Chapter 7: Say Hello to Your Inner Hollow
After a few minutes of struggling, Orihime finally lets Applebloom down. "Sorry! But you are soooo cute!" the girl says.
Applebloom just looks grumpy while her friends snicker behind a forehoof.
Applejack then looks at Orihime with a raised eyebrow. "So, how far along are ya?" she asks the now confused girl.
"Pardon?" Orihime replies.
"Well... Yer teats are rather large, are ya pregnant or nursing?" Applejack asks her.
Orihime looks down and grabs her chest and I look away... 'Wow, that came out of nowhere.'
"Now that you mention it, they are bigger than before I came here," the girl replies. I look back and see her groping them, she then tries to pull her hair off, but just like me, it seems it's now her actual hair. "Wha? What happened to my wig?" she says and looks at me.
I have a slight blush and keep my eyes on hers. "Same thing happened to me, my hair used to be black before I came here. I'm even a few inches taller as well," I tell her.
"Oh..." Orihime says and looks back at Applejack. "Well... I'm not pregnant or nursing, these are now just my normal size," she tells the farm mare.
"Land sakes, how can ya carry those things around all the time? If a mare had some that large... Ah'd doubt she'd even be able ta walk!" Applejack says in surprise.
Thankfully, the conversation is interrupted by Orihime's stomach. "Oh yeah... I'm hungry, Hehehe," she says with a slight blush and sticking her tongue out while rubbing the back of her neck.
Applejack chuckles and faces the farm house. "Well, yer welcome to join us fer supper if ya want," she tells Orihime.
"B-But... My questions!" Twilight whines with a pout.
I roll my eyes with a smile. "She's not going anywhere, Twilight. You can ask tomorrow, let her settle in first at least," I tell her. "By the way, did you learn anything from Applejack and her zanpakuto?" I then ask her.
Her pout is gone now that she has something new to talk about. "A little, it seems that in moments of stress or fear a zanpakuto might call out to their wielders instead. I'm not sure if or how this can be properly tested... but I think it best not to try that just yet," she replies.
"Good, trying to force them to talk with you is not a good idea, they might just ignore you forever," I tell her. "Anyway, let's get something to eat, all I've had for the last thousand years is a candy bar, some apples, and a salad," I say and walk towards the farm house.
"I'm going back to the Library for dinner with Spike! I'll see you tomorrow!" Twilight says to us and leaves.
We say goodbye to her and we head inside.
"Wow, It's like a doll house! Everything is so small," Orihime says looking around.
"I know, it's going to get annoying having to duck through every doorway," I tell her with a chuckle. Though she's a good foot shorter than me.
"I don't mind, it looks nice," she says and sits on a couch. I place my sword against the wall and sit on the floor.
The big red stallion then walks in and spots us, he raises his eye brow at Orihime and without a word, he walks past us and into the kitchen.
Orihime's eyes are wide as she watched the stallion walk by. "He's huge..." she says as she watches him enter the kitchen.
"Biggest guy around here from what I've seen so far," I tell her. "So... What do you plan to do? I'm going to be working on this farm for awhile for some cash," I ask her.
"I'm not sure... What can I do here?" she asks back.
"Well... I guess you could practice with your powers and get better with the healing part and maybe work at the hospital? Being able to heal any wound like it's nothing would be a great help to them," I reply.
"She can heal any wound?" Applejack asks surprised.
"Yeah, it's really good, but she'll need practice first, at least I know who to go to if I need to be healed," I reply with a smile.
Orihime blushes from the praise and attention.
"Well shucks, if she can do all that, the hospital would have ta be barmy to refuse her," Applejack says. "Well come on in and have some supper," she tells us with a smile.
Thirty Minutes Later
"Thanks for the meal Applejack, but I need to get Orihime over to Fluttershy's now," I tell Applejack.
"Ain't no problem, just make sure yer back and up early ta help with the farm," she replies.
We say goodbye to them and head over to Fluttershy's cottage.
"So what's Fluttershy like?" Orihime asks me while looking around.
"She's kinda like you, shy, but she's much more timid. She slammed her door on my face the first time she saw me," I reply.
"Oh, she sounds sweet at least," she says.
We arrive at the little cottage and I knock on the door, the door opens slightly and Fluttershy peeps out. "Hello? Oh! Hello, Ichigo," she says and opens the door.
"Hi, Fluttershy, I was wondering if you'd let Orihime here stay with you for awhile?" I ask her and step aside.
"Hello," Orihime says with a polite bow.
Fluttershy gasps and trots up to her. "There's another human?" she asks and looks Orihime over.
"Yeah, she just showed up in Canterlot actually nearly an hour ago," I tell her.
Fluttershy sits in front of her and holds her hoof out. "Hello, I'm Fluttershy, I'd be happy to let you stay," the butter yellow mare says.
Orihime grasps her hoof and lightly shakes. "I'm Orihime, it's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you," she replies.
I smile at how well they're getting along. "Well then, I'll leave you to it. I need to get up and help Applejack with the farm early in the morning, so I'll be off to bed now. I'll see you tomorrow alright?" I tell them.
"Okay, Ichigo. Thank you for all the help so far," Orihime says with a smile and follows Fluttershy into her cottage.
I head back to Applejack's barn quickly and place my sword against the barn wall. I lie back on a pile of hay and quickly fall asleep with a yawn.
I open my eyes to my mind-scape and see Zangetsu and Bob standing there.
"Hey guys. So, what do you think about the ponies being Soul Reapers?" I ask them.
"Surprising, I am curious as to how these elements of theirs gave them Soul Reaper powers," Zangetsu replies.
"I'm more interested in how the two pansy Princesses got hollows in them myself," Bob says and draws his white sword.
I draw mine and we start our usual sparring match together.
"I would like to know that myself, I'd also like to... Whoa!" I start but yelp as I duck under Bobs attack. "I'd like to know if a Soul Society exists here," I say to them.
"It is most likely, I have sensed faint traces of other shinigami to the west and north," Zangetsu replies just watching our fight.
Bob and I bring our swords down and were about to clash when Luna of all people suddenly appears between us.
"SHIT!" I yell and alter my blade's course, my sword barely misses her horn and slams into the ground. Bob's own sword couldn't move in time and the flat of the blade slaps heavily on her rear.
"AAAAH!" she screams wide eyed and Kicks her back legs out, she hits Bob square in the chest and sends him flying a good six metres.
"Whoa! Calm down, Luna!.. Wait, how did you get in here?" I ask her. I ignore Bob as I know that he's fine.
Luna pants heavily with a massive blush. "W-We wished to s-speak with thee and we sensed t-thy dream," she stutters out. I glance back and see her left flank has a deep red mark on it.
"Okay, so what did you want to talk about?" I ask her.
"Ow... she kicks like a donkey..." Bob says as he walks back over rubbing his chest.
Luna turns around and looks surprised. "Ichigo?" she asks confused. Well Bob does look like me, just whiter.
"Sorry, Princess Moonbutt, but I'm not Ichigo," he replies sarcastically and rests his sword on his shoulder.
"Then who are you?" she asks with a frown.
He grins and pulls my hollow mask out from his shihakushō and waves it at her. "Remember me now?" he says teasingly.
Luna's eyes widen and she actually growls at him. "Thou art the demon who butchered our subjects!" she yells and she summons her zanpakuto.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Luna wait!" I tell her and stand in between them. "It's fine now, Luna! Bob's still an ass, but I consider him a friend now!" I tell her. It's true, he may still be an asshole, but he's actually a great friend, despite the constant threats to posses me again.
"Thou has befriended a demon!?" she ask me with a glare.
"Listen, our hollows are now a part of us, as far as I know, there is no way to remove them. Sure he's a dick," I start to reply.
"No need to be so blunt about it," Bob says with his grin still still on his face.
"Uh-huh. He's a dick, but we've come to an understanding over the centuries. While hollows are mostly mindless soul eating monsters, some do show intelligence. He's also got some of my personality in him, whether or not that was from when he entered me or not I'm not sure," I tell her.
Her glare slowly turns into a frown and she looks back at Bob who is still grinning. "Very well, but if he should so much as sneeze on our ponies, we shall destroy him," she replies where Bob chuckles at her threat.
I sigh and put my sword on my back. "Alright, now as to why you are here?" I ask her. Zangetsu then walks over to us.
Luna looks up at him with wide eyes. "Greetings, Princess. I am Zangetsu, Ichigo's zanpakuto," he says and holds a hand out to her.
She slowly reaches out with a hoof and shakes his hand. "We art Princess Luna, the honour is ours," she replies and looks back at me. "We would like thee to come with us to our dream. Our dem... hollow is beginning to break free of her seal... We would ask our sister for aid... but thou knows more and has defeated thy own hollow before," she asks me.
I raise an eyebrow. "Your dream?" I ask her.
"Yes, just like we are in thy dream now," she replies.
"Oh! No no no, this isn't a dream," I say and gesture to all around me. "This is my mind-scape, this is how it always looks, though it does change depending on my mood," I tell her.
"We see. But still, we wish for thee to aid us in sealing or defeating our hollow... we..." she says and sighs with a sad expression. "We art afraid of her," she tells me.
I scrunch my face up in thought. 'So, what do I do? I have been meaning to test my Bankai here for awhile now before trying it in the real world.' I look at Zangetsu and Bob, unlike Ichigo from the anime who used that Tenshintai doll thing to achieve Bankai, since I didn't have that, I had to do it the normal way with centuries of training.
"If you wish to help her, that is your decision," Zangetsu tells me.
"I'd like to meet this hollow, see if she's stronger than me!" Bob says with a shit eating grin.
I then look back at Luna. "Alright, I'll help. But you are the one who has to defeat her. I'll just make sure you aren't killed," I tell her.
She looks worried but nodded. "We thank thee, art thou ready to go now?" she asks.
I roll my shoulders and nodded. "Sure," I reply.
And so with a flash, I'm now standing on what looks like the moon. I look up and see a planet far above us, must be Equus. The rattling of chains and screams of anger then gets my attention.
I look to my right and see a black alicorn with draconic slitted eyes and fangs with a mane and tail that look more like a cold section of space than Luna's calm and inviting night, she doesn't have a mark like Luna on her flank though. Chains are wrapped around her, anchoring her to the ground... Though some have snapped and are laying on the moon dust covered ground
She then looks directly at me and snarls. "And who is this? Another Imaginary friend of yours?" she asks Luna.
Luna looks like she losing her nerve. "Q-Quiet, demon! He is h-here to aid us in d-d-defeating thee!" she replies.
I look around, but I don't see any sign of Luna's zanpakuto... 'Wait... What's that?' I look up and see a slight distortion in the air with a tiny bit of silver light. 'Is that her zanpakuto? It looks like it's trying to call out to Luna.'
'She is, but Luna's fear is clouding her presence,' Zangetsu tells me.
'Told ya she was just a pansy,' Bob oh so helpfully adds.
"Luna! You need to calm down, how long have you been afraid of your hollow?" I ask her.
She looks at me with a terrified expression. "S-Since our banishment," she replies.
"I see, explains why you haven't spoken to your zanpakuto yet. Alright, look up there, what do you see?" I ask her while keeping an eye on her hollow half.
*Snap!* One of the chains holding her down breaks and falls to the ground.
"Haaaaahahahahaha, soon I shall be free again and I'll retake my body back!" the hollow says.
Luna's fear seems to have intensified when the chain snapped. "Luna, look at me," I tell her and kneel between her and the hollow. "It looks like there is still plenty of time before she breaks free, but your own fear is actually hindering you," I tell her.
"W-What dost t-thou mean?" she asks me while shaking.
"Your fear is stopping you from meeting your zanpakuto. Tell me, what do you see up there?" I reply and ask her.
She looks up again. "We see Equus..." She then squints her eyes and gasps. "What is that?" she asks, pointing to the distortion.
"That's your zanpakuto, but your fear is stopping her from meeting you," I tell her.
"My zanpakuto?" she asks and levitates her sword in front of herself.
"Yes, it would seem you'll have to overcome your fear if you ever wish to meet her," I say with a smile.
Luna looks deep in thought as she looks from her sword, to the hollow, then to the distortion, and back to her sword again. "B-But..." she stutters as tears fall down her face.
"Luna, when the time comes to face your hollow half, you won't be alone. Zangetsu was with me and trained me to defeat mine, and over time, I even befriended my hollow half. I'll be there to help you as well, if you let go of your fear, your zanpakuto will be there for you as well," I tell her and scratch her behind her ears. She gasps, closes her eyes, and leans into my hand with a slight smile. "There, that's better. Just remember, you aren't alone anymore. Your zanpakuto, sister, the element bearers, me. We'll all be here if you need us," I tell her.
She looks at me with tears in her eyes and surprises me with a hug. "We thank thee, Ichigo. Thou art right, we art no longer alone..." she replies.
I gently pat her on the back. "See? You'll be fine, as long as you stay strong, no hollow can break you," I say.
"Oh how cute, are you going to kiss and live happily ever after?" the hollow mocks us. I get up and start walking over to her. "Awwww, did I hurt your feelings? Well get used to it, because once I'm free, I will take my time devouring your soul! You patheti..." she's cut off as I slap her across her face.
I then place my finger to my lips. "Shhh! Be quiet," I tell her.
"HOW DARE YOU! I WILL..." she screams at me and I slap her again.
"Ssshhhhhhhh!" I shush her again this time with a frown, she growls at me and tries to bite me. "Whoa!" I yelp and lean back, just avoiding her fangs. I scowl at her and start slapping her back and forth with my hand like if I had a fish, after ten slaps I stop and point a finger at her. "Behave!" I tell her firmly.
"You will regret this," the hollow tells me in a quiet tone.
"Wow, she's more of a bitch than I am an Asshole," Bob says with a chuckle.
I just pat her on the head. "Uh-huh, looking forward to it, now you be a good girl and stop causing trouble for Luna," I reply. I turn back to Luna who seems to be trying to hold in her laughter. "Well go ahead, let it out," I tell her.
Luna just falls onto her stomach and laughs her heart out. I smile and sit beside her, I look at the hollow to see she is absolutely pissed.
Luna calms down after a minute and sighs. "We thank thee, Ichigo. We feel much better," she says.
"You're welcome," I reply and look up. I can now clearly see her zanpakuto, she's an alicorn with a shiny metallic silver coloured coat with a flowing mane and tail that look like they're made of moonlight. She has the same eye colour as Luna, and like the hollow, she has no mark on her flank. "You ready to meet your zanpakuto?" I ask her.
She looks confused and looks up, she gasps as the silver alicorn gently floats down. "We finally meet after all these centuries," the alicorn says in a soft and kind voice.
Luna stands up and slowly walks over to her, the hollow snarls and I fire a Shō at her face, she yelps and glares at me but stays silent.
"Thou art our Zanpakuto?" Luna asks with wide eyes.
"Correct, we are. We have been waiting for thee for so long dear, Luna," the alicorn replies. "Art thou ready to hear our name?" she asks her.
Luna smiles and nodded. "We would be happy to hear thy name," she replies.
The alicorn smiles back. "Our name, is Reitō Shiratsuki. Or just Reitō for short," she says and Luna's eyes go wide.
Her zanpakuto shines brightly and once it dims down, a scimitar like sword now floats in her magic. The blade is a pure sliver colour in the shape of a crescent moon. The hilt and guard still look like its katana form though, a soft cold mist with snowflakes seems to come off the blade as well.
"Huh, an ice type zanpakuto," I muse to myself.
Luna looks like she's about to cry again. "It feels like we've found a long lost friend," she says and hugs Reitō, who happily hugs her back.
I smile at them and pat Luna on her shoulder. "I'll leave you two to talk and begin your training. Luna, can you send me back?" I ask her.
She smiles back at me and wipes her eyes. "Yes, we thank thee for everything thou hast done, we would be honoured to call thee our friend," she says and hugs me again.
"I'd like that, see you later," I say and after a flash of light, I'm back in my mind-scape.
"Well, that hollow wasn't anything special," Bob says unimpressed.
"I'm not so sure, I think those chains are restraining her power, I believe she'll be much stronger when she finally breaks free," I reply.
"Oh well, I'm sure Moonbutt and her new nightlight can handle her. I still say she looked weak to me," he says and draws his sword. "Now, where were we?" he says and grins.