Chapter Eighty Three
On some nights the palace's hangar bay would be abuzz with activity as the maintenance staff went about their regular duties.
Tonight, however, the only activity taking place was the counting of many, large barrels that had been stacked there, as it was the most out of the way location that provided sufficient storage.
It was also a night where Celestia was finding it necessary to dip into her secret stock of midnight oil to keep running; a fact illustrated by the need to let a yawn escape as she stood in the hangar bay, far too tired to fight the fatigue she was feeling on this night. Today, much like every other day, had been harrowing to experience. There were simply too many things that needed her attention, to properly keep track of throughout the days. Nobles who couldn't resolve their own problems, Rainbow Dash, the fog, her sister, etc. It was all culminating into a royal pain in her ass, and made her want to scream and pull her mane out.
She shook her head to clear her thoughts, and return to the task at hoof, focusing on the clipboard with her notes. She would scream later, right now she had inventory to complete.
The moment she had returned to Canterlot from Ponyville, she had sent word to anyone and everyone all across Equestria that she even suspected of having water-tight, air-tight storage containers in stock, and requisitioned each and every last one of them that wasn't otherwise tied up with prior commitments to other customers. The amount of funding she had provided for expedited delivery had been substantial no matter how it was measured, but it was well worth it if it meant bringing an end to this crisis; hopefully once and for all.
One hundred and forty nine barrels, each of them capable of holding fifty five gallons of liquid, stacked quite literally everywhere that the hangar bay had to offer. They were stacked on top of each other and alongside each other, until they came as close to the ceiling as space would allow. That was all that they had to work with in this case. Perhaps it was a gross overreaction, and they wouldn't need anywhere near such a number of containers for housing the terror fog. But she would much rather have far too many, than far too few. Too few meant that there would be traces of fog potentially unaccounted for, and allowed to contaminate the groundwater in Ponyville, and perhaps well beyond. That was a risk she simply wasn't wiling to take.
"It'll have to do," Celestia said to herself. She sincerely hoped that it was more than they would need. Otherwise their troubles were even bigger than any of them suspected.
"So this is where you have disappeared to, dear sister."
Celestia turned to see Luna walking through the doors, looking rather annoyed as she did so.
"Usually you are in bed at this time of night. Whatever are you still doing up?" she asked as she stepped over to her.
"Being unable to sleep, I'm afraid," Celestia replied and closed her eyes as she sighed. "My nerves are far too wound up to let me relax properly. We're putting the plan into action tomorrow to remove the terror fog from the area, and I'm suffering a sense of anxiousness that only a foal on Hearth's Warming Eve night would experience about opening their presents in the morning. Even if I laid down, I doubt I'd get any rest. I just... it's so hard to wait for the proper time for the fog to gather, and be ripe for the picking..."
"Do not assume that I am unfamiliar with what you are referring to, dear sister, for I am. I am intimately familiar with the feeling of anxiousness that you refer to," Luna explained as she stepped closer to Celestia, stopping barely a foot away from where she stood. "But sadly there is precious little that we can do about it. The laws of nature are not something we can freely violate simply because we wish to. We cannot make the fog coalesce and take form; certainly not this fog that we are dealing with. All we can do is wait for it to take form on its own."
Celestia sighed, idly setting the clipboard down on one of the random barrels. She knew full well what Luna was saying, despite her wish for it to be anything but the truth. They were unfortunately stuck in a waiting game, and there were many hours left during which they needed to play, unwillingly or otherwise.
"If you can tend to the matters at hoof from here on out, I believe I'm going for a flight to try and clear my head," she stated as she moved to step past Luna, only for her sister to deploy a wing and interrupt her departure.
"I would advise against such. Simply because we have identified terror fog as the cause of all this drama we are besieged by, does not mean we have identified the one behind the fog itself. There is no telling who may be operating behind the scenes, or what they may do. Separating at this point maybe be unwise, 'Tia. I... I ask you to please stay in for the night," Luna implored her. "We are but a few scant hours away from being through with this particular nightmare for good. Please do not put yourself in jeopardy simply because you cannot rest peacefully."
Again, Celestia could understand what Luna was saying. She knew her sister's concerns were valid. As close as they were to victory in this matter, there was no telling what could go wrong. By going out tonight, she could quite easily be ambushed by some unseen force that she couldn't overcome on her own -unlikely as that may be- and put their entire operation at risk of disaster.
However none of that changed the fact that, in her stressed state, she was getting very sick and tired of looking at the same architecture of the palace constantly. She wanted a change, even if just for a little while.
"Well then, maybe I should go out after all, and draw the guilty party out. We could always have Ulquiorra follow behind from a distance, watching and waiting for the time to intervene and stop whatever might come for me," she suggested cheekily.
Luna's response was halfway between an annoyed frown, and an amused smirk at Celestia's suggestion of serving as bait.
"At present time Ulquiorra Cifer is watching over Rainbow Dash as she sleeps in his chambers; much as an elder brother would under such circumstances," Luna explained, doubting that disturbing either of them would have a beneficial result. He was already tending to the most vulnerable of their little party, keeping her safe from whatever threats might be lurking just around the corner. Interrupting that for an extended period, on the hope that Celestia acting as bait in luring this threat out, simply wouldn't be worthwhile. "I do believe that if we were to pull him away, on the basis that you cannot peacefully sleep, he would have words most unkind to share on the subject."
Celestia didn't say anything, but she could certainly see that being a possibility. Ulquiorra wasn't the type of mince words, and if he felt the need to call somepony out on being foalish, he wouldn't hesitate to do so; he certainly hadn't hesitated with any of them so far. She could already hear him berating her in his monotone voice, explaining how she was interrupting important work with her selfish desire to amuse herself, all the while taking on unreasonable risk while assuming that he could come to her rescue simply because she called upon him, when the smart decision would be to simply not put herself at risk to begin with, since the decision was an optional one to make, rather than a necessary one. Or at least something like that.
"When did my sweet little sister get to be so wise on such matters?" she asked rhetorically.
"Well one of us must be," Luna replied and smirked, "now be off with you. I will tend to the last of the details that need attention. In the meantime I want you to get at least a few hours of sleep before we must depart for Ponyville in the morning. And do not let me catch you out of bed before then, or else," she stated as she moved to usher Celestia out of the hangar bay, and in the direction of her chambers.
"Or else?" Celestia asked, intrigued by how her sister had ended her sentence. She couldn't resist the urge to grin mischievously in response. "Tell me, Luna, what exactly does that "or else" entail if I don't quite feel like being cooperative?" she asked as she craned her neck to look back at her.
Luna was torn between being annoyed, and being amused by Celestia's attitude on the matter. "If you insist on being difficult, then I fully intend to bend you over, and spank you like a bad little filly; in front of my guards, your guards, and whatever palace staff members happens to be in the area at the time," she stated firmly.
Celestia looked at Luna's face carefully, inspecting for any signs of amusement in the expression she wore, that might indicate she was joking. But she found no such indicators present; just a stern face that looked like it could've been carved from solid marble. Luna wasn't bluffing this time around as best she could tell.
"You wouldn't," she replied.
"Do you wish to test your hypothesis?" Luna asked.
For a brief moment, she considered challenging Luna to see if she were truly serious about her threat, tempted by the prospect of spending a few minutes being entertained by something other than the constant threat they were under.
However this urge was tempered in the knowledge that, despite being younger than her, Luna was undeniably strong. And if she were truly serious in her threat, then there would be no amusement to be had. She had little doubt that, if she were serious, Luna could wrestle her into some restraining hold or another. And then it would be nothing but pain for her. The prospect of being sent to bed with cherry red flanks that burnt like fire didn't appeal to her all that well; especially if the burn didn't subside by the time it came to resume the day court. She did not want to find herself sitting on her throne, listening to the whining and crying of uppity nobles who wanted more money for their pet projects, all while she tried to sit there and look regal as Tartarus.
"What is that phrase so common these days? Double or nothing?" Luna asked.
"Alright, alright. You win," Celestia stated, having no desire to really test her luck tonight.
"Very good then," Luna replied, her voice instantly returning to its normal, soft state. "Shall I tuck you in again? Or can you be a big filly for tonight?"
"Oh, shut up," Celestia replied, managing to be both amused and annoyed at the same time.
"Well at least your wit is still as potent as ever," Luna commented, "for a while I was worried about you."
Tuesday, July Thirteenth, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon
Observational notes pertaining to progress made in the operation dubbed "Rainbow Reparation"
Day Twelve
...
Tuesday, July Thirteenth, second year of the new calendar: After Nightmare Moon
Observational notes pertaining to progress made in the operation dubbed "Rainbow Reparation"
Day Twelve
Observational notes pertaining to the mysterious concept known as "friendship" and other curiosities in the world of EquestriaEntry Five
I have two roommates. That is the simplest way of explaining the current situation. For the past five nights, the pegasus Rainbow Dash has opted to sleep in my quarters, rather than rooming with Princess Celestia. This is on top of the previous three nights of sleeping in the library. For the past two nights, she has opted to bring her pet tortoise by the name of Tank with her.
I have come to accept that these ponies have their own way of doing things, even if it makes no sense to me. But based on comments made by Rainbow Dash, and observation garnered on my own, it is reasonable to conclude that there is some measure of logic in her actions as of late. First and foremost, the belief that I am incapable of being manipulated by the same force responsible for the deaths of the physician Thrush, and the guard Ready Stance. Pending further information that would suggest the contrary, this appears to be an accurate assessment of facts.
Secondly is the reported absence of nightmares. For whatever reason, based on all available accounts from both Rainbow Dash, and Princess Luna, it appears that they've simply ceased, and of their own accord. How exactly this has come to pass, we have no way of explaining. At present we have nothing but theories, four of which seem to hold the greatest likelihood of accuracy.
The first theory, based on the incidents in the Ponyville marketplace when Fluttershy was attacked, would suggest some measure of close proximity is needed to trigger the fear experience, and I am able to detect the presence of the increased reiatsu in the area. Attempting to induce a nightmare while Rainbow Dash is within my presence, would give away whatever element of surprise is in play with the others.
The second theory is that the reiatsu my bodily releases on its own -possibly in addition to the reiatsu exhibited by the diarchy- is substantial enough to make the detection and location of Rainbow Dash all but impossible by whatever entity is currently at play, effectively camouflaging her, and allowing her to hide in plain sight.
The third theory is that, rather than my reiatsu proving to be a sufficient masking agent, my body's natural absorption of the surrounding reishi is serving to make targeting of Rainbow Dash impossible, due to an effect not unlike that of a black hole. This would, in theory, suggest that any attempts that could possibly bypass my pesquisa due to weakness of signal, is insufficient to overcome my consumption rate, and any attempts at strengthening the signal to cut through would result in detection, going back to the first theory.
The fourth theory, is that the degree of trust I apparently hold to her, is sufficient enough that it translates over to the dream world, and puts her unconscious mind at ease when she rests, and thus denies the nightmares whatever sort of environment they may need to take root. Although this would suggest that she holds less trust in Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna.
Ulquiorra paused in his writing, not so much looking up and away from the paper, as simply not looking directly at it, as he pondered the words that had just been written.
+++
"What's it like being dead?"
Having Rainbow Dash sleep in his quarters, Ulquiorra had become accustomed to how a number of varying topics were brought up and discussed with seemingly little rhyme or reasons as to why. Her having chosen to bring her tortoise along at night was certainly new, but it was hardly the most unexpected thing she'd ever done as of yet.
That question, however, was enough to make him stop his writing as he stood by the side of his desk, and regard her instead. She wasn't even looking at him as she asked it. She was just laying on the sofa, stretched out with her forelegs tucked behind her head for support. Was it idle musing on her part, or a serious inquiry?
"Is there a reason for asking that particular question? Or are you simply trying to strike up idle conversation to pass the time?" he asked her.
"It's a serious question," Rainbow Dash replied, before rolling over on the sofa, and propping herself up to get a better look at him. "What's it like?"
"That isn't a question I can give a definitive answer to. There are no hard set standards that apply universally across the board," Ulquiorra pointed out. It was doubtful that what he experienced in Hueco Mundo would be comparable to the experiences of anyone else. "In the case of myself, as best I can determine, much like being alive; constant struggle for survival and advancement in placement on the pecking order, with some succeeding, and others failing," he explained.
"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied, her tone flat. "So nothing changes then?"
"Nothing of any significance. The difference between life and death, in my experience, can be summed up as little more than meaningless window dressing," Ulquiorra replied. "Why do you ask?"
For a while Rainbow Dash didn't answer, opting to not meet his gaze, her eyes focused in no particular direction.
"Ever since I... I haven't been able to stop thinking about it; about how close I came to actually dying. We've had a lot of brushes with death before, but I think that's the closest I've ever come. I just keep going over it in my head," she admitted, opting to look towards the floor finally.
"Is this a conversation you've had with the psychological experts the diarchy has put on retainer?" Ulquiorra asked. They would be of far more assistance to Rainbow Dash right now than he would be. He had stated before that he was no psychiatrist, psychologist, counselor, or anything else along those lines. The simple fact that he was studying pony psychology did nothing to change that simple fact.
Rainbow Dash shook her head in response. "I don't like talking to them. They never give a concrete answer. It's always just "And how does that make you feel?" or "And what did you do then?" or even "What do you see in these ink blots?" or some other dumb question. They don't have any answers to give me. They don't tell me what I should be doing about all of this. They're beyond useless. I'd much rather talk with you; you don't have a degree in bullshit like they do," she stated. "Which is kinda funny really, since you introduced bullshit to this world in the first place and all. Granted we had the concept around for a long time, but you're the one who gave it a really good name and-"
"Rainbow Dash," Ulquiorra spoke up, interrupting her nonsensical ramble. Finally she met his gaze. "You're rambling," he pointed out.
Rainbow Dash sighed and nodded in response. "I'm scared. Scared of what could've happened; of what almost did happen. It's... it's terrifying to think about. And I can't not think about it either; I've been trying. I came so close to losing absolutely everything because of how weak I was; my friends, my family, everything. And you come in like a badass and drag me back to the living world, and force me to face up to facts I didn't want to admit. You forced me to confront the fact that I was weak, and I was being played. You made me start fighting back with everything I had, until I could stand on my own four hooves again, and then you made me fight even harder than that. You made me go from running away and hiding, to looking to stand and fight, and take my life back. If it weren't for you... well I really don't wanna think about that right now..." she stated.
"Other than stopping your suicide attempt, I did very little in the matter," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no further point in this discussion, and turning back to his notes. "You picked yourself up. I merely ridiculed and insulted your ego, until your fury proved stronger than your despair. Everything after that point was your own doing," he pointed out, before writing down more. She was the one who had found the power to strive and grow, he'd merely cleared away the metaphorical weeds that were inhibiting that growth.
"Yeah? Well... thanks anyway," Rainbow Dash mumbled in response. "Trust me on this, you did way more than just make me wanna kick your ass," she stated.
"And how did you arrive at this conclusion?" Ulquiorra asked idly as he continued his writing.
"By making the prospect of death even scarier than life," Rainbow Dash stated as she sat up straighter. "Seriously, Tartarus is bad, but your world's Hell is even worse, which is a pretty horrifying thought in itself. When you told me about that, it got me thinking about some pretty unpleasant things; more unpleasant than the current norm. I started wondering if what we know about Tartarus is all wrong? What if I killed myself, and wound up there for some reason? What if the Tartarus I wound up in, was me constantly reliving what I tried to escape for the rest of eternity?" she asked, stopping only to shudder at the thought. "That scared me more than anything, and made me stop wanting to die, and instead want to go on living."
"You would be surprised at how many people never stop to consider such possibilities before proceeding," Ulquiorra commented.
In truth the tales of his world, more specifically his world's afterlife, weren't meant to serve any discouraging purpose; he hadn't been preaching of fire and brimstone, and the fate of the eternally damned. He had merely been answering presented questions as best he could at the time. The fact that she had latched onto a small portion of conversation, and been terrified by the realization it carried, was a noteworthy fact. It showed that she was capable of contemplating things that went beyond the surface, and reinforced the fact that she was smarter than she let on.
For a while, there was nothing but a blissful silence, allowing him to continue writing undisturbed.
"Why is it parents tell their foals that dying is like going to sleep for a really long time?"
For a few minutes anyway.
"Seriously, it's a pretty stupid fucking thing to tell foals. Gives 'em all the wrong ideas, making them scared to go to bed and stuff like that," she continued.
"I assume you're speaking from personal experiences on the matter, relating to some traumatic childhood experience?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Oh yeah," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded, "bad enough that I actually tried to stop winter from coming one year."
That made Ulquiorra stop writing right in the middle of the word he was on, and slowly turn his head to look in her direction. The premise of this story was so utterly absurd, he actually had to hear it for himself.
Rainbow Dash seemed to pick up on the fact that she now had his attention, and proceeded to tell her story.
"It was during the first or... maybe second year of Twilight living in Ponyville. Everypony had a pet but me, I was feeling left out since they were having fun without me, stuff happened, and I got Tank over there," she said as she gestured over to the tortoise sleeping in the corner of the room over by the door; the most recent member of their little group. "I didn't know that tortoises actually hibernate in winter, so when Tank started getting slower as the weather started getting colder, I took him to Fluttershy to see what was wrong, and when I found out he was going to sleep for a really long time I sort of... lost it; to the point I actually sabotaged the weather factory to try and keep winter from actually happening. But that just made things worse..." she admitted.
"And what became of this?" Ulquiorra asked. The premise of this story was so ludicrous to even consider, it all but begged to be heard all the way to its conclusion.
"I got busted. I was looking at some serious prison time for stuff like industrial sabotage and a mess of other charges," she stated bluntly, before looking away again.
"I take it that didn't happen," Ulquiorra replied.
Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Turns out the investigator assigned to the case found a buttload of workplace safety requirements that the factory manager wasn't complying with, and had been bribing the safety inspector to let them slide. You wouldn't believe the stuff that was uncovered; no safety grates over the air intake fans, keeping bottled lightning stored in a closet where anypony could knock it over, etc. Turned out the only reason that I was able to cause so much damage, was because the factory was in such bad condition to begin with," she explained as she slowly looked back up again. "I don't remember exactly how everything happened; I was too scared to be paying that much attention. All I know is that when the facts came out, the manager and inspector were the ones facing prison, and I got off easy with community service for something minor. I think Celestia had a hoof in things..."
That hardly seemed surprising as far as he was concerned. Considering the bond Rainbow Dash and the others had with the Elements of Harmony, he highly doubted that Princess Celestia would allow for them to face serious repercussions for their actions, unless a truly serious action was committed on their part. And seeing as the bond was for the duration of the bearer's life, and couldn't be reassigned without the bearer dying, the offense would indeed have to be truly heinous.
Whether or not they themselves were aware of such a possibility he neither knew, nor really cared.
+++
The more he thought about it, the more lesson number two in friendship appeared to be an actual, viable concept. Or at least more than it had originally.
Based on all the information he had been able to gather, it was reasonably safe to conclude that Rainbow Dash made chosen to make him the primary recipient of her trust. Exactly how and why this was the case, he really didn't know. All he knew was what he could see for himself.
Glancing over to the corner of the room where the tortoise currently slumbered, it was easy to assume the trend extended from owner to pet. Out of all of the pets he had encountered so far, Tank seemed to fear him the least. Whether this was due to recognizing that he had no method of escape if the worst case scenario were to come to pass, or something else entirely that might suggest a greater level of understanding than the others, he really didn't know. Nor did he particularly care right now.
Before he could continue writing his report, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by the reiatsu pattern of one of the bat-ponies -thestrals, he'd recently learned they were called- that made up the night guard.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Her Majesty requests your presence in the throne room," the guard stated, voice muffled by having to speak through the closed door.
Ulquiorra paused to consider this. Princess Luna understood, perhaps better than anyone, how important it was that he kept an eye on Rainbow Dash. She -most likely anyway- wouldn't call him away unless the matter was important, and thus actually warranted the interruption.
The abrupt snort from Rainbow Dash, followed by incoherent mumblings as she shifted onto her side, brought his attention back to her. All the times she'd woken up for one reason or another, she had found him present if he was needed. What would the outcome be if the setup changed, and he was gone this time around? Would her perceived emotional stability be sufficient to see her through an unexpected change of routine?
Even if it wasn't, he couldn't simply stay put the whole night. He knew what he had to do.
"I'll be right there," he finally replied.
Rainbow Dash awoke to the pounding of an excruciating headache. It was the kind of headache where one tended to swear that their head was an anvil, and it was being pounded on by an inexperienced blacksmith who didn't yet realize they needed to delivered controlled blows, rather than beating against it as hard as they possibly could.
"Crud," she grumbled. It hurt to even open her eyes. It was like being smacked with a frying pan when she wasn't looking and...
Wait, a frying pan?
Immediately her eyes flew open, the pain forgotten about as she moved to stand up, and survey her surroundings. As she did she noticed something peculiar. Her wings were restrained, forced into an upward position. That was pretty standard. But her legs weren't hogtied with rope, nor was there a rubber gag -or any other type of binding- in her mouth. Instead each of her legs was bound by a hinged shackle made of thick iron bands, and secured by a strong padlock. Each shackle was attached to strong chains, each of them bolted securely to the concrete floor she was currently laying on. There was even a similar setup around her neck, now that she was more aware of her surroundings.
Grunting, she pushed herself into a standing position. That was new as well, being able to actually stand up, rather than being restrained on the ground. Each chain rattled at every little movement she made, as she discovered how little slack she had available. Something really weird was going on around here.
Looking around the room, she could barely make out anything beyond the limited area of light around her. But she didn't really need to survey her surroundings, as she'd been here more times than she ever cared to remember; this was Rarity's basement. She was back in her nightmare, again.
"So. You're awake now..."
Hearing that familiar voice made Rainbow Dash's blood run cold, as the hooded figure slowly came into view. Much like her surroundings, she knew that voice as well; Rarity. Or more accurately, that of Mistress Do Well.
"Oh not you again. Go away, shoo," Rainbow Dash barked.
"Still without manners I see," Mistress Do Well commented as she stopped approaching, far enough out of reach that Rainbow Dash couldn't reach her. "No matter. I'll be tending to that soon enough..." she warned.
Rainbow Dash frowned as she flicked her tail, unimpressed by it all. "So why all the chains? This isn't the usual setup," she pointed out.
"You're becoming a nuisance to me. The fact that you're actually developing your lucid dreaming skills is a complication I don't need. So I need to change my plans up somewhat. I need to break you again, and that's exactly what I intend to do. By the time I'm done with you, you'll-"
"Shut up," Rainbow Dash grumbled, interrupting Mistress Do Well's explanation. She was in no mood to be hearing this nonsense.
"You're an insolent little foal," Mistress Do Well stated, frowning from behind her mask. "How dare you speak to me like that!?"
"Oh I dare a lot more than that. I'm not putting up with this bullshit for one more night. I'm out of here, and there's nothing you can do to stop me. But before I do that, I'm gonna kill you," Rainbow Dash stated firmly, sneering at her captor.
Mistress Do Well simply huffed indignantly, flicking her head to the side, causing the slack in the chains to be removed, violently pulling Rainbow Dash back to the ground with a thud in the process, stretching her limbs out and away from her body, leaving her prone on the floor.
"You'll learn your place soon enough," she stated as she glared down at her triumphantly.
"Ah learn this!" Rainbow Dash yelled back and pulled at her bindings.
Mistress Do Well watched smugly as Rainbow Dash struggled futilely against the chains that bound her. She watched, listening with satisfaction at hearing her grunting and straining against the thick steel that held her down, knowing that there was no way for the pegasus to free herself. She could struggle for eternity, and she'd never get loose; all she would do was wear herself out faster, making her all the more open for proper conditioning.
"You'll break your bones long before you break your bindings," she chuckled.
But her chuckling soon stopped as the ground started to tremble.
Her predictions were failing, as the cyan pegasus wasn't breaking, but rather her surroundings were. The ground began to shake violently as she pulled against her chains, actually stretching them back out to the point where she could stand on all four legs again. That alone should've been completely impossible, and yet it had happened regardless.
"This can't be," she stated breathlessly. But it only got worse from there.
She watched, unable to respond as the ground, in addition to shaking, was starting to crack around the steel plates that were keeping the chains in place. And with a mighty yell from Rainbow Dash to coincide with the extra physical effort, she violently ripped two large hunks of concrete right from the ground with her forelegs tugging the chains sideways. The same process was quickly repeated with her hind legs.
"This can't be possible," Mistress Do Well stated, dumbfounded as she watched Rainbow Dash give a single, powerful flap of her wings, utterly breaking the restraints that had been placed on them.
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Rainbow Dash stated as she wrapped her right foreleg around the chain on her neck, and jerked it free from the ground. "You just wait and see what's next!"
Mistress Do Well didn't know whether to regard Rainbow Dash's statement as plain arrogance, or if there was truly more to the pegasi's tirade. But that matter was soon addressed, as she watched on in paralyzing horror, as the ground shook with even more force than before, as the cyan pegasus began to change. Her whole outer appearance changed, like millions of little pieces in a double-sided puzzle flipping over to reveal what was hidden just underneath. Leg joints were reoriented, fur and feather was replaced by scale and membrane, with two curved back black horns appearing on either side of her head, as a long row of spines ran down her cyan blue back and newly reptilian tail, from the base of her rainbow mane, all the way to her matching tail tuft of fur. Hooves were swapped out with claws, with individual articulated digits, each with a sharp black talon on the end. Articulated digits that allowed her to effortlessly rip apart the shackles that dangled uselessly from her limbs.
Now she was terrified at the sight of the new quadruped form standing before her, the quaking of the ground seeming to reach a fevered pitch that coincided with the bellowing roar that the now dragonized Rainbow Dash unleashed towards the sky. Whatever was going to happen, it was likely going to be sooner than-
Mistress Do Well was caught off guard by the speed displayed as Rainbow Dash flew forward, and roughly grabbed her by the neck in mid-flight, before continuing on and slamming her against the cinder block wall at the edge of the basement with a sickening thud, held high enough off the ground that her hind legs dangled helplessly just out of reach.
Rainbow Dash grinned as she pulled her newly formed right fist back, and slammed it forward as hard as she could into her quarry's head. She gave a sick, sadistically satisfied grin at the feeling of bone and concrete fracturing beneath her scaled knuckles, before releasing her grip in order to pound away with both fists, in the most brutal, and most unrestrained manner she could muster.
The wall was the first to give way, crumbling to pieces as a particularly brutal punch right to the sternum sent Mistress Do Well flying through the cinder block construction, and crashing against the floor on the opposite side. Rainbow Dash didn't even hesitate before muscling her way through the hole, and observed as her quarry was now trying to crawl away. Oh how the tables had turned.
"Just where do you think you're going, bitch?" Rainbow Dash asked as she reached out and grabbed Mistress Do Well by one of her hind legs. "After all, we're just getting started!" she stated and swung the downed pony around, slamming her not just against the wall, but right through the wall like a wrecking ball, before letting go of her so she could go flying in the process.
"You have no idea how long I've been looking forward to paying you back what you've put me through," Rainbow Dash stated as she stepped -or more accurately stomped- her way through the hole in the wall, and over to where her quarry laid. She reached down and grabbed one of the broken restraints off the ground as she approached, gripping the chain in her claws as she stood over the downed Mistress Do Well, and proceeded to swing the concrete portion around like a flail, before violently swinging it downward, raining a series of brutal blows all over her prone body.
"You know the old saying, Misty, what goes around comes around," Rainbow Dash said as she stopped the beating, before reaching out with one claw to lift her head up off the ground. "Just like this chain goes around your neck," she finished as she did just that, wrapping the chain around her neck, and pulling it tight behind her to choke her. "I'm gonna make you suffer; not for what you did to me, but how much you hurt my friends through all this!"
Choking, it turned out, was a lot less satisfying than Rainbow Dash initially thought it would be. The lack of struggling just left her feeling unfulfilled. Grunting in annoyance, she released the chain, and stood up on her hind legs, using her tail to keep her balanced, before pulling her right leg back and swinging it forward, kicking Mistress Do Well with enough force to send her crashing into the opposing wall, hard enough she actually bounced off, and fell to the ground helplessly.
"And now we're gonna do something that I've wanted to do for a long fuckin' time," Rainbow Dash growled as flame began to seep from the corners of her mouth. Sucking in as deep of a breath as she could manage, she violently exhaled, sending a massive stream of orange fire hurtling across the room, and completely enveloping Mistress Do Well's prone form, before continuing on, and slamming against the wall, spreading out in every direction in the process.
That had felt unbelievably good. She'd been dealing with so much frustration for so long, and having the chance to vent it had made her feel like a huge weight had been lifted off her withers. Now she could actually sit back, and just let out a sigh of relaxation, knowing that it was all over. This was shaping up to be the best dream she'd had in a long, long while.
"That's better. No more Mistress Do Well, no more nightmares, no more bad memories. I've got this!" she stated triumphantly and turned to leave. There was no point in staying here anymore, now that she'd won.
"Oh I wouldn't go so far as to say that..."
Rainbow Dash whirled around hard, caught by surprise by the sound of the voice. It just couldn't be possible!
Chains immediately shot out of the inky blackness around her, and starting wrapping tightly around her limbs, binding her in place. She pulled and struggled against them, pulling with all the force her dragon form had to it, harder than she'd pulled the last time, but nothing was happening. This time around her bindings were much too strong to break free, and she quickly found herself forced to her knees, her thrashing about failing to do anything to benefit her. In what seemed like just seconds, her legs, tail, wings, and neck were all bound tightly, restricting her movement in any direction.
She could do little but watch in horror as the charred remains of Mistress Do Well effortlessly climbed back to its hooves, and proceeded to vigorously shake its body, removing the burnt material and soot that had coated the exterior, and revealed the immaculate snow-white coat of Rarity just beneath the surface, without so much as a single hair out of place.
"You have such a vicious temper, darling," Rarity stated casually as she approached. "To say nothing of your atrocious manners."
"Ah atrocious this!" Rainbow Dash yelled defiantly and sucked down a lungful of air.
Unfortunately before she could actually unleash another stream of fire, another chain had come out of nowhere and wrapped around her elongated snout, pinning her mouth shut, and giving the flames nowhere to shoot but out the sides, never coming anywhere close to where Rarity stood, smirking smugly.
"A lady simply does not spit, darling. Nor do pets. I'll see to it that you learn that fact soon enough," Rarity stated, the chain around Rainbow Dash's snout jerking downward, pulling her head with it in punishment, before the bindings were loosened just enough to she would be allowed to talk.
"How the FUCK are you still alive!?" Rainbow Dash roared and violently pulled at her bindings again, too furious to care about the fact that it hadn't done any good before.
"Language, darling," Rarity replied simply, another chain arising behind Rainbow Dash to whip her across the back, resulting in a yell and a full body flinch against the bindings. "I admit. Your little temper tantrum caught me by surprise. I never quite imagined that you'd have so much fight left in you," she said as she stepped closer, running a hoof along Rainbow Dash's scaled chest, despite her futile attempts at struggling to get loose. This was hardly the first time she had witnessed the display of her lucid dreaming capabilities. But so far this was the most consistent of displays. "But regardless of how much fight you have, or how hard you might try and hit me, or how much, there's one simple fact that you're completely ignorant of. You'll never be able to hurt me, so long as you keep striking out of fear."
"Fuck you! I'm not afraid of you! I'm not afraid of anything!" Rainbow Dash roared angrily and struggled with renewed vigor, trying to break her hands free so she could choke the fake Rarity that was so close she could practically smell her.
"Oh but you are," Rarity replied, before delivering another lashing across Rainbow Dash's back, and tightening the chain around her mouth so she couldn't protest any further. "You're very, very much afraid, even if you won't admit the fact to yourself. You forget, darling, I know everything there is to know about you. This whole dragon facade of yours, just reinforces that fact. You're just a scared little pegasus, whose lied to herself so many times, she doesn't even recognize the truth anymore. So allow me to show you the truth that I see..."
Rainbow Dash responded by struggling harder, pulling on each and every chain that held her, in an attempt to find a weak link somewhere that she could exploit. She snorted, growled, and issued muttered curses and threats around the bindings of her snout, trying to focus enough on generating another stream of fire, in an effort to heat up the chains enough that they might be made pliable enough to snap. If she could heat the links up around her mouth to the melting point, she could rip them apart, and in turn bite through the ones that held her limbs in place.
She did know some things about metallurgy, after all. She wasn't exactly stupid. Nopony could hang around Twilight so much and still be stupid.
Much to her annoyance, Mistress Do Well -she absolutely refused to dignify this being with the name of her friend- stepped back, and conjured a large mirror that perfectly reflected her dragonoid features.
"You choose to see a strong, self-confident, independent pegasus, destined for greatness that will be recognized, and adored, across the nation of Equestria. I see otherwise. And you will too," she stated as the mirror's surface began to distort, and show something far different than the blue dragon from just a moment ago.
"What I see is a mare who's utterly consumed by fear, absolutely every single moment of the day," Mistress Do Well began, the reflection in the mirror being that of a frightened pegasus Rainbow Dash. "A mare who is constantly putting on the facade of being calm, cool, collected, and awesome to the point she's practically worshiped. A mare who utterly needs others around her to see her as daring, and willing to do utterly anything if it's deemed necessary, and will do so without a thought about her own safety, because she can't possibly stand the thought of the alternative. I see a mare that's so utterly paralyzed by her fears of failure, and rejection, that she can't even be honest with those she considers her best friends, and let them know about how she has to cry herself to sleep at night. I see a mare that can't let them know about how much pain she's in every single second off the day, because she can't keep up her facade anymore. I see a mare that would rather kill herself performing some stupid stunt, rather than face what she is, because she can't possibly stand the thought of being alone..."
Rainbow Dash wanted to yell. To roar. To scream herself hoarse. To ram her fist into that mare's mouth, and rip her tongue right out to make her shut up. To break off her horn so she'd stop displaying those horrible, horrible pictures that perfectly illustrated every single word that left her mouth. She wanted to do so many things, but none of them could be done. She was too helpless to do anything but watch, as she couldn't even look away.
"They don't know what I know. They haven't seen what I've seen," Rarity continued, undaunted by Rainbow Dash's futile efforts to resist. She just pressed the matter harder. "They don't know how you're constantly wearing masks to hide what you really are. They don't know how you cry yourself to sleep at night, high up above in your lonely cloud house where no others may tread, hugging a stupid plush toy as if for dear life, because it's the only thing you can tell your troubles to! I've seen how much you've longed to have your parents around again! I've seen how much you miss having your mommy and daddy there for you! I know what kind of pain you feel every minute of the day, carrying around the burden you felt that day when you learned that they didn't love you! That they actually left you all alone without so much as a single thought about how that would affect you later in life! And I see how that burden affects every single facet of your adult life!"
Rainbow Dash roared as angrily, and as loudly as she could through the bindings on her mouth, trying to drown out the voice, desperate for any sense of relief from the onslaught she was being subjected to. She didn't even need to scare Mistress Do Well into being silent, she just had to make enough noise that her own ears wouldn't register anything else.
"It was right after Cloudsdale lost the bid to host the Equestria Games that it happened, when your parents left you and never came back. How many nights did you spend, wondering what you did that was so wrong? How long did your little foal mind take to conclude that the reason they went away, was because they were so utterly disappointed in you? How long before you concluded that you weren't awesome enough to warrant their love anymore? How many broken bones did you suffer in trying to be awesome, thinking that it might bring them back? How many nights have you gone without sleep, because you're convinced that, should you fall even the slightest bit, your friends will leave you just as quickly, and discard you like yesterday's trash?" Rarity asked rhetorically, watching as bit by tiny bit, every last measure of fight she had in her, slowly bled away. "What right did they have to leave a tiny little foal all alone in the world, without so much as a second thought?"
Rainbow Dash slumped against her bindings, unable to keep fighting. She felt exhausted from fighting so long, and so hard against the chains, and getting nowhere. How much impotent rage had she managed to burn through? Enough that despair was setting in now, that much was for certain. She couldn't keep taking this mental beat down.
"You never could bring yourself to hate them for leaving you, darling. You just kept hating yourself. Even today, you still hate yourself for making them leave you," Rarity crooned as she watched Rainbow Dash slump, supported only by the chains around her now. All she needed to do was just push a little bit more. "Tell me darling, which one of your friends being the first to leave you, do you think will cause you the most amount of pain?" she asked, loosening the chain around her mouth in the process.
"Shut up. Just shut up already, please..." Rainbow Dash whimpered, not wanting to hear anymore.
"Fluttershy perhaps?" Rarity asked, utterly ignoring Rainbow Dash's pleas. She was going to make sure the last push hurt the very most. "The one who's been your friend the longest of all of them. And what about her parents? They were so caring to you when your own weren't. Why you and she are practically sisters. Do you think her abandoning you first would hurt the most?"
"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled, her voice starting to crack as she did.
"Maybe Twilight. You've known her the least, but that sneaky unicorn has a way of worming her way into a pony's heart without even trying. If she leaves she'll probably rip your heart out in the process, considering how buried she is in it," Rarity continued.
"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash yelled again.
"What about Pinkie? Why I remember that night so many years ago when she Pinkie Promised that she'd never, ever abandon you, when you were so vulnerable and afraid, and held you so lovingly as you bawled your eyes out against her. How much do you think it'll hurt when she breaks her promise, because the very sight of you sickens her?" Rarity asked.
Rainbow Dash whimpered, being all she could do right now.
"Oh and what about Tank? Do you think it'll hurt if your own pet decides to just leave you? Do you? Will you start bawling when even your tortoise no longer loves you? How much lower can you possibly get than that?"
That had been it. The notion of Tank, who had struggled so hard to finally earn her respect, being the first to abandon her -disregarding all of his own hard work in the process- had broken her last measure of defense. She couldn't tell which memories were real, or which were fake, or even which end was up right now. Before she could even consider stopping herself, she had effortlessly been reduced to tears, bawling openly as she hung limp in her bindings.
"That's a good little filly," Rarity purred as she watched intently, the mirror vanishing from existence. "Show me those beautiful tears of a mare who's been utterly broken; of a mare whose will to live had been totally shattered, and her only purpose for existence is to please her mistress. Let me revel in them!" she stated, excitement unable to be contained at her victory. She could've watched this sight forever.
Unfortunately for her, all good things had to come to an end eventually, and that was true even now. She couldn't stay and watch Rainbow Dash cry all night, as she had other things to tend to.
"You just stay here, darling, I'll be right back, once I get a few things ready for the next part. You'll be learning your place soon enough. And this time around, I promise you it'll stick for good," she purred, before slowly turning around, and walking off.
It was so hard to believe. After so many nights of effort, victory was finally within her grasp. Rainbow Dash had finally been broken, and was now waiting to be built back up accordingly. She was so giddy with excitement, she was practically prancing.
"Hey..."
And then she felt a tapping on her wither. Out of curiosity, she turned around. This shouldn't be-
"FUCK!"
Something heavy slammed down on top of her head, faltering her.
"YOU!"
A second blow to the side of the head, staggering her.
"BITCH!"
A third blow, landed to the bottom of her jaw and traveling upward, knocking her back and almost off her hooves in the process.
When her senses finally restored themselves, she saw that it was Rainbow Dash standing there on her hind legs, glaring at her, back in her pegasus form and... and gripping a dragon's mask in her front hooves. So that was what she'd been hit with. But she'd worry about the symbolism later, once she dealt with the more pressing matters.
"I could've sworn that I broke you just a moment ago," she commented.
"I got better," Rainbow Dash replied and shrugged as she flicked her tail.
Rarity simply let out an indignant huff in response. The intermittent fluctuations of those lucid dreaming abilities was proving to be a notable inconvenience to her; that was the only thing that made sense for such a speedy recovery, and escaping her bindings with such ease.
"You were right about one thing, though," Rainbow Dash explained and dropped the dragon mask to the ground, a heavy metallic thud sounding as it slammed against the concrete. "I was afraid back there. But I'm not anymore," she stated as she set back down on all four of her hooves.
Another indignant huff from Rarity. "I believe I've heard these bold declarations before."
"Except this time around it's true. I'm not hiding behind anymore masks when I face you. No Raindragon, no Ironhorse, just little old me; Rainbow Dash!"
A third huff from Rarity. Rainbow Dash was proving to be a lot more stubborn than she'd expected. She was just going to have to try harder to break her.
"And take that disguise off already, you've been wearing it way too long! You're not the real Rarity, so stop looking like her!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"I could be the real Rarity, darling, you don't know that for sure. You're lucky to even know your own name right now," Rarity shot back. "Do you even know where you are? Is this a dream? Is this real? Is it-"
"I said take it off!" Rainbow Dash yelled and shot forward, decking her across the face, and sending her toppling back in the process.
Rarity groaned in pain from the blow she'd just been delivered. That one had actually hurt a fair bit; more so than the fear-fueld beat down she'd received earlier. Perhaps she was actually serious time time around?
"You don't get it, Misty, you just plain don't! Yeah you might've had me fooled for a while, but it's not gonna work now; not anymore. I know you're not anything like the real Rarity. And no matter how hard you try to convince me otherwise, I'm still gonna know you're not! You're not the one who held me while I was puking my guts out back in the forest, when she could've just turned and run away, and saved herself. You're not the one who told me she trusted me to do the right thing, even when I thought that meant killing her. You didn't stand by me when she thought we were gonna get eaten by wild animals. And you're certainly not the one that held me, and walked me through a panic attack! You're just a pitiful fucking excuse, and I'm not gonna put up with it anymore!"
Mistress Do Well frowned, before dropping the appearance of Rarity, and returning to her costumed appearance. Apparently the snow-white unicorn was no longer going to be of any use to her now. She was going to have to try something else.
"Bold words from-"
"Did I give you permission to talk, bitch!?" Rainbow Dash snapped, making her shut back up again. She wasn't done talking yet; not by a long shot. "You've beaten and tortured me, tried to turn me against my own friends, and left me uncertain of which way was even up. Well that's all over now, because you made me realize something very important about them! Every one of my friends has seen me when I've been at my lowest; when I've been as far away from awesome as I ever thought I could be. And even then, when I was so beaten down that I could've just given up, they still stuck around because they cared about me, not about my being awesome! They're not friends with me because I'm awesome, it's the other way around. The reason that I'm so awesome, is because I have an awesome bunch of friends who'll stick by me no matter what! And you," she paused to emphasize the word by jabbing her right foreleg as Mistress Do Well, "can't take that away from me!"
Mistress Do Well huffed from behind her mask, annoyed by all of the talking that Rainbow Dash felt entitled to engage in. This was just yet another bad habit that she was going to need to address. She needed to impress upon this mare just how hopeless her situation was. Simply because she had dropped her fear -supposedly anyway- that didn't change the fact that she was outclassed here. Her lucid dreaming abilities were far too immature to be anything other than a mere nuisance to address. She would make it clear, even if she had to grind this mare's soul into dust to do it.
"You'll have plenty of time to work on your speeches, once I put you back in your proper place," she stated as she summoned dozens of new chains from the blackness of their surroundings. "This time I'll lock you away in the deepest, darkest regions in Equestria. You'll never see the light of day again," she explained, before commanding the chains to bind her back up again.
Except it didn't go nearly as easy as it should have. Unlike the last time, Rainbow Dash was actually resisting her efforts. She watched as the cyan pegasus leaped into the air as the chains raced towards her position, and then began countering as they adjusted their aim. She ducked, dodged, swerved, and spun to avoid each and every attempt made at securing her, pulling off aerial maneuvers at breakneck speeds to escape capture.
Undaunted, she pressed on, summoning dozens of additional chains to press the assault harder, to force Rainbow Dash to submit to the fact of how things were going to go. And this time it was working, as dodging was no longer an option, and she now had to defend, making every effort to kick away and deflect certain chains, while continuing to avoid others.
"I've got you now!" Mistress Do Well stated as she commanded the chains all around her, surrounding Rainbow Dash in a net that she couldn't possibly slip loose from. And then, at the key moment, she struck with all chains at once, swooping in and tightly binding the cyan pegasus from head to hoof, until not a single trace of blue could be seen through them.
"Your arrogance betrays you," she purred, content in her victory as the chains pulled their captive back down to the ground, roughly.
And then that victory wound up exploding right in her face, with a bright flash of light from within the chains, followed by them exploding outward in the form of shrapnel, sending broken links in every direction. And right in the middle of it was Rainbow Dash, utterly unharmed, and spinning about on her right hind leg, in a pose that looked as if she was engaged in ballet of all things!
"You just don't get it," Rainbow Dash stated as she set back down on all four hooves. "You can't hurt me anymore, just like you can't break my friendships. I'm not going to play with you anymore. Just go away already."
Mistress Do Well sputtered in response to this declaration, unable to comprehend what she was actually hearing. "You have the nerve to dare even think that you have any say over how things are going to proceed?!" she shrieked indignantly, stunned by the utter audacity she was seeing unfold before her.
Rainbow Dash watched as Mistress Do Well convulsed angrily, the seams of her costume splitting apart as an inky shadow material poured out of her, completely enveloping the entire area that she was in. Obviously she'd found her berserk button, and not just pressed it, but rather pounded it with authority.
"Just because Luna gifted you lucid dreaming abilities doesn't mean you get to have a say in things! So maybe I can't hurt you like I have, I don't need to! I'm still going to destroy your curdled brain, one way or another! I'll deny you rest, and fill your mind with the most horrible of images I can imagine during every waking hour, flooding your senses until you can't tune them out! I'll reduce you to a gibbering, babbling, incoherent, institutionalized idiot who'll never hold another sane thought for as long as she lives!" Mistress Do Well howled angrily, the shadowy material serving to perfectly reflect her mood.
Rainbow Dash barely even blinked, too unimpressed to even react to her threats of retaliation. This was getting monotonous, now that she knew she didn't have to tolerate it all. Even watching as the area around Mistress Do Well was flooded with an ever-growing mass of shadow material, growing more volatile by the second, she couldn't find it within herself to give a single fuck.
"Luna's not the only friend supporting me. I've got plenty of others, each one of them giving me more strength than I'd ever have on my own. Strength that'll see me through this," she replied casually, observing as the distance between them expanded greatly, so Mistress Do Well could build up a good galloping speed. "Loyalty, support, happiness, laughter, kindness, honesty, generosity, companionship," she idly listed as the distance between them was being closed quickly, the shadows looking like an approaching tsunami at this point. "And a little something that a new friend of mine calls Hollowfication!"
Rainbow Dash raised her head and swung it back down, quickly bringing into view a new mask, much like a helmet's visor slamming shut from the centrifugal force of such a move. Unlike everything else she'd used before, out of fear and desperation, this one was different. This time around it was a mask she wore simply because she wanted to, not because she believed that she needed to. It wasn't convoluted or fancy, it was just a blank, expressionless, bone-white mask that perfectly fit over her face, ears, and lower jaw, with her cutie mark proudly emblazoned in the forehead between her eyes.
Mistress Do Well was practically bearing down on her now, the wall of shadows behind her so big that they completely obstructed everything else that was behind her.
The mask rainbow Dash wore quickly split apart at the jaw line as she opened her mouth, a red sphere of pure energy forming in her gaping maw, drawing in numerous swirling trails of colorful mana from her surroundings -each one of them a color associated with one or more of her friends- everything culminating in a brightly glowing, multicolored ball just aching for release.
The Cero that Rainbow Dash let loose was unimaginably large, the recoil of the shot actually sliding her across the ground as it was discharged, huge billowing clouds of up-until-then unseen dirt and debris being kicked up in every single direction, as it rocketed downrange, and collided with Mistress Do Well head on, resulting in the most massive, ground-shaking explosion she had ever seen before in her entire life, sending shadow material scattering like useless bits of dust in the wind, as a massive shock wave spread out from the point of impact, a gigantic mushroom cloud forming above the point of impact, and billowing high up into the sky.
Now that was FUCKING awesome!
Rainbow Dash sighed and slouched, letting the Hollow mask dissipate off her face, vanishing back to whence it'd come. For the first time in so long, she finally felt at peace. There was no impending sense of doom or fear weighing her down, nothing that was making her afraid of turning around, it was all just... peaceful. More peaceful than it had been the first time around. There was no tension in the air that left her feeling like she was forgetting something important, or anything else like that. It was, at least with regard to this dream, finally over.
It was finally over!
"Yeah!" she howled in unrestrained excitement, flaring her wings for support as she reared up on her hind legs, and proceeded to beat on her chest with her front hooves.
As much as she tried to portray herself otherwise, Luna was just as anxious and disturbed as Celestia had been. The only difference between the two of them right now, was that she didn't have the added burden of fatigue to wrestle with, due to their differing sleep schedules. Not that it made things any better for her, however; if anything it just made it all the worse. That was her opinion on the matter anyway. Being fully awake meant that her mind was able to comprehend a great many more things than she could have if she were mentally exhausted. That meant having more worries to contend with, and a runaway imagination that could conjure more than there really were.
The palace felt so lonely right now. Lonely and very foreboding. Despite the presence of ample staff to confide in, that did nothing to ease the anxiety that she currently felt, now that Celestia was asleep in her chambers. And as much as she would like to speak with someone right now, the night cleaning crew weren't exactly appropriate for this sort of matter. Even if she were the appropriate one to talk to, Nurse Goodwill was likely asleep at this hour. Right now there was little she could do beyond simply pacing the throne room, doing her best to be patient.
She felt a sense of relief overcome her as she saw Ulquiorra calmly walking through the large double doors in the company of the guard she'd dispatched to retrieve him. She knew that when all else failed, at least she could implore the Espada's council, and he would tell her what needed to be said. If there was reason to be worried, then he would inform her of such. And if there wasn't... well maybe he had some words of wisdom to put her mind at ease. He could tell her succinctly that she was worrying over nothing.
The fact that his jacket was absent, and he was now wearing the shirt that Rarity had made for him, could be addressed later. Right now there were more important things to discuss.
"I am glad you could make it," she said and breathed a sigh of relief, letting herself slouch now. It had taken him so long to actually arrive, she'd wondered if he had turned down the request entirely. Thankfully that wasn't the case. She'd chalk up his slowness in showing up to not wanting to leave the dispatched guard behind.
"Then the situation has gotten progressively worse," Ulquiorra elaborated as he approached. Very few were ever glad to see him, unless things had gone from bad to worse. "What happened?"
"That is what I am uncertain of. Are you able to detect anything that would seem... out of place?" Luna asked as she approached him.
"Not at present time," Ulquiorra replied, his pesquisa unable to detect anything that was out of the ordinary. As it was currently, everything he felt was rather routine. "Why do you ask?"
"At present time I am feeling quite anxious, and unable to quell my nerves. We are but a few scant hours away from the conditions in Ponyville being right for the formation of fog, and thus but a few hours away from my sister and I being able to put this plan into action, and finally resolve this crisis. And yet I cannot help but feel that it is all too easy," Luna stated as she looked at him. "There is a growing sense that we are about to proceed into a trap, and I cannot shake it. If something is to go wrong, I cannot help but feel that it would be sometime between now, and just before the dawn."
"It would be foolish to assume that an attempt would not be made to interfere with the plan at some point," Ulquiorra replied. Too many things had happened in recent time to be chalked up to mere coincidence; for everything to have proceeded as it had over the past few weeks, the responsible party would have to have some way of keeping tabs on them. Some method that he was incapable of noticing. It was reasonably safe to assume that their plan was already knowledge held by whatever enemy they were facing off against. Whether or not that knowledge could actually be exploited in a counterattack was another subject of discussion.
Luna nodded in response. "That is what I fear. And yet I have no way of responding to unfounded apprehension. I cannot send out patrols to coordinates that I cannot specify. Nor can I order a top to bottom sweep of Canterlot palace, based on nothing more than the tingling sensation running along my spine," she stated.
Ulquiorra said nothing in response. What was there to really say at this point? Was Princess Luna expecting him to confirm her worries, and state that she wasn't being paranoid to believe imminent danger was a possibility? Or was she hoping that he could logically dismiss her concerns, and explain why there was no point in worrying about what might not even come to pass?
The living made very little sense. That was all there was to it.
"Tell me, how is Rainbow Dash currently?" she asked.
"She was unconscious when I left, sleeping as soundly as can be expected under the present circumstances," he explained. Although it remained to be seen if that was still the case, now that he was absent.
"That is fortunate then," Luna replied, "I have a plan in mind for how we might proceed through this night, to minimize our chances of something possibly going wrong," she stated.
"Do you intend to tell me of your own volition? Or is my inquiry necessary before you can proceed?" Ulquiorra asked her pointedly.
Luna couldn't help but catch the irony of the Espada's question, and how it reminded her of her own short temper with his particular manner of speech during the time Rainbow Dash had escaped from the hospital. Things were certainly coming full circle... or something like that.
"My sister is currently sleeping in her quarters, awaiting the time in which we can proceed with the plan. I would propose the three of us relocate there, securing ourselves within, and waiting out the remaining six hours there, where we would have a greater control of whatever developments might occur. It would be infinitely more difficult for us to be taken off guard if the four of us are all present," she explained.
"Five."
"Pardon?" Luna asked, puzzled by the short statement she'd just received.
"The five of us. Rainbow Dash would not willingly leave her tortoise behind to fend for himself," Ulquiorra elaborated. "That fact aside, the proposal is far more logically sound, than everyone being spread out at various points in the palace."
"Excellent," Luna stated, "then we shall meet back at her quarters. You go and retrieve Rainbow Dash and Tank, I will fetch us the necessary provisions for the duration. Food, beverages, reading material, perhaps a chess set as well."
That last statement caught Ulquiorra off guard, making him pause to consider her words.
"You've been associating with Twilight Sparkle to the point her fixation with slumber parties is beginning to rub off on you," he stated.
Luna wasn't sure how to respond to that comment. Was it an attempt at humor on his part? Was he being critical of her plan? Or did he have a valid point, that she was beginning to pick up on some of the idiosyncratic behavior of some of their friends?
Before she could press him for an explanation, the silence of the palace was shattered by a loud, piercing scream. Immediately the guard present jumped in surprise, looking about wildly for the source of the commotion, eyes darting back and forth like mad.
"Motherfucker!" Luna yelped as she jumped, just as surprised as the guard had been. But the passage of time did nothing to calm her nerves, as the realization of what was behind the sudden noise caught up to her, making her eyes go even wider. "By Faust! That is Tia's scream!"
"Do it," Ulquiorra said as he gripped onto her wither.
Luna nodded in understanding of what was being said, before flaring her horn and teleporting away, the two of them instantly appearing in front of the doors to Celestia's chambers. As they arrived at their destination, she was greeted by the sight of the assigned guards trying valiantly -and desperately- to open the doors themselves; one going with magic, the other going with physical strength, and neither of them succeeding at their task. The doors remained firmly locked, despite their best efforts.
And all the while, Celestia was still screaming on the other side of them.
"Stand aside."
It was Ulquiorra's voice that cut through her worries. She blinked as he approached, barely even waiting for the guards to heed his instructions, and proceeded to firmly plant the bottom of his right foot against the two doors right where they locked. Where the others had failed miserably in overcoming whatever securing manner was in place, he had succeeded in forcing the doors open with but a single kick, both of them swinging open hard enough to slam into the wall in the process.
The air in the room carried an acrid smell about it that stung her nostrils, and made her eyes water as it rushed out to greet them in the hall, but she ignored it as the lights in the room were raised, and she all but flew over to Celestia's bed, where he sister currently laid screaming and kicking as if she were fighting for her very life.
"Sister! Sister! Wake up!" she yelled as she gripped her sister tightly, her mind barely even registering the fact that the covers of the bed were soaked through.
Celestia's eyes flew open as Luna's touch, followed by her bolting up in bed, no longer screaming, but gasping for air as she looked around in a panicked fashion.
"It is alright, Tia, it is alright. You are safe," Luna assured her as she hugged her close, paying no mind to the wet bed covers. They could be tended to easily enough, right now it was her sister that needed her concern more than anything.
Celestia stopped her frantic looking about the room, focusing exclusively on Luna, looking into her eyes. And as she did, tears started to run down her cheeks as she sniffed weakly.
"Luna," she croaked out weakly, her voice hoarse from screaming. But she was unable to get anymore words out, as she broke down into unrestrained sobbing in her sister's forelegs.
From outside the room, in the company of the two guards, Ulquiorra observed the entire situation transpire. The situation they now found themselves in had just gone from bad to worse. Whatever had happened to Princess Celestia prior to their arrival, had just established the fact their theoretical premise was incorrect; alicorns were in fact not immune to whatever was transpiring around them. As many trips as had been made to Ponyville since Rainbow Dash was first afflicted, must have been a sufficient enough degree of exposure to the hallucinogenic contaminates of the terror fog to afflict her. And if Princess Celestia was as vulnerable as everyone else, that meant Princess Luna was as well.
And if the diarchy was vulnerable... what if he was as well? It had already been demonstrated that he had no resistance against the poison joke, despite his otherworldly status. That meant that at any moment, any single one of them could be attacked next, subjected to who knew what kind of psychological assault.
Making matters all the worse -because they apparently hadn't been bad enough to begin with- was the fact that they still had hours before they could actually proceed with the plan of stopping the fog. And with Princess Celestia down, and the rest of them at risk of following suit, it was questionable if they would be able to persevere through all this.
"Shit."