“Barricade those windows! Increase your defensive lines! We cannot allow them to reach Canterlot!” Celestia ordered her soldiers to do so, as several ponies were evacuated out of town. One by one, Ichigo along with Yoruichi raced against time to carry as much ponies as they can to the Castle. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were equally fast and carried more Ponies than Ichigo and Yoruichi combined, which made their job a lot more easier.
“By the looks of things, Twilight is going all out... “ Toshiro said, looking out from the top of the Castle.
“Forget the plan... Let us take the fight to her!” Luna said, looking at her sister who was standing beside Toshiro.
“We do not have any choice... if we wait any longer, more and more lives are in stake. This castle isn’t fully repaired yet, and it won’t stand any more damage as it is...”
“I guess there’s no other way then...” Toshiro looked down and called for Rangiku, who appeared behind him. “Tell Kenpachi, Byakuya, Ichigo and Ishida... we’re going to intercept the hollows from coming here.”
Rangiku nodded “I’ll get that done.” She disappears then goes to inform her teammates.
“Are you really going to attack them all by yourselves?” Luna asked, looking at the young captain.
“I’m sure... and who better to Intercept them than the one’s I picked out?” Luna looked at him curiously on why he was so confident. But, then again... he is a Soul Reaper.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, down at the infirmary, Retsu and Inoue are both healing the wounds of Discord and the Fillies... They didn’t had hard time to heal the young one’s, but Discord was more difficult than they can imagine.
“This is strange, my healing power can’t even make a single wound close!” Inoue sweated and tries even harder.
Retsu shook her head and tries to examine the problem. “It’s strange, but his body is impervious to magic, not to your healing abilities...”
“What?” Inoue looked at her baffled by what she had just said. “But how did he was able to get hurt and turned to stone?! Isn’t that the work of magic? If he was impervious, shouldn’t he turned into stone?” She said, remembering what Celestia told her about their history.
“It does make my head turn a bit, but maybe, your powers and this world, might be different than ours... As I read, Dragons are impervious to magic... he’s part dragon. and this is the logical explanation to it.” Retsu looked back at Inoue.
“But~” Inoue tries to say something, but she doesn’t really have anything to say anymore... she was still adjusting to the laws and physics in this world.
Just then, A mare along with a foal on her back enters the infirmary. “E-excuse me...” She said softly.
“Yes?” Retsu looked at her immediately. “How may we help you?”
The mare hesitates, but asked them anyway. “Can you help my child? She’s feeling Ill...” She looks over to the foal on her back. Retsu knowing what she has to do, she goes over and takes the foal off of the Mare’s back. “How may I be of help?”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
At the moment, Ichigo along with Kenpachi, Byakuya, Ishida and Toshiro rushed to Ponyville and held their ground there. “This is gonna be too easy.” Ichigo wasted no time and went to his Bankai.
“No, Ichigo... I got a better task for you.” Toshiro said, as this got Ichigo’s attention, with a curious look on his face. “You’ll be heading to Twilight’s Castle.
Ichigo looked at him confused. “Wait, you want me to go there alone?! Are you nuts!” He said, as the Hollows closed in on them.
“Look we don’t have much time, you’re the only one who can get the sense back on Twilight... and I’m not saying this as a last resort, I’m saying this because you were the one who has a huge bond between the ponies in this world!” He called on to his bankai and Hyorinmaru turned to an Ice Dragon.
Byakuya draws his sword and drops it on the ground, followed by his own bankai and the sword shatters, flying all over the place. “Just do what Toshiro is saying... it’s probably good to let you go there and confront your friend.”
Majority ruled Ichigo’s thought’s and just nodded at them as he flashed away, leaving them to defend the town and try to minimize the damage if possible. “I’m counting on you guys...” He said to himself while going out of site... unknown to him, several hollows caught his scent and followed him to the forest.
A few minutes after he left for Twilight’s Castle. From what Ichigo learned from the Changeling Queen Chrysalis, there were supposed to be a long path leading to the former Changeling Colony Lair... but somehow he hasn’t spotted it yet. “Where is it?” He kept asking himself as he ventures to the deepest part of the Forest.
Before long, his path was blocked by four particular looking Hollows. Without any warning, the four teamed up and smashed Ichigo straight to the face and flung him to the trees. Ichigo lets out a gasp as blood came out of his mouth. “F-fuck!” Ichigo cursed as he fell down to the earth. “Damn it! I don’t have TIME for this!” He streaks forward then tries to hit them, but it got deflected and again flung him backwards. “GOD DAMN IT!!” He plunged his Zanpaktou to the earth to stop him from being tossed further, and came to a screeching halt, then stood up to attack back.
“Getsuga TENSHOU!!!” He released a soaring slash towards the four but they quickly dodged it like it was nothing. “What the?!” He looks up seeing they were about to pound him down when another hollow-like presence appears and kicks off the attacking hollows like it was just a paper ball thrown in mid air, but it wasn’t who’d Ichigo would expect to see… There wearing a white Style Shinigami Uniform...was no other than the 4th Arrancar… Ulquorra Cifer
“Ulquiorra?!” Ichigo looked at him shocked and barely speechless. At first, he was gonna attack without question but when he took a second glance when he noticed his pale complexion is no longer there…”
Within the silence, Ulquiorra spoke first. “You might think that I’m here for an attempt to kill you? You are mistaken… I’m here to help” He turns and looks at him. He and Ichigo stared for a good three minutes before speaking again. “You choose to believe me or not… I don’t blame you for it. But know this, I was saved by a talking yellow pegasus and a zebra… I’m only returning a favor.” With that he reached out his hand offering Ichigo help…
But the orange-haired Soul Reaper didn’t reach out to him as well...instead he grunts and gets back on his feet by himself. “And what proof do you have that they saved you, huh?” He shouts. “For all I know, you could be a spy sent by Twilight!”
“A spy you say?” He said in a melancholic tone. “If that were the case, why is the hole in my neck missing?”
“M-Missing?!” Ichigo looked, and sure enough the hole is no longer there. “B-but how?!”
Ulquiorra just stared at him and spoke a second later. “I want to know as well…” He then looks at his hands and stared into space again. “My ties to Lord Aizen is no more...and my purpose nowhere.”
“That doesn’t prove that you say you came to help! Obviously you're just trying to trick me!” Ichigo insisted… but Ulquiorra just doesn’t seem to care, but tries to convince him for the last time. “Look around you! Does the hollows follow my command? Do they act like they want to die in my hands? When I came to this world, I was just an empty vessel… an abandoned Arrancar left to rot in oblivion. No purpose… no chance. Being ridiculed while I ran around like a lost child… In this forest until I fell on a cliff… That is where a yellow pony pegasus named Fluttershy helped me…”
“Fluttershy?!” His eyes grew wide upon hearing the shy pegasus’ name”
Ulquiorra nodded. “Yes… she helped me...cared for me… and healed my wounds. Even when I was a complete stranger to her, she still helped out, knowing that I needed it… If that young mare hadn’t seen me, I would have died again in vain… like when I died in your hands Ichigo…” This made the Soul Reaper even more surprised that he remembered that. “That time when you went to rescue that girl from lord Aizen... you, yourself...said that ‘you’ll help a friend, no matter what obstacle is in front of you’. That time I didn’t know what a ‘friend’ means to me...to everyone of us in Las Noches… Until your friend Fluttershy told me…” He looks up to the sky. “Why was I created in the first place, if I didn’t knew what a friend meant… that was what I kept thinking when I was guarding Inoue, but kept it in the back of my mind…” He then looks back at Ichigo. “Appreciate yourself that you have so much friends to care and support you even from another dimension… unlike a soul,who didn’t knew the meaning of friendship since his birth, until now…”
Ichigo was stunned...surprised that of all people, he’d never imagine Ulquiorra say that to him face to face… He walks towards him and examined him closely… “Are you… the same merciless, ruthless, murderous psychopath who doesn’t have emotions and stuff like that?” He asked, looking down and up at him.
“How much more do I have to say for you to believe, Kurosaki?” Ulquiorra said, now slightly irritated.
Ichigo stepped back a bit. “I’m just checking… and I better give credit to Fluttershy. Didn’t expect her to tame such a monstrous beast…”
“Pardon me?”Ulquiorra looked at him sharply.
“Nothing… Look, you want to help? Then help me get to Twilight’s castle, I need to stop her at all cost before all hell breaks loose…”
Ulquiorra nodded. “I’m thankful you accepted my proposal to help…”
“But I’m keeping my eye on you.” He snapped at him. “I’m still having doubts about you…” Ulquiorra didn’t say a word and it would be best to let Ichigo learn it for himself… he had already lost patience and just went along with him.
Both of them ran off towards where the hive is… Unknown of what dangers lies within the forest of everfree...