//------------------------------// // Chapter Thirty Six // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter Thirty Six It was way, way, way too early to be up this morning. It was as simple as that, just way too bucking early to be up and awake. All Rainbow Dash wanted to do right now was just get another hour or so of sleep to compensate for what she'd lost last night. But sadly she wasn't getting that right now. She had to perform her early morning weather duties, check in with Twilight and the others, carry out her assigned weather duties for the day, keep an eye out for anything weird around Ponyville and the surrounding territory, and then see what her friends were up to for today. Having all that to do in her state meant getting awake in a hurry. And unfortunately there was only one sure way to go about doing so, that made sense in her sleep deprived mind. She needed to take a cold shower. Meaning she had to go outside to locate a stray cloud and give it a good, solid kick to bring down a deluge of rainwater that was just short of freezing from setting outside overnight. "Stupid early morning weather duties," she mumbled and yawned, scratching at her side with her hoof as she flew along, eyes barely open enough to keep her from crashing into anything. "Stupid mysteries, stupid reports, stupid, stupid, stupid..." she yawned more as she made her way over to a cloud that looked like it had enough rain for her needs. The haphazard buck given had the desired effect of triggering a downpour of cold rainwater, the chill causing a shrill scream of surprise as it easily beat through her fur and against her skin. She hated that! But at least she felt more wide awake and alert now. Once the initial shock was over, it really wasn't all that bad. And once the rain actually got moving, it wasn't really that cold. Since she was here she might as well finish with getting cleaned up, it really wasn't that big of a deal. Humming an offbeat tune to herself, she proceeded to wash up and get herself ready for the day, letting the rain pelt away at her wings, mane, and face. Most of the one sided conversation with herself was held in unintelligible mumbles, serving as a vocal outlet as she figured out what today was going to involve beyond her assigned duties and responsibilities. Today was Wednesday, so she had her race with Applejack later this afternoon, but she didn't know what else there was. Shrugging, she threw her head back to catch a mouthful of rainwater to gargle with. "What exactly are you doing?" Rainbow Dash coughed at suddenly hearing the unexpected voice, nearly choking in surprise from swallowing wrong. After a particularly hard cough, she finally turned around to glare at whoever it was that decided to sneak up on her. To her surprise it was none other than Ulquiorra, standing there in the middle of the sky as easily as she stood on clouds, his hands tucked away in his pockets, looking at her in the way only he could. "Dude that's not funny!" she yelled. She was cold, she was dripping wet, and her awesome mane was matted against her head in a very uncool manner, and this jerk had managed to sneak up behind her with ease and take her completely off guard. She had plenty of good reason to be furious with him right now. "I apologize then," Ulquiorra replied simply, his expression completely unchanged. Rainbow Dash frowned again. "Yeah? For some reason I don't think you mean that," she stated in response as she eyed him incredulously. "A correct suspicion, as I did not," Ulquiorra replied, "where can Twilight Sparkle be found at this time of day?" he asked. There were a lot of things Rainbow Dash wanted to say right now. A lot of things she could say to try and put the Espada in his place for interrupting her shower, nearly drowning her mid-gargle, and then trying to pump her for information about her friends. Yes indeed, there were a lot of things she wanted to say. But she wasn't going to say any of them. She knew from the beginning that the Espada was a jerk and that it was in his nature, yelling at him wasn't going to change that, and it'd just get her all the more riled and bristled, and it wouldn't even make her feel good. She was just going to have to let the issue drop. At least he was asking and not demanding, that was something. "Knowing Egghead she's probably at the library, but I don't know what she's doing right now. She could be reading or sleeping, or knowing her she found a way to read in her sleep," she replied and shrugged, "what brings you by Ponyville at this time of day?" "Questions for which no answers appear to exist in Canterlot's library. Continued scouring of the many hundreds of books available in an unguided manner would serve little to no purpose," Ulquiorra explained. He'd spent days reading. Hundreds of books being read through in search of answers, some small sliver of information that could help put everything into perspective. Some passage of history to explain Princess Celestia, to explain Discord, to possibly reveal if there was another player in the world. And despite all his efforts he'd only been able to cover a small portion of the total number of books gathered. It was too early to write off the entire library as useless. But as it was currently, he was doing little more than metaphorically beating his head against a wall. He didn't doubt his own ability to gather answers, but what he did doubt was the effectiveness of doing such. Time was likely not on his side, and he doubted he had months to go about it on his own. There was little choice but to ask for help from others; a fact he'd more or less been forced to recognize and admit to when he'd made these ponies his fracción. And now here he was, forced to call upon them for assistance once again, because he didn't have enough time to do it all himself. "Yeah? Well good luck then. I'd talk more but I've gotta get ready for work, we've got rain scheduled for after midnight tonight. I'll try and swing by later though," Rainbow Dash stated. Ulquiorra said nothing in response. The primary reason he'd sought out Rainbow Dash was to gather Twilight Sparkle's location. The fact that he'd identified her reiatsu signature first had been nothing more than a coincidence. He was just about to sonido away, when a startled yell from the cyan pegasus gave him reason to pause momentarily. "Before you leave, did you say anything to Twilight or anypony else about what we talked about? Y'know... about Mare Do Well?" she asked. "I did not," he replied simply. "No?" she asked, not entirely sure whether she should believe him or not. He was always so... even when he spoke, his voice never carrying any hint of what he might be feeling or thinking. It was grating on her nerves! "Okay that's strange, and not Pinkie Pie strange either. More like weird strange. The same day as the changeling invasion, Twilight came by my house and practically broke the door down to apologize for it. She even made all the others apologize too. I didn't tell anypony about that, so how'd she know?" "I am uncertain, just as I am uninterested. Perhaps Princess Celestia's ruse showed Twilight Sparkle what it's like to be betrayed by the one she trusts most, and from there she pieced the rest together herself," Ulquiorra suggested. With that exchange finished, he left to tend to matters of a greater importance, leaving the cyan pegasus behind in a burst of sonido. Rainbow Dash just scratched her head in confusion. There were way too many things going on around here to keep track of. She confides in the Espada about her problems, then her problems resolve themselves, and he didn't play any part in it? What exactly was he, a plot device or something? "Forget it, I'll ask later," she muttered to herself as the improvised shower stopped, allowing her to proceed with shaking herself dry. Spike hummed to himself as he went about getting ready for the day and whatever it might bring. He was the first to wake up this morning, Twilight still slumbering away from her usual late night studying session. It was the usual, normal routine to be encountered. The only thing different was that Twilight wasn't studying some ancient tome to garner a better understanding of old magic, or some unexplained mystery of Equestria's history. Instead this time around it was due to Twilight trying to spot a pattern in all the random, day-to-day events that went on around Ponyville. If there was a pattern to be established, he sure wasn't seeing it; none of them were really. Try as they might, none of them could really discern what events were the ones that needed to looked out for. Not even Pinkie, the master mare of randomness, could make out anything of relevancy. And that fact was slowly, but surely, starting to drive Twilight nuts! He could see the warning signs early on, he knew full well what was coming down the lane. He was doing everything in his power to head off the coming panicked meltdown and inevitable relapse, but unless there was some type of break soon... things were going to get very, very ugly. He wasn't even sure Princess Celestia could help this time. His melancholy thoughts and even his early morning routine actions were interrupted by a knocking at the front door, bringing his mind back to the present. Who could it possibly be at this time of day? The library wasn't even supposed to open for another hour for crying out loud! "We're not open yet!" Spike called back, not even bothering to walk out of the kitchen. For a moment it was silent again, other than the normal noises that were associated with morning business. Thinking nothing of it, he went back to getting breakfast ready. Another knock occurred. Whoever it was at the door, they didn't seem to listen to his words. "I said we're not open yet!" Spike called back, louder this time. Once again silence. Spike poked his head out of the kitchen doorway and looked at the front door, expecting another knock to occur. He watched, and watched, and watched some more. Finally when he was convinced the knocker had moved on, he went back to the kitchen to finish cooking. And then a frightened scream from outside the library caused him to jump in surprise. Where'd that come from? Curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate, unlocking the front door and opening it to see where the scream had come from. "Greetings." Spike looked up at the voice. Standing before him was Ulquiorra, his hands tucked into his pockets as he just stood there, his face expressionless as he looked down at him. "Ulquiorra? What're you doing here at this time of day? Did you see who was knocking? And what was that scream I heard just a minute ago?" Spike asked, finding the whole thing very confusing right now. "Trying to locate Twilight Sparkle. I was indeed the one knocking. As to who was screaming, I believe it was the earth pony Bonbon. I can only assume my presence is still a matter of concern, for those who were present for the changeling extermination," Ulquiorra responded. "Yeah I could see that," Spike replied. He'd been left behind in Ponyville to oversee the operation as Twilight and the others headed to Canterlot at Princess Celestia's request. And while he only learned of the gory details of that event from what the others told him, his experience here back at home hadn't exactly been much better. He hadn't witnessed the supposed death of Princess Celestia, but what he'd been present for was far more chaotic. He'd been put in charge of more or less the entire town; left to try and keep everypony calm, and reassure them everything was going to be fine. Even after they'd all learned the truth of the matter, about the changeling invasion that had beset Ponyville, many of them had still been worried that Ulquiorra would be returning to kill the rest of them, that he'd just been saving them for later, all to strike at a more convenient time. Even with the Cutie Mark Crusaders doing their best to help out, along with Big Macintosh, and a few others who possessed a more commanding presence than himself, it was certainly no slice of cake. Did anypony really have any idea how hard it was to keep over a hundred ponies from panicking, after witnessing a massacre up close? And then had come what the town had collectively referred to as "The Event." What he'd later learned was Ulquiorra transforming, had been seen as far away as Ponyville. And it'd absolutely terrified everypony, and sent them running back to their homes to hide. They didn't have a single clue what they'd been experiencing, only that its appearance on top of everything else that'd happened, was something they didn't want to face. He wouldn't admit it to anypony who asked, but not knowing what was going on at the time, even he'd gotten scared and hid behind Big Macintosh, feeling some sense of safety with the big, strong, stoic stallion. What he couldn't figure out was how word of Ulquiorra's actions wasn't sweeping the country like a wildfire in the middle of a dry summer. He knew how gossip worked and how fast word could travel. By now everypony in Equestria should be talking about the event. The only thing that he could figure, was that maybe the changeling invasion had taken center stage. Maybe there were mitigating circumstances that led to the overshadowing of Ulquiorra's involvement; like ponies being held in cocoons, or mass hypnotism or something. Oh well, standing here and just thinking to himself wasn't going to get anything done. "Might as well come in, no use standing outside," he finally said as he opened the door wider, "care for a cup of coffee?" he asked. Ulquiorra stepped inside, silently agreeing that there was no use in standing outside, as his unattended presence would merely cause more terror to the town's inhabitants. "I've heard the term used by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna on several occasions, but I have little understanding of just what it is," he replied as the door was closed behind him. "Really? That's a shame. Come on, let's get you a cup so you can see what you've been missing out on," Spike stated as he jogged back to the kitchen. Ulquiorra followed at his own pace, observing as Spike made use of a step stool to get a third mug down from the cupboards and set it on the table next to two others, before grabbing a potholder and pulling some strange looking kettle off the stove and pour a steaming liquid into each of them. "You're in for a treat, this is a special blend. We get the beans fresh and I roast them myself," Spike explained as he set the percolator down on the counter. "The secret to a great blend of coffee is all in the grind. Can't be too coarse, can't be too fine. This, Ulquiorra, is a science that anybody can appreciate," he stated as he pushed the cup forward. From Spike's description, this "coffee" sounded like a dedicated endeavor. It looked a great deal like tea, however it smelt nothing like tea. With his curiosity mildly piqued, he picked up the offered cup to sample the strange brew. He was quite thankful he'd only sipped the strange beverage. Despite the strong smell, he'd still expected to encounter something that was at least similar to the tea served by Applejack on their first meeting. Instead his taste buds had been greeted by what had to be the liquid equivalent of a punch in the face from the rainbow-maned pegasus. It was stout. It was strong. It was mildly bitter. He found himself briefly wondering if the brew was capable of serving as both a paint stripper and rust remover. This was supposed to be a beverage that was enjoyed? "Coffee..." It was a tired mutter coming from behind him. Turning his head he saw Twilight Sparkle approaching slowly, her mane in an unkempt mess, her eyes mostly closed with circles beneath them. Her entire appearance suggested she was still asleep. It was an observation reinforced by the fact she walked past him, saying nothing except mutterings for coffee as she approached the table. Her movements contained a sense that suggested this was nothing unusual for her, and something she'd gone through numerous times, to the point she had no difficulty navigating in an impaired state. "Coffee," she muttered again as she stood up, resting her forelegs on the table and pulling the steaming mug over to her, tiredly but eagerly picking it up with her magic and sipping at its contents. "Ahh that's the ticket," she sighed with contentment, a look of relaxation crossing her face. Ulquiorra silently regarded the entire display, and then the partially full cup held in his hand. Twilight Sparkle had no problem tolerating the volatile brew, and even seemed to take great pleasure in its consumption. She was displaying no signs that suggested it was a caustic concoction. Curiously, he took another sip. Perhaps it was simply an acquired taste. It would make the most sense. Twilight sat silently as she nursed her cup of coffee, several more sips through closed eyes and contented smiles. Nothing like a good cup of coffee to start off the day. "Spike, I'd be lost without you," she said as she finally opened her eyes, feeling the caffeine jump starting her system and getting her primed and ready for the day and whatever it might bring. And then she saw Ulquiorra standing there and looking at her. She nearly dropped her coffee cup on the ground in surprise. "Ulquiorra? What're you doing here?" she asked curiously. Suddenly her curiosity was replaced by a sensation of mild panic. "Wait, is there another dragon on the loose? Is an Ursa Minor wandering around and destroying the surrounding territory?!" "Not to my knowledge," Ulquiorra responded calmly, completely unfazed by her sudden anxiousness. Had any such incident occurred he would've dealt with it personally, rather than bothering to involve the ponies and put them at risk of harm; a process that would result in handicapping him and forcing him to take precautions to protect them, while at the same time trying to stop the threat. And all while trying to remember that he wasn't supposed to kill as a first resort. "My purpose here is of a different nature. I've come to the conclusion that there are questions for which there are no answers in Canterlot's library. And I fail to see the logic in continuing pointless studying for something that either doesn't exist, or is buried in some obscure tome behind thousands of others," he explained. "Oh?" Twilight asked curiously before taking another sip of her coffee. "Is this about the mystery at hand? About why you're here and what the next big event against Equestria might be?" she asked. "Partially. But based on your report, I don't foresee my presence positively contributing to any sort of discovery. Rather I come about something far more confusing, an area you appear to be an expert in," Ulquiorra explained, finishing the cup of coffee and setting the cup down before continuing. "What you and the others call "friendship" continues to elude my understanding. There are no similarities I can draw between it and what I know. The business partnerships of the earth pony Filthy Rich make sense, they are mutually beneficial in nature, and the parties involved profit from being united, rather than being apart. Your friendship with the others doesn't appear to offer anything that is mutually beneficial in nature. Try as I might, I can see nothing that would explain your continued association with one another. Even holding the Elements of Harmony does nothing to provide a logical explanation. The relationship you have with the others appears very high maintenance in nature, and more trouble than it's worth, when you receive no compensation for the investment of your time. What conceivably brings you together? And in logical terms, what binds you together, and serves as sufficient motivation for your continued association and interaction?" The room was strangely silent. Ulquiorra observed Twilight Sparkle and the strange appearance on her face. This was confusing, in that he'd expected the unicorn to launch into an in depth explanation about the topic, and what she'd learned about it in her time in Ponyville. Instead he was greeted by silence, broken only by her gulping down the rest of her coffee in one gulp. He nearly asked her how her stomach lining didn't corrode away when exposed to high concentrations of such a caustic substance, when she interrupted that train of thought by finally speaking. "That's a... very good question actually," she said slowly as she set the cup down on the table and looked at him, carefully weighing her options and how to proceed. Leave it to Ulquiorra to ask the difficult questions. Right now he was making her feel uneasy, like a teacher asking her a question she hadn't prepared for. "I think I can see why you're having trouble understanding this." "You can?" Spike asked curiously. "I think so. But don't hold me to that just yet, I might be wrong," Twilight said to Spike, before turning her attention back to Ulquiorra again. "You're looking at this from the point of view of a scientist: detached, clinical, trying to observe a cause and effect correlation in order to explain how Action A leads to Reaction B, and understand all the various steps involved with arriving at these results. Trying to pick apart a concept, and not only separate its various factors and standards for organized study, but also boil them all down to their individual, primary components, and determine the science behind their function," she explained before pausing. A rather long pause really. "Am I right?" Ulquiorra considered her words and how she'd structured her explanation of the situation. He had to admit that she was indeed right about the thought process that was going on. It was mildly surprising how she was able to easily understand his analytical nature. "So far," he stated simply. He was finding himself curious as to where this went. "Right. That's where the problem is coming from," Twilight stated as she got down from the table and walked around, back into the main portion of the library. Ulquiorra turned to observe her, as she brought over chalk and a rolling blackboard. "Before I begin there's something I want to say. If there's a quintessential definition of friendship that exists, then it's something I don't possess. The best I can do is share with you what I've learned about it, based on my own experiences and discoveries. Some might make sense, some might not," she explained as she stepped in front of the blackboard. "Wait a minute! You're going to give a lecture now!?" Spike asked as he came jogging out of the kitchen and past Ulquiorra. "Twilight, you haven't even had breakfast yet, is this really a good idea?" "I'll be fine, Spike, go ahead and eat without me. This is a little more important than breakfast... unless you'd like to join us first," she said as she directed the proposition at Ulquiorra. "Perhaps another time," he replied, not particularly interested in anything that made use of actual flowers as an active ingredient. The reishi in the area was more than sufficiently sustaining for the time being. "Alright," Twilight replied and nodded, barely noticing as Spike slowly walked back into the kitchen. Now it was a matter of finding how to word this properly. "You remember how I came to be living in Ponyville, right?" she asked. "I do," Ulquiorra replied. He remembered the tale of how she'd been set to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun festival, and in doing so, meeting the others who would come to hold the Elements of Harmony. It had been that fact, that exercise in careful orchestration on the part of Princess Celestia, that had allowed for the defeat of Nightmare Moon. It had also served as the catalyst to Twilight Sparkle studying the same concept that he was currently attempting to figure out. "Is it relevant to this?" "More than you'd ever guess. Before I came to Ponyville, I actually had a similar way of thinking. Everything that was worth knowing about was something that made sense. Don't get me wrong, things that don't make sense are still worth devoting time to; I'm a scientist, and I'd be lax in my duties to turn my back on something just because I couldn't understand it. But on the topic of friendship, and friends in general... well... at best I saw it as a waste of time. Time that could be better utilized for more important matters like reading, studying and learning new things. At worst... I considered friends to be nothing more than ponies who got in the way and complicate a situation beyond reasonable degrees, and all because they were too stupid to realize what they were getting into was way over their heads, and best left alone by them," Twilight explained, regretting the fact that she was ever so blind with regard to others. It was a shame of hers that she'd love to erase if possible. "What changed your mind?" Ulquiorra asked. Twilight Sparkle's tale of herself was proving to be interesting, much to his own surprise. This pony did have a similar outlook to his own, something he'd never expected to encounter in this colorful world. What exactly had occurred to change her? "In simple terms, Nightmare Moon happened. My studies had pointed out how the thousand year banishment would be ending on the night of the Summer Sun celebration, and it did. Princess Celestia was nowhere to the found, and the terror of legends of old was free to enact eternal night, unopposed by mortal ponies. My research on the matter pointed out the location of where the Elements of Harmony were held at the time, deep in the old castle ruins of the Everfree forest, and I knew they'd be our best chance of stopping her. I set out to try and retrieve them on my own, as I was the only one who knew full well what had to be done. But I didn't remain on my own for very long, as the others had decided to tag along, regardless of my protests, or my hostility toward them. I thought they'd just get in the way, but they wound up being the key to victory. Each one of them helped me get past a specific obstacle Nightmare Moon threw at us. Dangerous animals, treachery, terrifying illusions, a collapsing ledge, a broken bridge... they helped me past each of them, putting themselves in harms way in the process, and even remained at my side when facing down Nightmare Moon herself. That... was something else..." He remained silent as Twilight Sparkle explained the details of the event in question, pausing momentarily to catch her breath. He still possessed doubts about what she was saying, but not anything pertaining to the facts of the events that transpired, he'd accepted them as the truth. What came into question dealt more with how the actions of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, had caused the unicorn to change her outlook on life, and be what she is right now. If it were him in the situation, he would assume the five ponies had become involved, for no purpose other than attempting to save their own lives, seeing as eternal night would affect them all equally. Had they not contributed they would have nobody to blame for their fates but themselves. He would even speculate that their motives may have been due to cowardice; that they had tagged along in hopes of a quick death rather than a slow one. "Don't get me wrong. I didn't automatically reach the conclusions about friendship that I have today. At first I didn't know what to make of it. I thought maybe they were simply tagging along in an effort to save their own lives, seeing as eternal night would affect them all equally. I... don't really want to acknowledge it, but a darker part of my mind wondered if... maybe they tagged along because they thought it was a suicide mission, and they were looking for an easy way out of a dire situation. I'm... ashamed of the fact that I had those thoughts at all..." Twilight explained once she began talking again, hanging her head at the last part. Her words and observations being remarkably similar to his own thoughts. It was remarkably disturbing. Perhaps more disturbing was the fact that it felt incredibly familiar to him. Why was that? He didn't even have the chance to inquire about the mystery, as Twilight Sparkle was already talking again, and dominating the conversation. "Before you ask what the relevance of this story is, I'm getting to that. After everything was said and done, and a lot of confusion was finally over, I found myself living in Ponyville with five new friends, but very little actual understanding of friendship itself. That's why I submit friendship reports to Princess Celestia whenever I do learn something about it. For all my scientific knowledge, my ability to recite complex mathematical formulae from memory, I might as well have been the village idiot at the time. Even now, after all these years, there's still a lot of it that I don't fully understand. I understand basic bits and pieces, enough to have a rudimentary grasp on it... but it's something I haven't mastered yet. It's like trying to figure out calculus without knowing basic mathematics, or studying quantum physics without an understanding of even basic physics," she explained. "What you're trying to say, is that you won't be able to assist me on the matter," Ulquiorra elaborated, cutting her off before she could go any further in this one sided discussion. Spike had been quite correct when he'd predicted a lecture would be occurring. "What? No! No, no, no, no!" she objected quickly at hearing his words, her reiatsu flaring about in the process. "I'm not saying that, anything but! What I'm saying is, or at least what I was trying to say is..." she paused a moment in hesitation as she pondered, "this isn't something for which a definite answer exists. That's something that gave me the hardest time before I finally started to understand it myself. Friendship means different things to different ponies. It's not something that can be categorized and boiled down into simple facts and figures. Friendship isn't something that can be deduced by the mind, it's... it's something that has to be understood with the heart." "The heart," he repeated slowly. It was a matter that seemed impossible to escape, even in this world. It was a matter of cruel irony really. Back in Hueco Mundo, the heart was a concept introduced to him by the human woman. He'd discounted it as nonsense, regarded the heart as a source of pain, as a cause of pointless suffering and death. And yet despite it all, bit by bit, her words had chipped away at his mind, tantalizing his curiosity, and driving him to question her further. Part of it had been an effort to destroy her beliefs in such nonsense and show her the futility of her own hope; which would in essence assuage his own curiosity on the matter. But another part of it had been his own desire to make sense of what she was saying. How ironic that it was a concept he'd just started to understand in the last few seconds of his life. And now here he was, being told that one concept he had no true understanding of, was connected to another concept he was equally confused by. "Then it would appear hopeless for me, as I possess no heart with which to understand the concept of friendship," he commented. Did she possess a response to such a fact? Perhaps some effort of trying to convince him that it was indeed something he could learn if he attempted? Or would she recognize the futility of her own attempts and simply resign herself to letting the matter go? He observed her as she remained silent, a pensive look on her face, evidently giving serious consideration to what her next words would be in this difficult situation. "You know what? I'm calling bullshit on this one," Twilight stated as she finally spoke up again, "I've never been to Hueco Mundo, and I don't know how things go there, beyond what you've told me about it, but I really doubt that you're incapable of learning about friendship, or any other subject that you seriously wanted to. I managed to learn about the importance of friendship, hell, even Discord learned about the importance of friendship. I just can't accept that it'd be impossible for you," she explained, "I think we just need to figure out a way to help you make sense of everything. It's... it's like adapting a lesson plan to specific students to better make sense of the material. Yeah, that's it... Pri-- Celestia tasked me with being an educator to you, I'd be lax in my duties if I didn't do everything I could to help you on this one." Ulquiorra felt the urge to raise an eyebrow at her words. She seemed dedicated to this cause, nonsensical as it was. He wasn't certain whether he should try and dissuade her or not. She was willing to invest a significant amount of time and effort in this endeavor. She also seemed quite convinced that this was a worthy cause to become involved in; worthy enough to distract herself from attempting to determine the pattern of events he'd tasked her with. He doubted that anything nonviolent he could attempt, would be sufficient to convince her otherwise. Nor was he fully convinced that he should. He'd come here to try and solve the various mysteries he was faced with, not disregard them simply because he found them difficult to accept. He was going to need to exercise some degree of openness, and restrain some degree of skepticism. "You're welcome to try," he said simply, "perhaps we should begin with the basics. What do you get out of your friendship with the other holders of the Elements of Harmony? What form of compensation do you receive from associating with them? What form of compensation do they receive from association with you? How is it mutually beneficial to everyone involved?" he asked. Twilight... she wasn't sure what she wanted to do in response to his questions. Maybe facehoof? Despite all of Ulquiorra's intelligence, it was almost like talking with a foal who simply didn't understand what he was being told. He was still trying to compare friendship with a business partnership, despite everything she'd just told him. If she was going to do this right, she was going to have to take things slow, and carefully think over what she'd learned in her three years here in Ponyville, surrounded by those she considered friends. Maybe they could both learn something from this, and unravel mysteries together. "In terms that would qualify as physical or monetary compensation, not a darn thing. We occasionally treat each other at our own expense, but whatever we get out of the act wouldn't be enough to either justify or sustain our association over the long term," she elaborated. That was probably the wrong way to start things off, but she didn't care, it had to be addressed. The look Ulquiorra was currently giving her told her he was having trouble accepting her explanation. Undeterred, she continued. "I can't speak for the others, only for myself. What I get out of my friendship, and my continued association with them, is a great deal more important to me than any form of physical reimbursement for my investment. I've got five very great, and very diverse companions, who are there for me when I really need them. Five ponies who are willing to drop what they're doing and help me out of a jam when they recognize that I'm in trouble, and that things have escalated to the point where I can't deal with it on my own. They're there for me when I'm sad, or scared, or hurt, or alone, or even when I just need somepony to bounce ideas off of, and engage in intelligent conversation about whatever. They're willing to put up with my idiosyncrasies and look beyond them, even when I wind up driving them nuts without even realizing it. They've helped me realize that there's a wide, wide world out there that's worth experiencing for myself, rather than just reading about from the comforts of the library. They've helped me grow as an individual, and expand my mind to consider things I otherwise would've discounted, and they never asked for a single thing in return. I trust those girls with my life; I've actually done that several times so far. Without them I don't even think I'd still be alive right now," she explained. Ulquiorra remained silent and unmoving at her words, his lack of reaction causing her to frown in response. She'd put a lot into that speech and was hoping for something in return other than disbelief and simple skepticism. Perhaps she was expecting too much, too early on. Maybe she needed to try again. "That amounts to friendship to you?" And then again maybe she didn't. Maybe he really had been paying attention, and had simply waited for her to finish talking. "Well sort of, but it goes a lot further than that. We care about each other, we're there in case we need each other, and when one of us is in trouble, we worry about them and do whatever we can to help out. It's like the time Rarity got sick with the stomach flu, we all did what we could to help her get better, or at least try and make her feel a little less miserable during her recovery. We didn't stop and worry that she might be contagious, or that we might be putting our own health at risk, we just did what we thought was right," Twilight explained. She was getting the feeling that things were starting to spin out of control, and that she was at risk of losing him due to disbelief. She had to think of something to help him understand! "Being a friend also involves doing nice things for each other, even when you have zero moral or legal obligation to do so; it's something you do because you care about the pony, and don't want something bad to happen to them. We've all done it countless times with one another, or somepony else that was in need at the time, and we never bothered to ask what was in it for us." "You act because of the concern that lies with others rather than yourself, because it is the right thing to do," he elaborated. In more accurate terms it was a guess on his part to see if he was understanding what she was trying to say. "Exactly!" Twilight exclaimed in excitement and optimism. He really was starting to understand! This was so great! "Then it was out of concern for Rainbow Dash, that you and the others created the persona of Mare Do Well, and used it against her in a way that wound up traumatizing her," Ulquiorra replied. And there went her excitement as easily as it'd come. Being reminded of Mare Do Well was bad enough, but being reminded by him out of anyone else had made it hurt much worse. Her ears flattened and her posture dropped at his words. "... Rainbow Dash told you about that?" she asked. It was the only way she could think of that Ulquiorra would know anything about it. And if she'd told the story as upset as they'd found out she'd been... "She did. However I can only speculate as to why she chose to trust me with a matter of such sensitivity," he responded. It was a matter he'd been questioning periodically since that night. Perhaps it was simply due to the fact he had no reason to judge her as being anything more than trash, and wouldn't make an issue out of it. Or maybe it was due to some pressing need to talk to anybody and he was merely a matter of convenience. For whatever reason, it wasn't important to him. "What aspect of friendship is it that dictates backstabbing, trickery, deceit, and traumatizing others?" he asked pointedly. Her reiatsu had been dipping ever since he'd brought up the past incident, and now that dipping was coming even faster. "That... that was a horrible, horrible mistake on all of our parts. I never should've come up with the idea, and none of us should've ever carried it out. We should've realized from the start just how bad of an idea it was. We could've talked to Rainbow Dash, told her we were concerned about how she was acting. We could've addressed that situation in any number of different ways than we did," she said as she hung her head and closed her eyes. "And Rainbow Dash, oh poor Rainbow Dash, I didn't know we'd hurt her so bad. I don't even want to think about what she went through for so many months, feeling like she couldn't trust us when she needed us most," she paused. A long pause. "Rainbow Dash is one of those ponies who measures her sense of importance by her ability to be exceptional at what she does. And we just come in, and destroy all that because we found her boastful in nature, because we thought we knew better than her. We could've caused severe, long term psychological trauma to her with our actions, and we were too blind to see it..." Ulquiorra remained silent throughout the explanation, uncertain if there was anything worthwhile to contribute. At present time he could think of nothing. "We all apologized to her once we discovered just how wrong we were. And she said she forgave us when she realized how sincere we were... but I think it's going to take a long, long time for the hurting to finally stop..." Silence. Nothing but long, monotonous silence, broken up only by the sound of cooking coming from the kitchen. "If there's one thing the Mare Do Well incident taught me more than anything, it's a very important lesson about the magic of friendship. This is one lesson that I was never able to submit to Celestia because I couldn't make it sound right. But with you, Ulquiorra, I don't think the bluntness would bother you," she said as she opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at him in a more direct manner. "Sometimes friendship is about being assholes to one another, yet still being there for each other regardless of the fact.* Friendship isn't perfect, there are going to be bumps in the road, and difficulties ahead that will test the bonds that unite you. And you're going to be both surprised, and grateful, when those bonds withstand whatever trials and tribulations you go through together. When you're willing to let go of your own pettiness because somepony needs you, that's friendship right there." "Obtuse, eloquent, and reasonably logical all at the same time," Ulquiorra thought in response to the explanation. Twilight Sparkle had a way with words, even if she tended to use far more than were truly necessary. Was she simply padding her statements to add to the effect? "What you're trying to eloquently say, is that friendship amounts to knowing who precisely has your back, when all has gone to hell. Correct?" he asked, hoping to cut through her wordy explanation and get to the heart of the matter. "Er..." Twilight paused in thought at his words, "that's... actually not that far off. It's a little basic in nature, but that sounds a lot like what the core of friendship really is. Maybe we actually got somewhere," she said with a sense of pride and smiled. Now that she thought on his words a little more, that sounded a lot like her early experience regarding friendship. The girls had her back when everything had gone to hell, or more accurately, Tartarus. They'd been there to help her despite all the danger they faced just by being there, by daring to defy Nightmare Moon and attempting to find the Elements of Harmony. They had her back, just like she had theirs. "Then progress has at least been made in one area," Ulquiorra replied, his voice lacking the pony's enthusiasm. "I can't wait to share this news with the girls," Twilight stated, shortly before her stomach began growling, causing her to blush and chuckle in an embarrassed manner. "But maybe I actually should wait and have breakfast first..." "Sound logic indeed," Ulquiorra commented. Once again Twilight Sparkle's reiatsu was flaring, wildly at the prospect of sharing some discovery with the other ponies. Exactly what series of events had he unknowingly set into motion on this morning? "Gonna be a few more minutes, Twilight," Spike called from the kitchen as he flipped the pancakes he was currently cooking. "Oh..." Twilight replied. At the news her stomach started growling again, causing her to frown down at it, like she could make it behave through the power of her own annoyance. What to do until it was time to eat? She thought on that. And hunger or not, she was starting to realize something of importance. For all this talk about progress and such, there was something they were missing; something that was pretty big. "Ulquiorra, there's something I'd like to ask you. Something that's pretty important, and related to the matter at hand... hoof... whatever, it's important, and it's relevant," she explained. "And what is it?" he asked, mildly curious now. Instead of answering him right away, she approached him and extended her right foreleg towards him, much as she had during their initial encounter back in the Canterlot library. "Will you be my friend, Ulquiorra?" she asked him simply. He remained silent at her words, a mix of confusion and curiosity at her question, and uncertainty of the proper way to respond. Should he go with the standard approach and point out how there was no relevancy to the request? Perhaps question if she was quite serious even after everything had happened? He was quite sure that if she were reminded of the part he made her play with the changelings, she wouldn't be so inclined to ask such a question so freely. However if he did attempt such an approach, she might cite lesson number five again, as justification for making the request. Forgiveness was... interesting, to say the least. And then he started considering the nature of the request. If friendship was truly about knowing who had your back, then it could be argued that their friendship status was already confirmed between them, strange as it might sound. Perhaps the request was born from some sort of formality or ritual to confirm said status. And then it was back to his earlier thoughts, about his own motivation on the matter, and the reasoning for why he came here in the first place. With that in mind, only one course of action truly seemed logical to him at this moment. "If you'll have me as a friend," he finally replied, sliding his hand out of his pocket, and wrapping it around her hoof to return the gesture. With that his commitment to this strange, new endeavor had been sealed. There was no telling how things would go from here on out, without waiting to see how things progressed.