face her. "Out of the six of them, she is the one that presents the most threat to us. Her destructive potential is as considerable as it is unpredictable. The fluctuations in her level of reiatsu are considerable. At its lowest she is nothing more than trash. But at the highest I've ever seen, she possessed more strength than even myself," he explained. "Yet you survived her assault unharmed," Chrysalis pointed out. "I did. However had I not been in my released state, she might actually have succeeded in killing me with that attack of hers," he replied. "I possess doubts about her usefulness to us. I don't believe she would ever willingly serve you, regardless of what torture might be inflicted upon her to sway her allegiance. And even if she did break, the constant fluctuations in her strength make her more of a liability than anything else. If she could kill me so easily, there would be nothing to stop her from killing you in the same manner, and taking control of the kingdom for herself," he explained calmly. "You really think so?" Chrysalis asked curiously. Could such a situation actually be possible? "Based on my own experiences, I have little reason to believe otherwise," he replied and left it at that. The threat potential possessed by Twilight Sparkle couldn't be ignored or overstated, not after what he'd already experienced. She was a threat to Chrysalis' continued rule and that was not something he could allow. That said however, there was one glaring fact to address. Twilight Sparkle possessed similarities to Ichigo Kurosaki, but she was not Ichigo Kurosaki. She was a unicorn rather than a Shinigami, a living being rather than a soul. And she definitely lacked the ability to hollowfy and make herself stronger. She had already displayed the upper limits of her strength, and failed to properly harm him. That attack of hers, no matter how powerful it was, still lacked the destructive potential necessary to successfully break him. But there was still the possibility that this development could somehow jeopardize everything he was working for. For the time being, the matter didn't need to be dealt with. Twilight Sparkle's reiryoku reserves did indeed run very deep, and it was not likely she would recover them within the span of a few hours. Being a living being, and absent healers, there was little she could actually do. For now there were more important matters to tend to. "How goes the capture of Canterlot? Your drones appear to be rather lax in their duties, simply flying about, rather than doing anything else." "With Celestia's downfall everything is falling into place nicely. Canterlot is firmly under my control, all the citizens trapped and safely stored away for later. Now my drones can fly about freely without concern and we no longer need to hide underground in that damp cave of a hive we were utilizing. As long as you're by my side nothing can stop us," Chrysalis grinned evilly. "Indeed." "And it's all thanks to you, and your loyalty to the hive," Chrysalis added. However this time Ulquiorra said nothing in response. That silence caused her to blink. He should've said something, anything. Was something wrong here? "You... are loyal to us, correct?" she asked him hesitantly. "Yes, My Queen," Ulquiorra spoke in response. "Loyal enough to turn about in a circle should I so order it?" she asked, curiously. His response was silent, but consisted of him actually turning in a circle on a single hoof... or whatever it was that he stood on. Seeing that he didn't question the nature of the inquiry, she decided to let it drop. If he wasn't under her control, he never would've done it. "Most excellent. Most excellent indeed..." "Might I ask a question, My Queen?" Ulquiorra asked. "Of course." "Why did you not simply use your spell to gain control of Princess Celestia, either this time or the last?" Chrysalis paused in thought and rubbed her chin. That was indeed a good question to ask. "It's not a matter quite so simple. The ability to control the minds of others is a taxing endeavor to engage in. The amount of magic needed is in direct proportion to the will of the intended targets. The stronger the will, the more magic is needed to be successful. Had I attempted such with Celestia during our last encounter, I wouldn't have enough leftover to affect Shining Armor. And as I was posing as his beloved, I needed to prioritize based on the circumstances. Even then, I occasionally needed to recast the spell on him, as his was a very strong will. Controlling Celestia would've been possible, but the effort needed would've been quite significant. And attempting to control both at once, would be absolutely exhaustive to attempt," she explained. Her magic was significant, but even she had her limits. Not that she hadn't entertained the thought of subjugating the solar princess on more than one occasion, and forced her to do numerous acts to please her new master. But the opportunity for such had never properly presented itself. Oh well. There was always Luna to toy with once she was found. The little sister would provide a decent second choice. Ulquiorra said nothing in response, opting instead to continue looking out the window. It was a long, long thirty minutes as they all waited for Twilight to finish her recharge, the five of them huddled together for warmth to deal with the coldness, that resulted from the mana being pulled right out of the air around them. Applejack, Pinkie, and Rarity were pressed against the far end of the cell, while Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy used their wings in an effort to trap body heat in. Even once she was done, the chill still remained, and left her shivering once she was aware of her surroundings again. "First thing's first, let's get out of here," Twilight stated and aimed her horn at the door. A clicking noise sounded and the door slowly swung open allowing them to escape. "So what's the next part of the plan?" Pinkie asked. "We separate into two groups and carry out our parts. Pinkie, you and Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack will stay here, and try to find Princess Luna's chambers and ensure she's safe. If I remember the layout of the palace correctly, and I do, they should be in the northern wing of the castle. Meanwhile Rainbow Dash and I will work our way to the outside of the castle, and depart for Ponyville, and Zecora's hut to retrieve the Elements of Harmony and the Alicorn Amulet, respectively. After that we'll make our way back and-" "Kick some flank, stop the villain, save the world," Applejack elaborated, causing Twilight to chuckle in response before continuing. "-that's a lot more simplified than what I was going to say, but that's pretty much it. Any questions?" "Um..." Fluttershy began hesitantly, uncertain how to proceed. Fifteen minutes was a long time to try and be silent; long enough that her mind had wandered. And it'd wandered into some uncomfortable areas, bringing up thoughts that couldn't be un-thought. "Well... remember how Princess Luna was absent for the first changeling invasion? And how with everything going on, she's still not here?" she asked. Everypony was looking at her now. Reflexively she tried to hide behind her mane, their stares making it all the more difficult for her to voice her concern. "I just... I just started wondering. What if... I mean... what if... what if Princess Luna isn't the nice pony she wants us to think she is?" she asked, her voice cracking. Still nothing but silence in stares, forcing her to shut her eyes to try and continue. "What if Princess Luna is actually behind everything and is just using Chrysalis and the changelings? What if she's using Ulquiorra too? W-what if Nightmare Moon is actually coming back, and this is just a big scheme to enact eternal night again?" she asked, finishing in a rush as her words nearly blended together in the same way they did when Pinkie would ramble. Twilight hadn't considered that thought. She didn't want to consider that thought. It was just too horrible to give actual consideration to! And yet... what if Fluttershy's suspicions were correct? What if Princess Luna's absence -both current and previous- was due to having her own agenda? What if they were actually helping the enemy? No! Don't think about it! If she thought about it, her brain would explode and she'd go to pieces. She had to shut it out, to tune it out and focus. Compartmentalize her thoughts! Organize her thoughts! Stuff the uncertainty in a drawer, lock said drawer, and don't think about it right now! "Then... we'll need the Elements of Harmony more than ever," she said slowly, "in the mean time, exercise great caution, and proceed carefully. Don't let on that we suspect anything. We'll try and be back as soon as possible," she continued. "Are there any other questions?" "Just one. When do we get going? I'm tired of standing around and waiting!" Rainbow Dash stated. She'd been itching to get going ever since Twilight had come up with her plan of action. And now that there was a greater sense of urgency than ever, she was itching even worse now. All this standing around and talking wasn't going to do them any good. "Before y'all head out ya might need this," Applejack said as she lifted off her stetson and pulled a coiled length of rope out from the inside before passing it to Twilight. "Rope? What would we need rope for?" Twilight asked as she held it in her hooves and looked at it curiously. "Ah dunno. But in those stories ya got, Colt Bronson's always got rope, an' he's always needin' it fer somethin' er other," Applejack pointed out. Did Applejack really think a cheap plot device in story books had any bearing on real life? What could they possibly use a length of rope for? More importantly why did she keep it under her hat? The first rope used on Chrysalis -as best she understood- Pinkie found lying around and used it at the time. But this one? She could refute her, but that would use up valuable time they didn't have. Instead she opted to just nod her thanks, and magically wrap the rope diagonally around her midsection. And almost immediately, she and Rainbow Dash were pulled into a big hug by Pinkie. "After this is all over we're going to have the biggest "We saved the entire world" party you've ever seen," she told them. "To date it'll be the only one we've ever seen," Rainbow Dash pointed out before the hug was finally disengaged. "Alright that's enough talking, we've got a job to do, so let's do it and get it done!" "Right!" they all stated before finally parting ways, each party galloping off in opposite directions to carry out their respective tasks. Chrysalis understood that there were many things about Ulquiorra that she didn't know or have any comprehension of. But she was certain that his body shouldn't be smoking the way it was. It'd all started just moments ago, a movement caught out of the corner of her eye as he continued standing their silently and unmoving like a statue. Even as the smoke arose from his wings, he remained unmoving and unconcerned. "What's happening to you Ulquiorra Cifer? You look like you're about to burst into flames!" she stated. Ulquiorra remained silent, leaving her to watch as his black wings faded away from the tips inward to where they attached to his back, his robes evaporating and replaced by he same pants and shirt he was wearing at their first encounter, his hair receding and his Hollow mask retaking its asymmetrical styling, and his sword returning to his right hand. "Maintaining my released state for extensive periods of time is a rather consuming exercise. At present time I don't believe it's needed any further," Ulquiorra replied as he eased his zanpakutō back into its sheath. "I don't believe the bearers of the Elements of Harmony will be able to escape. However, regardless of this fact, I will need time to recharge, should Luna attempt a counterattack against us for our actions here today. With her still unaccounted for, we must proceed with caution." "You, Ulquiorra Cifer, are a very strange one indeed. While you raise a very good point, half of the terms you use I don't even recognize. Sometime after things have calmed down, we need to sit down and have a long, long talk about you," Chrysalis commented. Stranger still was the sudden change in atmosphere. Ever since the transformation she'd been experiencing a difficulty in breathing. But now that he'd transformed back she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She really didn't understand it all that well. "Understood, My Queen," he spoke as he turned to face her. But then he quickly turned, and looked back out the window. "Something is not right. I can sense it..." Two minutes out into their journey, and so far everything was going well. No changelings had been encountered on their journey to the outside of the castle, no difficulties experienced, just a smooth takeoff towards Ponyville. Things were going quite well. "How long until we get to Ponyville?" Twilight asked, loud enough to overcome the wind rushing past their ears. "Well normally I'd say three minutes, but like I said Twilight you really aren't light, you're messing up my aerodynamics and my weight distribution so it's gonna take longer. Maybe eight minutes," Rainbow Dash replied as she kept a tight hold on the unicorn with her forelegs. "No offense." "None taken. It's all very documented how changes in the available standards can affect overall performance either positively or negatively," Twilight replied. "I gotta say, Twilight, you're taking things a lot better than I thought you would. You're a lot more calm, cool, and collected than I expected," Rainbow Dash commented as they continued along, not really wanting to travel in silence the whole way. "I need to be, Rainbow Dash, the fate of Equestria is hanging in the balance, and everypony everywhere is counting on us, even if they don't know about it. If I go to pieces we all could very well be doomed. I don't have time to grieve for Princess Celestia's loss, there's a crisis to address," Twilight pointed out. "But the minute this crisis is over, and everything's settled, I'm going to totally break down and bawl like a newborn foal for a week." It was something in her voice, something that told her Twilight wasn't joking, but was totally serious about the breakdown part. She couldn't really blame her if she did just that, not after everything they'd experienced over the course of the day. If her friend didn't totally collapse at some point, then she'd be worried. Breaks were normal and everypony experienced them. Refusing to acknowledge them was when it really got dangerous and sanity was at risk. "Hey Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked to break up the uncomfortable silence once again, "what was that attack you fired back there at that traitor? It looked just like his Cero. I always knew you were powerful, Egghead, but I never knew just how powerful you were!" "I really don't know what to say, Rainbow Dash, I was just so... angry, that I didn't even think about it, it just happened, like it was automatic or something, like I wasn't even in control of my actions back there," Twilight replied, doing her best to explain things as she understood. She had no idea just what had taken place back in the throne room, she really didn't. All she really knew for certain was that whatever it was, it scared her. She felt like she was draining away during its use, like it was somehow robbing her of something vital. It wasn't something she really wanted to consider using again. More uncomfortable silence, broken up only by the sound of the wind rushing past their ears. At least they were only three minutes away from Ponyville now. Soon they'd be touching down, getting the Elements of Harmony, and bringing them back to Canterlot. "So what about Discord?" Rainbow Dash finally asked. "Where exactly is his ugly face when everything's going straight to Tartarus?" "I don't know, Rainbow Dash. Maybe it's like Fluttershy's fears about Nightmare Moon returning. For all we know, Discord set this entire thing up from the very beginning. He is pure, undiluted chaos afterall. He could've been playing us since his supposed reform, making us drop our guard, and introducing Ulquiorra just to pull our chains. We could've been walking right into an elaborate trap right from the very beginning..." More silence. Silence and uncomfortable thoughts. This was a bad, bad line of discussion to engage in. "I gotta say, things have gone a lot easier than I thought. I was sure Chrysalis would've dispatched a horde of changelings to try and bring us back, and there'd be some awesome midair dogfighting maneuvers or something. This is... almost routine in nature." Rainbow Dash commented. "Don't knock it, Rainbow Dash, the last thing we need right now is trouble. And an aerial fight is definitely something we don't need going on," Twilight stated. "The only thing that could be worse than having to fight off a horde of changelings right now, is coming face to face with Ulquiorra, and... Rainbow Dash? Why're we slowing down?" "Uh... Twilight..." Rainbow Dash spoke up as she came to a complete stop, shaking Twilight in the process and startling her. The sudden deceleration from their previous traveling speed had shaken her up considerably and nearly threw her out of Rainbow Dash's hold before she finally managed to right herself. What had caused the pegasus so much concern that she'd stop in such a hasty manner with a passenger when the risk of injury was so great with such a maneuver? Apparently an Espada calmly standing in their path was what warranted such actions. Not even fifty feet ahead of them was Ulquiorra, standing calmly in midair, his hands tucked in his pockets as if he'd been waiting for them this whole time. "This is bad," Twilight stated. Even back in his original form, this wouldn't be any confrontation they were likely to win. "We need to get out of here. Do your Sonic Rainboom, he can't keep up with the speeds." "What!? Twilight there's no way I can do that, not with you on board. Aerodynamics aside, you'd be crushed. You heard him when I first did it, my mana flow protects my body from harm, yours doesn't You'd never survive," Rainbow Dash replied, horrified at the very idea of such. "An accurate assessment of the facts," Ulquiorra replied as he began walking forward at a slow pace. "You two are proving to be an unnecessary complication. Did you truly believe you could escape the palace, unnoticed, and retrieve the Elements of Harmony from Ponyville? Such foolishness on your part. Queen Chrysalis already anticipated such a strategy, and responded accordingly. The town of Ponyville has already been successfully recaptured by a division. And as we speak, six changeling drones are scattering the Elements of Harmony over the deepest regions of the Everfree Forest where they will never be found again. It would appear the enchantment that bonded them to you, was not sufficient to prevent their theft," he explained as he stepped closer to them. "You were all quite foolish, to so willingly share so much sensitive information upon your first meeting with me. Such an overly trusting nature will be your downfall, just as it was Celestia's downfall." Rainbow Dash was seeing red right now at Ulquiorra's words. He was going out of his way to be cruel and insulting to them even after dashing their hopes by informing them that the Elements of Harmony were gone. Was he deliberately asking for retaliation from them? Because if he was, she was more than willing to bring it! And then she felt an intense heat coming from her forelegs. Looking down she saw Twilight's aura flaring up again, and instantly knew this wasn't about to end well. "I have no idea how you managed to regain your full strength in less than an hour. It's a true mystery to me. However, if you intend to attack me just as you did before, I would recommend you don't. With the current proximity, you'll kill your friend before you succeed in hurting me," Ulquiorra stated calmly as he stood no more than ten feet away from the two. "Are you really willing to do that in a useless attempt to get revenge for my words?" he asked. "Are you willing to destroy your minute chances of saving Equestria, by killing Rainbow Dash, all in order to try and strike me?" Apparently yes she was. A bright white light erupted from her horn faster than he could react, and the next thing he knew, his vision was completely washed out by an oppressive white light, and there was a terrible ringing in his ears that left him unable to hear anything around him. However the sensory interference soon cleared, his vision and hearing returning in short order. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were gone from their current position, and traveling at high speeds. And curiously, his wrists were tightly bound by a length of rope, as if it would somehow slow him down. Did they truly think that would stop him? "Have it your way then," he muttered, snapping the rope with minimal effort, before locking onto the location of their combined reiatsu signatures, and deploying his sonido to meet up with them. If they wished to struggle in a futile manner he would indulge them, as it would be the last time they had any chance to resist. "Such spirit. It's all very commendable," Chrysalis commented. The fact that those who held the Elements of Harmony had found a way to escape really didn't come as that big a surprise to her, she'd actually been expecting something like that to happen. She would've been so dearly disappointed if they hadn't made the attempt at some point after their capture. The throne room was alive with the buzzing of wings from her drones, and the yelps of pain and protest from the four as they were each dropped to the floor one by one, before descending, and keeping them pinned to the ground. These four were quite deserving of the Element of Harmony status. They'd given her quite a bit of trouble since getting loose. Despite being few in numbers, they'd put up quite the fight in their effort to resist once their sneaking about had been interrupted. They'd kicked, bucked, stomped, tackled, and done all manner of other things to try and fight their way through once the element of surprise was gone. And had the number of her drones been fewer, they might have actually succeeded. But in the end all their efforts amounted to very little. Once again they were captured and before her, unable to do anything. "Commendable but quite stupid. Did you truly believe you could just sneak away like that and not get caught? My entire hive is here in Canterlot palace, and my rule is all but ensured," she stated as she looked over each of them. "That is good news indeed." She nearly jumped out of her exoskeleton at the unexpected voice before she realized it was Ulquiorra, practically strolling through the hole in the wall with the last two ponies in tow, one tucked under each arm, and unceremoniously deposited on the floor next to the other four, the impact of the landing enough to snap them out of whatever level of dazed unconsciousness they were in. "Did they give you much trouble in their getaway?" Chrysalis asked. "Hardly. Regardless of how much they refused to accept their own defeat, it was of no consequence, as the end result was the same," he explained before turning back to face her. "Total control of the palace has been achieved?" "Yes and beautifully so. The city is secure, the palace is secure, everything is under my control now, absolutely everything!" Chrysalis stated. "Soon my hive will spread, and take control of the surrounding territory, and then all of Equestria will be under our total control, and ripe for harvesting as we see fit." "Then it would seem the only thing left to cement your rule, is deal with those that would oppose you," Ulquiorra replied as he turned his attention back to the six who lay crumpled in the middle of the room. "Yes it does, doesn't it?" Chrysalis asked as she stepped closer to look down on them. "Tell me my dears, does anypony present care to beg for their lives and serve the hive as slaves?" she asked. Twilight was the first to speak up, coughing as she looked up. "I'll never serve the likes of you, Chrysalis," she hissed as she forced herself back up to her hooves in a standing position, despite the attempts of the changelings to push her back down. "You'd be better off just killing me. Because I swear, if you leave me alive I will find a way to kill the both of you, and I won't hesitate to do it either. I don't care if it goes against the teachings of Equestria, I'll make the both of you pay for everything you've done here today. I don't care how much stronger you are than me, because that's not going to stop me!" "Defiant even now, Twilight Sparkle?" Chrysalis asked with an amused grin. She turned to look at Ulquiorra before continuing. "You've got a particularly sadistic mind, what would you recommend we do with these six to ensure maximum misery?" she asked him. "Leaving them alive would be dangerous when you consider the trouble they can present. They have already proven the fact that they can't be underestimated. However I believe the danger can be reduced to a manageable amount, simply by killing Twilight Sparkle. Of the six, she presents the greatest likelihood of being a true threat. Even with the Elements of Harmony scattered to the deepest regions of the Everfree Forest, there is still the minute possibility that if she lives, she will one day be able to locate and gather them. Even if we killed her friends, there would be nothing to prevent her from assembling a new team. However she is the lynch pin, and without her everything will crumble and turn to dust. Without her, the others will lack the spirit to go on fighting, and simply give up and resign themselves to their fate. As is natural for all living beings," Ulquiorra explained calmly. "Hmm..." Chrysalis muttered in thought and rubbed her chin. "I was so hoping to break Twilight Sparkle's spirits myself, and turn her into an obedient slave who would be eager to serve her new master, in any way demanded of her. But now that you mention it, I don't think she'd ever willingly break, no matter how much I put her through. Perhaps you're right, perhaps we should just kill her now, and let her friends wallow in her death," she concluded, the sounds of the others struggling of no importance to her. "Would you like the honor of striking her down?" "It would please me greatly, My Queen," Ulquiorra replied evenly and withdrew his zanpakutō from its sheath and stepped forward. He looked down at Twilight Sparkle, and the same defiant look in her eyes as always. He knew she wouldn't plead for mercy, for him to spare her life, and allow her to live and serve her new master in an obedient manner. She would have none of that. He had little doubt that if he left her alive, she would indeed find a way to kill Queen Chrysalis if given the opportunity. She was too much of a threat to be allowed to live. This was the only available course of action that made sense. He had his orders, and he intended to follow them to their fullest. There would be no deviation from his task, unless he was ordered to do so. "Farewell..."