//------------------------------// // Chapter Seventy Eight // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter Seventy Eight It was over. It was finally, finally over. Another day court had been completed, and she was finally free from her regal responsibilities. The moment the throne room was empty of petitioners, Celestia had heaved the most undignified groan she could muster, letting herself droop against her throne, her crown nearly falling to the ground in the process as she slumped weakly, too tired to be bothered with anything related to proper decorum. The mental stress she experienced was not to be underestimated. Between her subjects needing her, and her friends needing her, it was getting to the point where it was ever-more difficult to properly focus, and divide her attention properly. She was getting testier and testier with each passing day, and she could feel it. Often she was wishing that if something was going to go horribly wrong, it was just hurry up and do it already, and get it all over with. Was it asking too much for a monumental disaster to quit making them wait, and slowly drive them insane in the process? By now her entire body felt unbearably heavy from the mental exhaustion she was under; to the point her wings were drooping, and her legs were just about dragging. Maintaining her regal appearance for her subjects was just so consuming to put up with. If it weren't for the fact that it would case more problems than it would solve, every damned dignitary that darkened her hallways with their mortal affairs, would see her in her most unkempt state imaginable. And all the while she'd be peppering them with snarky comments in rapid succession; moreso than she already did at times, but with far less subtle disguise and delivery. But now it was over. Everypony that couldn't be put off had been seen to, and the kingdom's business had been seen to for another day. Now all that was left to do was drop her regalia in her room, and then slip into a nice relaxing bubble bath, and try to let some of the stress she was under just melt away. "Sister? Do you have a moment?" Celestia looked up and over at the doorway to her chambers, seeing Luna standing in the entryway, looking at her as she was in the process of dropping her heavy shoes with satisfying -yet muffled- thuds. "Always for you, Luna," she replied as she dropped the last shoe, doing her best to sound approachable should her sister need her. "What's up?" "Rainbow Dash has been taking advice from Ulquiorra Cifer," Luna began as she stepped into the room. Celestia, who had turned away for a moment, had turned back to look at her after hearing this. "And I am not sure the quality of the advice was particularly good either, as it consisted of telling her to take her life back. I am assuming that "by force" was implied at the end." "I'll admit, it's not exactly what I would've said if I'd been asked," Celestia replied as she turned her focus back onto stripping her regalia from her frame. "Is there some concern about it?" "Indeed there is. Rainbow Dash appears to have taken his advice to heart. She has spent the better part of the day trying to cure herself of her fear of the dark, by locking herself inside a closet," Luna explained. It didn't sound anymore right this time around, than the last time she'd heard it. And knowing so little about modern psychology, she still couldn't tell if the approach was valid or not. And the thought of leaving the matter unattended, while she tried to study up on it, wasn't setting well with her. "While it's certainly an unorthodox way of approaching the subject, I'm not really seeing it as a major concern. Is she doing anything to hurt herself?" Celestia asked while levitating her mane brush from the vanity, knowing that her bath would go so much smoother if she tended to this beforehoof. "... Not in a manner that I believe would warrant placing the bangle back on her again. But the mental stress she is putting herself under has made her physically ill at least once already," Luna explained. "That sounds more like a matter for the janitorial staff," Celestia replied as she ran the brush through her mane, grunting as it wound up snagging a tangle. "This is important, Sister," Luna stated and frowned. She briefly considered grabbing Celestia in her magic, and turning her around to face her. But ultimately she decided against such... for now. "I acknowledge that I am no psychiatrist. But I have seen enough nightmares to recognize what is wrong here. Rainbow Dash does not fear the darkness, it is merely a trigger that reminds her of the trauma, and the helplessness, that Thrush dared to subject her to, when we left her in the care of that monster! And I will not stand idly by, and watch as she tortures herself for something that is ultimately our fault!" Celestia paused in brushing out her mane. Somewhere Luna had switched from expressing concern for Rainbow Dash, to blaming the both of them for her current predicament. She wouldn't deny that they both bore some responsibility on the matter, as they had made the decision to turn Rainbow Dash over to medical experts when things had gotten out of control for them. It was a decision that she still regretted making, as it instilled a sense of having failed as a ruler. And if Thrush hadn't been murdered, he would indeed be standing trial for his various crimes. That was another matter that had to be considered. With Thrush dead, the task she'd assigned to the forensic accountant seemed to be a moot point. No matter what was found, it wouldn't serve any point now. The only reason she hadn't called off the investigation at this point, was due to the possibility that Thrush was just the tip of a particularly corrupt iceberg floating about Canterlot General Hospital. "I'm quite aware of that fact, Luna," she replied and slowly began brushing out her mane again. "But there's only so much that we can do. That's why I've been deferring to the experts we've put on retainer, as they know what they're doing, and not getting involved myself. I'd rather not chance making her condition worse," she explained, wanting to make it clear that simply because she wasn't directly involved in Rainbow Dash's care, that didn't change the fact that she still cared, or that she was doing her best to help out a friend who was in need. "What about yourself? What have you been doing?" she asked. Although as she said it, she couldn't help but think that she might've asked with more bite than she'd originally intended. "Providing her with emotional support as she subjects herself to misery," Luna replied. That was the best way she could think of framing it. "Left to her own devices, she cannot even last one minute in the darkness, before succumbing to the trauma that she was subjected to. But with somepony being present to provide her a distraction -one she does not even realize that is present- it does not seem to bother her," she explained. That fact itself raised a number of different questions for her right now, but she didn't know how to go about answering them; not yet anyway. Perhaps the most sadistic part of this whole mess, was that she had the capabilities to help out, but couldn't. She knew the spell that her sister used when they attended Ulquiorra Cifer's party, and how she went about keeping Ponyville calm in the aftermath of the changeling incident. If she were to use it on Rainbow Dash, it could indeed suppress her fearful reaction. But it would only be a false sense of accomplishment, as there would be no way of actually exposing her to the true source, and letting her work through it. "At least there's that," Celestia replied. If Luna's recount of details was accurate, that at least suggested that Rainbow Dash's fears hadn't become set in stone yet. Which in turn could suggest that her recovery might take less time than they'd feared. "Is there anything else to report?" "Yes. Ulquiorra Cifer has returned from his latest investigative efforts in Ponyville. He recommends dispatching a team of scientists to begin taking various samples of the surrounding territory, to determine if the hallucinogenic compounds can be located," Luna explained. And after a pause, she continued. "He... also reports that Fluttershy has been attacked as well. While in his presence..." A pin could be heard dropping in the resulting silence. She knew even before she saw the look Celestia was giving her, that there was going to be fallout to be had. "And... you chose not to lead with that information, because..." "Because it would make no difference. We cannot be of assistance to Fluttershy, nor can we do anything about the one that attacked her, as even Ulquiorra Cifer himself was unable to locate it. All he could do, was note a sharp uptick in that particular mana type in the area at the time. You and I may know what it feels like from his perspective, but that does not mean we can actually detect it on our own," Luna pointed out. There was indeed fallout to be had. But it had been a calculated approach to engage in. Out of all of them, only Ulquiorra was qualified in carrying out this part of the investigation; they would only get in the way if they tried to assist. And as much as she cared for Fluttershy, she understood that she was beyond them right now. Right now she was in the presence of friends, some of them having gone through similar experiences to her own. They could support one another. She was fairly confident that right now, she was in as good of care as could be expected anywhere in Equestria. "Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, we know that we can assist," she added. "Fair enough," Celestia replied, conceding the argument. She had been given all the relevant information, there was little point in arguing over how it was delivered. "Tomorrow I'll see about locating, and hiring, any scientists in Canterlot who are skilled in sample gathering. And if necessary I'll look elsewhere. Hopefully they'll be able to find something that can give us a clue about what's going on." "Indeed," Luna replied as Celestia returned to brushing out her mane. She paused for a moment, before deciding to continue. "There is... one more matter. And... I am in need of your assistance in addressing it..." Celestia paused, and gently placed the brush back down on the vanity, doubting that this matter was going to be resolved in a timely fashion. She could already feel her relaxing bath getting further, and further away from her. But she loved Luna very much, and when it came to the matter of family, certain sacrifices were made. "What might that be?" she asked as she turned around to face her. "This," Luna began as a stack of papers flashed into existence in front of her, held aloft in her magic. "They are copies of the medical records concerning the manticore attack in Ponyville. I have been attempting to study them in hopes of discovering something, but so far the results have been... lackluster. Despite the assistance I was provided by the hospital staff, there is still much that I do not understand. I was hoping that, perhaps, you could help me make sense of it," she explained. "Wouldn't Ulquiorra be better at helping you? He's more competent at identifying patterns than we are," Celestia pointed out. He was also less tired than she currently felt, so he might be more readily able to spot something she wouldn't. "That may indeed be the case, dear sister, but you have a manner of explaining things that I am unfamiliar with, without making me feel that I am stupid for not understanding it on my own," Luna pointed out. Every time she approached the Espada for assistance, it was a gamble as to whether or not she would be getting lectured for her own lack of familiarity with the modern world. In a way it was embarrassing that he, a stranger to their dimension, who had been present for less than two months, was more readily familiar with many aspects of it than she was. Even if he didn't go out of his way to ridicule her, it was still difficult to ignore the fact that she was outclassed in that field. "Ah," Celestia replied. That certainly made a lot of sense. "I'll see what I can do. But medicine isn't my strongest area of expertise," she explained as she stepped closer. "Just so I have some idea, what exactly are we looking for in these charts?" "I believe the saying goes, once we know what we are looking for, we will have found it..." Luna stated as she turned her attention back to the stack of pages. If she were pressed for details, Luna wouldn't be able to give any. There was somsething buried somewhere in this stack of papers that was relevant; at least in her mind there was. It was something that didn't immediately stick out like a sore hoof, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Ultimately she was hoping that a fresher set of eyes, and a different perspective of outlook would pick up on something she'd either missed on her own, or hadn't immediately recognized for what it was. The library was empty at this time of night. But that was to be expected. And for Ulquiorra there was nothing wrong with that, as he was without the need to be fielding unnecessary distractions at the moment. His search of Ponyville for the source of the mysterious reiatsu had ultimately been fruitless; the only thing he had to show for his efforts, were a few random meetings, and numerous unsubstantiated theories that lead nowhere. Granted, the theory pertaining to whether or not Fluttershy would be simultaneously experiencing monophobia and agoraphobia in the aftermath of her experiences, was something that interested even himself, as it would be an interesting study of psychology. But it was something that would have to wait for another time. For now there was research that needed to be done. The only problem was that he didn't precisely known what to be researching. There was a great deal of material to cover -more than ever with the restricted sections opened up- but its relevancy was something that had yet to be evaluated. And so far he wasn't finding anything that even began to address what he'd witnessed today. Even his attempts at researching Spontaneous Unicorn Disintegration had been fruitless. What information was housed in the restricted section, was very limited, and the books on the subject appeared to be just a different author attempting to rehash already established points. Lots of theory, lots of speculation, but no hard facts. In a way it was maddening even to him; being stranded in a sea of hypothetical thought, without even a life jacket of basic facts to go on, or provide a reference point from where to begin. If he were mortal, he might consider calling it a night, and turning in. But he wasn't mortal, nor did he believe in simply throwing in the towel because the going got rough. He had a task that needed to be done, and he would make every attempt to do such, until such time that he was needed elsewhere. But first, there was another matter that needed to be tended to. "I'm aware of your presence, Rainbow Dash," he called out. A startled squawk immediately followed him breaking the relative silence of the library. Just as Princess Luna was incapable of sneaking up on him, so was the case with any other pony. He had been aware of Rainbow Dash's location even before she had arrived at the library, but he had assumed that she was merely in the area, until he could sense her crossing the threshold into the room. The absence of an escort was hardly a surprise to him, considering what had been determined yesterday. At the very least, the diarchy recognized that requiring a guard detail on her presented the opportunity for an ambush to take place. It might also go to suggest that they had more reason to trust her than they did last week. But that was just baseless speculation. "How'd you know I was there? How'd you even know that it was me?" she asked as she came walking out into view. "I can sense the presence of others. Sight and sound make no difference in that regard," Ulquiorra replied, knowing that an in-depth explanation of the facts behind his pesquisa would be lost on her. "You totally smelt me coming, right? You figured out what shampoo I've been using since I got here," Rainbow Dash asked as she approached his position. As crafty as he was, she sure wouldn't put that past him. While it was true that the sense of smell could prove invaluable in locating either a predator or prey, it was hardly the case here. Not that the theory didn't hold some validity of approach, but it simply didn't apply here right now. It was mildly baffling how she could be exposed to his Solita Vista technique not once, but twice, and still remain ignorant of how he operated. "The prospect of smelling you is not something I find particularly appealing," he replied as he flipped the page of the book he was on to continue reading. Rainbow Dash frowned in response, unable to tell what Ulquiorra meant by the comment. But whatever it was, she doubted it was all that nice. "Jerk," she responded. "Did you come for a specific reason? Or merely to engage in the trading of verbal barbs, and pointless banter?" he asked, deciding to cut through the fat and get right to the meat and bone of the issue. He'd already had his fill of such banter with the filly Shady earlier in the day. And he was already familiar with Rainbow Dash's repertoire. Rainbow Dash simply shrugged in response. "Could I stay here with you? I was supposed to sleep in Celestia's room tonight, but that might be a while. Something's going on." "Such as?" Ulquiorra asked. "I don't know. Celestia's all hopped up on more coffee than Twilight would ever drink, and she and Luna won't tell me anything. They won't even let me in the room," Rainbow Dash replied. It was downright weird how there was so much secrecy all of the sudden. "So can I stay? You're about the only one we know for sure isn't going to try and kill me when my back is turned." There had been no point in her raising the last part of her statement, as he was well aware of that fact. That was the primary reason for the new arrangements being made in the first place. It was a highly unnecessary complication for the trustworthiness of the entire palace staff to be called into question, due to the events of two days ago. Now when he had to travel beyond the palace walls, it had to coincide with when one of the diarchy was available. Making matters all the worse was the newfound uncertainty they had to address; were they supposed to focus on Canterlot, as it would be the next target of attack? Or were they supposed to think that, because Ponyville was about to be hit with something far more significant in terms of scope? The matter was starting to reach the point where, if he had a soul to offer for sale to the equivalent of this world's devil, he might actually consider doing just that, just for the prospect of actually getting some answers. The ultimate irony was that, he had more than enough souls in his structure that he would never miss one if he were to ever part with it. But there was apparently no one interested in actually buying one from him. That, or his asking prices were simply deemed too high. "I have no objections," he replied. The library was a publicly accessible area -at least as far as the palace was- open to whoever was present. It made no difference to him if she opted to remain in his presence, until such time that the diarchy straightened out whatever they were going over. So long as she didn't pose a significant distraction to his efforts. Rainbow Dash nodded silently, and looked around the room for somewhere to sit down. Unfortunately for her, this section of the library was without the benches and tables that other areas were abundant with. With nowhere else available, she simply sat down on her haunches on the floor. The library fell silent, other than the sound of pages flipping, and books being shuffled against shelving, neither party speaking. As far as Ulquiorra was considered, that was just fine. But he couldn't help but wonder just how long Rainbow Dash could maintain her own stretch of silence, before her boisterous nature forced her to say something. "... Ulquiorra?" Three hundred and nineteen seconds from when he started counting. Decent enough results, all things considered. "Mind if I ask a question?" "If I said no, would it really stop you from asking?" Ulquiorra asked her. "Uh..." Rainbow Dash paused, caught off guard by the answer. "What is it?" Ulquiorra asked, deciding to cut through the nonsense, and get at whatever she was trying for. "... Back in the boutique, I kinda think I heard you saying something, but I don't know really. I was kinda out of it. What does "hollowfication" mean?" she asked him. Ulquiorra considered the question for a moment. It had been an unusual question for her to be asking, considering the context of everything; not the least of which was the fact that she should've been unconscious at the time the conversation had been had. Regardless, it was a question that he could give an answer to. "In the context of the discussion, it's a process native to my reality. In basic terms -in the context as it was being discussed- Hollowifcation involves bonding the soul of a Hollow, to the soul of a physical recipient, with the ultimate purpose being to create a hybrid capable of transcending the natural boundaries and limitation of the two races," he explained. "Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked as she folded her forelegs together. "So what brought that up?" "A suggestion made by Spike, that I might be able to determine if what was behind the dragon and changeling encounters, was also behind your actions at the boutique. As I explained, I was unaware of any difference in your reiatsu that might suggest outside influence. It was then explained how only Hollowfication was known to alter an individual's basic reiatsu pattern. And that is not currently a possibility," Ulquiorra explained. "What makes you so sure about that?" It was a fair question, he would admit that. She didn't possess any in-depth knowledge pertaining to the intricacies of his world, and how things worked outside her scope of experience. "As I've said, what you and the others possess is not true reiatsu. There are certainly similarities exhibited by the two standards, but they aren't the same. If there were any other Hollows in this world, I would be aware of them. To put in simple terms you would understand, their presence wouldn't "feel" right in this world. It would be like a splinter just under the skin," he explained. "Oh..." Rainbow Dash replied and shifted her position slightly. "So this isn't a case of Aizen getting his hooks into me then..." "No," Ulquiorra replied simply and turned back to his book. "Becoming a Vizard is not in your future." "A what now?" Rainbow Dash asked and tilted her head to the side. It was only after he made the statement, did he realize that it was something that wouldn't be understood. And now he was going to need to explain what it was. That, or simply tolerate her annoying him anew with questions about the subject. "In simple terms, a Vizard is someone who has managed to subjugate the Hollow they've been possessed by, and learned how to call upon its powers and strength at will," he explained. Rainbow Dash nodded, despite not being looked at, the explanation making sense to her. Sort of. But then she flinched as she saw Ulquiorra's hand moving to his face, and knowing exactly what he was doing. "Doesn't it hurt when you do that?" she asked reflexively as she heard the telltale sound of an eyeball being shattered. "Every time," Ulquiorra replied. Rainbow Dash was about to ask why he would do something like that if it hurt him to do it, because it didn't make much sense to her. But before she could, she was already witnessing the cloud of crystal particles forming in front of her, rather than around her. And she watched as a series of still images became displayed in the cloud. They were... what was that term he used? People? Humans? Whatever they were, they were a varied bunch of individuals, in all different shapes, sizes, skin tones, and even basic clothing. The only thing she couldn't tell was if they were males or females. Or if they were even divided into such. "Who're they?" she asked. "They are members of the Vizard. Shinigami who Aizen experimented on. They were the first successful specimens, showing that true Shinigami/Hollow hybrids were indeed a possibility. Aizen kept detailed records of their progress and development," Ulquiorra explained. Rainbow Dash watched as the display switched from still to moving images, showing the Vizards in action. Ulquiorra hadn't been joking when he talked about detailed records, as she highly doubted what she was seeing was just the Espada's imagination; that is if he even had one to begin with. Some of the stuff she was seeing right now was pretty extensive. She understood that she was never going to be the brightest pony out of any group she was in, but she was still smart enough that she manged to get an idea of why these guys were called Vizards. From what she saw, they had the ability to don -and subsequently remove- what she guessed to be a Hollow mask, which brought with it a massive increase in strength, speed, and probably other physical abilities. And then there was the Ceros. All assorted colors, and locations from which they could be fired. Apparently Ulquiorra's teal green coloring, and firing from his fingertips, was unique only to him, rather than the default for all Hollows. Now that she was watching it, however, she was starting to feel disappointed that another Hollow wasn't involved right now. She could certainly stand to have some of those upgrades at her disposal; the ability to discharge a Cero or two at will would certainly be convenient. And then her thoughts slowly started to change, as did the display. Now it was starting to look more like a point of view shot, as she was seeing Ulquiorra's arm as he engaged in a sword fight with some unidentified foe in black robes with bright orange hair. "Who's the weird looking guy there?" she asked as she gestured at the display with her right hoof. "The substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. Like the others, he too is a Vizard, although through a process I wasn't informed about," Ulquiorra explained. Or at least he tried to explain it, but was interrupted shortly after mentioning the name. "That scrawny geek is Ichigo!? He's the one that killed you back in your dimension!? How in the shit pits of Tartarus did that happen?" she asked as she jumped to her hooves, finding it difficult to believe. No, scrap that. It was impossible to believe! "I underestimated what he was capable of," Ulquiorra elaborated simply. Seeing such a colorful and vocal outburst over the fact that he had been defeated was... unusual to say the least. "Or rather... what his Hollow side was capable of." Rainbow Dash watched as the display changed again, moving from Ichigo, to what she assumed was his Vizard form, and then to something else entirely. Something with severely torn robes, pale skin, a massive hole blown through its chest, and a horned mask. "What happened to him?" Rainbow Dash asked as she inched closer, feeling mesmerized by what she was seeing. Now she was really feeling like she should've spent more time with Twilight, picking her brain about everything. "I killed him. Or at least I thought I had. I blew out his heart, and the surrounding tissue in his chest cavity. I thought he had died, but I was wrong. His Hollow half took control of his body, and used it for its own purposes, all the while healing the sustained damage, and regenerating the destroyed tissue. It proved to be greater than I had anticipated, than I had evaluated," Ulquiorra explained, giving her all the relevant details surrounding his defeat in Las Noches. "So basically he cheated," Rainbow Dash stated simply, seeing it as a fair interpretation of what he was saying. "Something like that," Ulquiorra replied as the display came to an end, and the cloud dissipated. She had gotten her answer on what the Vizards were, there was no further need to show her anything more. "... Look. Don't take this the wrong way or anything, but... I'm kinda glad you did lose..." Rainbow Dash spoke up, breaking the silence that had settled in over the library in the aftermath. "If you hadn't, and Discord couldn't have brought you here, we'd all likely be dead now, and Equestria would be in ruins. You're pretty much the only reason we're still here right now. You're... you're a hero, you know?" As best as Ulquiorra could tell, this was a conversation that was going to be had, one way or another. Perhaps it would be best to do such and get it over with, as an increasing amount of his concentration was being diverted from his study efforts. As it was, he was just barely able to conclude that the book in hand didn't likely have the information he was seeking. "You're not the first to express such sentiment," he replied as he closed the book, and slid it back to its designated spot on the shelf. "As I've explained previously, I'm no hero. Back in my dimension, I was a villain. I killed as ordered, and without hesitation. And when I did, I did so without hesitation, or even regret for my actions. The simple fact that my skills are proving useful here in this world, does not change what I am. I-" "Do you even know what a hero is?" Rainbow Dash asked him, interrupting the explanation he'd been in the middle of. "Most of the time a hero is just some average pony -or whatever else- that's put in a position they don't want to be in, and simply does what needs to be done. Not because they're qualified, or even because they want to, they just do it," she explained, before sitting back down on the floor again. "I mean, look at me. Look at any one of us. Do you really think we were the best candidates to be facing down the return of Nightmare Moon? We didn't march into the old Castle of the Two Sisters, planning on facing down an angry alicorn in battle. The only reason we were there, was because we were worried about Twilight getting hurt. The fact that none of us died is more luck than anything." "Your point being what exactly?" Ulquiorra asked as he turned his focus away from the newest book, and towards her. Truthfully this wasn't the first that he'd heard such rhetoric being presented. He understood that what amount to a hero was often subject to individual interpretation. But if she was trying to make a point, she should at least get to it, instead of rambling on. "My point is, stop being so hard on yourself, you big jerk," Rainbow Dash replied as she stood up again. "What you were then, isn't what you are now. And don't try and claim that you're only following orders, or that you're just saving your own skin. Because, come on, which of us hasn't done just that at one time or another?" He truly didn't understand what it was that possessed Rainbow Dash to be engaging in this argumentative position. But whatever it was, she seemed committed to making him believe in something other than his own outlook on the situation. Refutation was on his mind, laying out precisely why she was so idiotic in her outlook on the matter. But she was as stubborn as the Sexta Espada -and sometimes even as dense as the Diez Espada- and right now he simply didn't care to engage in a lengthy debate about why he wasn't a hero. In the end he simply opted to leave her unaddressed, and let her believe that she'd convinced him, just so the matter could be over, and so he could return to his investigative efforts. Based on the resulting silence, he would theorize that his efforts had the desired results. "Hey..." "Too soon..." Ulquiorra thought to himself, and once again turned his attention to the cyan pegasus, to see what the latest interruption was about. "What is it?" "Uh..." she paused momentarily. "Well... do you... have any advice for getting over a fear of the dark? I've been trying it myself, but so far it's not working out like I thought it would," she explained. "The library has numerous books detailing how to deal with various phobias. I'm certain nyctophobia, the scientific term for fear of the dark, is also covered," he pointed out. Why she was asking him, rather than doing the effort herself, he didn't know. He was a killer, not an index. "But none of them would be of any use to you." "Hold up. Say what now?" Rainbow Dash asked, confused by the way that whole exchange had gone. "What're you saying? That I'm too stupid to be helped?" For a second, Ulquiorra actually considered answering in the affirmative to her question. But he didn't. That would be petty. Beyond that simple fact, it would be factually wrong. "Darkness isn't the source of your fear. It is merely the psychological trigger you've come to associate with your fear. What you really fear is what you experienced while in the dark; both in the hallucinations concerning Rarity's basement, and while under Thrush's care. The fear that was experienced from being paralyzed, rendered vulnerable, and completely helpless," he stated. The response was as immediate as it was hostile. He could feel it with the flaring of her reiatsu. He took it as a sign of having hit the nail right on the head. "I'm not helpless!" Rainbow Dash barked in response. "And yet you were," Ulquiorra shot back, cutting off her protest. "Regardless of whether or not you agree with the fact, you were rendered helpless by someone placed in a position of power over you, your ability to resist being stolen from you in a single fell swoop. Based on how violent your reaction has been since your return from the hospital, I can only assume that it was one of the first times you were forced to confront the fact that there was nothing you could do to resist, and were left at the mercy of those around you. I would even go so far as to say that what you were put through there, just deepened the trauma caused by your hallucinations..." He observed as Rainbow Dash reared up on her hind legs, pulling her left foreleg back in a manner consistent with preparing to deliver a physical blow against him, just as she'd done two days ago. Except there was no follow through. Instead of actually delivering the blow, she stopped, and released a breath -as well as the tension she'd been holding in her body- as she set back down on all four of her hooves. "Alright," she sighed, "let's say, for the sake of argument, that you are right about this. What do I do to get over it?" she asked him. "I can't say. My skills lay in exploiting weaknesses, not overcoming them," Ulquiorra replied. Tearing down an opponent was far easier -and more productive- than attempting to build up an ally. Beyond that fact, he wasn't a psychiatrist. If she wanted help, she should ask one of them instead. They weren't being kept around simply because Princess Celestia was collecting them. "Just great," Rainbow Dash sighed and turned away. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. "I wish I'd been born a dragon instead of a pegasus. Dragons don't have to put up with this kind of shit..." Ulquiorra knew from his own personal experiences, that there were a fair number of factual inconsistencies that he could tolerate, and not expend vast measurements of time in completely tearing down such nonsense, simply because of the amount of time that would be wasted in attempting to do such. If the cost benefit analysis indicated that correcting the misinformation would require a significant amount of time, then sometimes it was simply not worth the effort that would be required. It was no skin off of his nose, if others were walking around with the wrong information. But the amount of logical fallacies that were present in Rainbow Dash's statement were so extensive, he found it impossible to consider biting his tongue. Her ignorance of basic facts required -if not outright demanded- refutation. However that plan was put on hold as a scroll materialized in front of his face in a flash of light. "You're on Spike's flame network too?" Rainbow Dash asked upon witnessing the arrival, and the subsequent catching of said scroll before it could fall to the ground. "Indeed," Ulquiorra replied, pausing to place the book back in the shelf in order to free up his other hand for getting the scroll open in order to read it. "Cool. What's it say?" Rainbow Dash asked, curious about the contents of the message. But no answer immediately came. "What's it say?" she asked again, several seconds after. The longer the silence went on, the more curiosity started to give way to annoyance. "You may need to reevaluate your outlook on dragons," Ulquiorra stated, signalling that she now had his attention again. "Twilight Sparkle reports that Spike is requesting combat training, in order to better respond to potential happenings around Ponyville." "Are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked. Instead of being given a verbal response, she blinked as the note was turned around so she could read it for herself. And as she did, she could tell that Ulquiorra's overview was an understatement. "Things are getting worse, aren't they?" she asked as she looked away from the note, and back up at him. "It would certainly appear that way," Ulquiorra replied. He considered informing her about Fluttershy being the latest of victims to be attacked. But he immediately abandoned that idea. Not even a full forty eight hours ago, the cyan pegasus had experienced a violent reaction to not knowing if the filly Scootaloo had been a victim of attack. The reaction she would have, from learning that her apparent best friend was yet another confirmed victim, would likely be far more significant, and require more effort to address. The fact that she was no longer bound by even the meager safeguards that had been put into place days earlier, merely added to that fact. "Meanwhile I'm stuck here where I can't do anything to help," Rainbow Dash grumbled and looked at the floor. "This blows." It was an evaluation of facts that Ulquiorra couldn't entirely disagree with. Divided as they were, this group was weak, and unable to respond accordingly. And yet the circumstances they found themselves in, demanded that they be kept divided. Until they could determine what was influencing Rainbow Dash -or until she could learn to successfully bring it under control- having her anywhere near the others presented a security risk. The only notable improvement, was that Rainbow Dash didn't seem determined to launch anymore escape attempts, now that she more readily recognized what was going on around her. "So what happens now?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked back up at him for answers. "Are you gonna be teaching Spike how to fight like Twilight asked?" "I don't know yet. Spike will need to be evaluated beforehand, in order to learn what his physical limitations are. His short stature is going to be present special challenges, regardless of what course of action is taken. And I have significant doubts that Equestria has any martial arts styles drafted with midgets in mind," Ulquiorra replied, already running through the numerous challenges they were likely going to be facing with this latest wrinkle. Rainbow Dash blinked at hearing his explanation. "What's a midget?" "A term from my dimension, used to describe a person whose physical stature is significantly below the accepted average for a specific age range," Ulquiorra explained, briefly forgetting that it was a term that those present in this world wouldn't be readily familiar with. "You mean like you?" Rainbow Dash asked him. "You said you were the shortest of all the Espada. Does that mean you're a midget?" Now that was a question he hadn't expected to be asked. Then again he hadn't expected her of all ponies to remember a piece of dialogue first brought up on their second meeting, while on the way to face down a dragon. He couldn't help but wonder if he was seriously underestimating these ponies. "Perhaps in certain circles," he replied. There was no point in denying that fact. "That matter aside, however, we still find ourselves facing the question, of whether or not there are any texts in the library with any relevance to Spike learning about combat." "And if there aren't any texts like that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Then we may have to improvise on the matter," Ulquiorra replied, not seeing what else could be done under these circumstances. Much to Rainbow Dash's annoyance, that was where their conversation ended unexpectedly, as the Espada had proceeded to walk away immediately afterward. She could've followed after him, and pressed for details on the matter, but she seriously doubted that she'd be getting the answers she was looking for; she really didn't even know what answers she was looking for right now. She considered her options regarding how to proceed from here. She could go back to Celestia's chambers, and wait for her and Luna to finish up whatever was going on in there, but that could take a while, and leave he with nothing to do but wait next to the guards; and they weren't that good for having conversations with. She could go back to what had been her assigned quarters and wait, but the furnishings left a great deal to be desired, what with the room being completely empty at the moment. Tank was currently in the gardens, so checking on him was always an option. There were a lot of choices available to her right now. But ultimately the one that struck her as being the best, was simply staying put for the time being. The library was a boring place to be -and doubly so when the only other occupant was the Espada- but ultimately it was the safest location of the castle. Should somepony come after her, she knew that Ulquiorra would be on them like Pinkie on candy. That might be the best way to go about doing things right now. If Celestia or Luna wanted her, they could come looking for her, or have the guards do it. Finding her wouldn't be terribly difficult, she was pretty sure of that. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day for everyone involved. She was pretty sure of that as well.