//------------------------------// // Chapter Eighty Six supplemental // Story: HiE - A Hollow in Equestria // by Charlie_K //------------------------------// Chapter Eighty Six supplemental A rescue mission that had actually been a trap all along... "If that is the case, and Nightmare Moon truly has regained her physical form, then Ulquiorra Cifer..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. "Well then what're we waiting for!? Let's move!" Rainbow Dash yelled and made for the doorway, only for Luna to stand in her way. "Rainbow Dash, I understand that you are upset, but rushing off in such a manner will do no one any favors," Luna pointed out. "We must figure a plan of action before we proceed; not charge head on like this." "We don't have time to be sitting around and thinking about this, we've gotta do something!" Rainbow Dash stated in response. "Of that I am well aware. But I cannot sanction what you are attempting to do, Rainbow Dash, it is far too risky," Luna said as she stood firm, unwilling to move from the spot. And if Rainbow Dash didn't listen, she would have little choice but to make her listen. "I'm only gonna say this once, Sis'," Rainbow Dash stated in an aggressive tone, her right hoof scratching at the ground as her wings flared outward. "Get out of my way!" "And if I should refuse to heed your demands? What will you do then?" Luna asked as she remained unmoved, all the while quirking an eyebrow. "Then I.... then I'm just gonna have to go through you, I'm not just gonna sit around while Ulquiorra gets killed!" she stated. Although the tone in her voice as she spoke indicated that she really wasn't wanting to follow through with the threat of trying to fight Luna to get past her. But desperation made ponies do strange things, and if push came to shove, that might just be how things went. "I have no intention of leaving Ulquiorra Cifer to the mercy of Nightmare Moon, Rainbow Dash," Luna assured her. "But at the same time, I will not stand idly by, and simply watch the mare I have come to regard as a little sister, needlessly throw herself into danger, in such a reckless manner," she added. "But-" Rainbow Dash protested, only to be silenced. "Rainbow Dash," Luna began, "what did you intend to do if I had not stopped you just now?" Rainbow Dash didn't even paused before responding. "Go to the Everfree Forest, what else?" "And how many miles do you think you could have traversed? I am not being cruel when I say that you are not in physical condition for such an extended flight, or such an involved fight. You are still underweight from not eating, and you have not had an extended flight time since you escaped from the hospital. You would be spent before you even made it halfway to where Ulquiorra may be. That is assuming you even knew where to go right now," Luna explained. Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to retort, but closed it again when she realized Luna had a good point. Much as she hated to admit it, those were the facts of the matter. She couldn't kick ass if she was having to drag her ass from exhaustion. That left her with little option but to stand down, and tuck her wings back in at her sides. "Departure from Ponyville would be a much wiser course of action," Luna stated. At hearing this unexpected statement, Rainbow Dash looked up again for clarification. "Wait, what?" Ponyville. Ever since this whole ugly mess had started, all she'd wanted was to simply go home; to be well again, and not constantly afraid of her friends, worried that they were going to turn on her. And now from what she was hearing, it sounded like that was going to be happening very soon. "Do not assume that I am intent on sitting around, and doing absolutely nothing, Rainbow Dash. This is yet one more in a long string of outright declarations of war by Nightmare Moon, and it will not be tolerated in the least. She has attacked my friends, my family, and so many innocents that did not deserve it. She will be made to pay for her crimes, but we must go about doing so intelligently. She will want us to rush in without thinking, and leave ourselves vulnerable. We will deny her that," Luna explained as she walked over to the bed and began nudging Celestia with her hoof. "Cool, I'm down with that," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded, liking the sound of what Luna was talking about. "Just one question. How do we actually do that?" "The first course of action we must take is going to Ponyville to reunite with the others. We will undoubtedly be in need the Elements of Harmony, now more than ever," Luna stated. Rainbow Dash quirked an eyebrow in response as she looked at Luna. "But... Nightmare Moon's managed to survive two consecutive blasts from the Elements of Harmony already. Is a third one really gonna do any good?" "In truth I do not know. But at the moment Nightmare Moon is not my concern, but rather Celestia. If the antidote will not work as needed, then we will need to heal her another way; a more drastic way. We will undoubtedly need her before this whole matter is resolved," Luna explained as she continued nudging and prodding Celestia in an effort to get a rise out of her. "We can only hope that you have recovered sufficiently, to allow the Element of Loyalty to achieve resonance with you once again." "I'll prench kiss Rarity, and ask her to marry me if it'll get them up and running again," Rainbow Dash stated, reasoning that it was a better course of action than killing herself for another Element bearer to come around. Truly, as excited as she was feeling about the prospect of going home again, she might do that anyway to celebrate. Luna cleared her throat in an effort to distract herself from the burning sensation in her cheeks, in the wake of the statement. That was entirely more information than she would've dared to inquire about. "Your dedication to the cause is quite respectable," she muttered, before deciding to change the subject. "Come, sister, you are needed. Get to your hooves," she stated as she tried to rouse Celestia from the stupor that she was in. Celestia arose from the bed and stepped down onto the floor with all the grace and speed of a pony that was well past their physical prime, her movements purely mechanical, and being carried out more because she was being instructed to do something, more than any actual motivation on her part. That was Rainbow Dash's evaluation of what she was witnessing. She couldn't help but think of former pegasus athletes who had been forced to retire due to injuries suffered in their fields, but tried to continue on despite the flesh being unable to keep up with what the mind wanted. "Is she really gonna be up for this? I don't think she's gonna be able to fly all the way to Ponyville..." "We will not be flying to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash, that would take far too long. Instead we are teleporting directly there. But as to whether or not Celestia is up to the journey, leave that to me," Luna assured her. She knew her sister well enough to have an idea of what would work. "Look at me, sister," she said as she unfurled her right wing, placing the rip underneath Celestia's chin to bring her view up from the floor, and look her in the eyes. Celestia slowly looked up from the floor, making eye contact with Luna, and flinched as a result. She wanted to look away, but the placement of her sister's wing prevented that from occurring. "Do you trust me, dear sister?" Luna asked. Celestia opened her mouth to say something in response, but nothing came out but a series of noncommittal noises and half utterances. Finally she managed to get out a small, quiet "yes" of an answer. "Do you trust me, enough to accept as a matter of fact when I tell you that I was never pregnant, and have no claim to any daughter, dead or otherwise?" she asked. For a long time, Celestia said nothing in response; couldn't say anything in response. What she had just heard contradicted with what she had known as being the truth. But... why would Luna lie to her about something that was this important? After what seemed like an eternity, Celestia finally managed a nod in response. "Yes, I... I trust you..." "Most excellent. Now then, there is one more thing that I need you to understand, dear sister, for it is very important," Luna stated as she cradled Celestia's face in her front hooves and retracted her wing. "Know that I love you very much, and I always will. But right now our friends and subjects are counting on you. Regardless of what you believe you have gone through, what you need to do right now is stallion up, and pull yourself together! For if you do not do such, I swear that I will BEAT YOUR ASS! Am I understood!?" she yelled furiously. Rainbow Dash was caught completely off guard by the sudden ferocity of Luna's statement. She might have laughed, if not for the simple fact that it had scared her quite a bit. Celestia stared wide-eyed at Luna in response to the sudden degree of hostility she was being subjected to. She knew Luna was fully capable of such, but it still did nothing to lessen the surprise of being confronted by the amount of fury that her sister could demonstrate when she truly wanted to. She nodded in understanding, too terrified to do much else. "Y-yes..." "Yes what? What is it you presume to say "yes" to so easily?" Luna pressed as she maintained her firm hold. Celestia swallowed nervously before responding. "Yes, I... I understand you. I will... I will pull myself together, for the sake of our kingdom," she answered. "Very good," Luna replied, before disengaging and setting down on her hooves again. "Gather your regalia, dear sister, your current state is no way to conduct yourself. We depart for Ponyville immediately!" she barked. Rainbow Dash had no idea where Luna's sudden mood change had come from, or how she had so easily switched it on like it was nothing. But right now she was really glad that it hadn't been her that had incurred the wrath of Drill Sergeant Luna; that was a fate she wouldn't wish on anypony. As Celestia set about, slowly and mechanically retrieving her golden regalia, Luna took the opportunity to release a long-held breath and slouch. It took a great deal of effort to be so commanding and domineering, more so than most would realize. "Hey," Rainbow Dash spoke up as she approached, "you okay?" Luna nodded in response. "I am fine. I have to be right now. There is no time for mental breakdowns at this point; they are a luxury to be enjoyed by the victors," she explained. Rainbow Dash, in response, stepped closer and reared up on her hind legs to wrap her forelegs around Luna's neck. "You're not alone in this," she stated. Luna nodded and rested a foreleg on Rainbow Dash's withers. "Thank you, my friend." The sound of shod hoofsteps in the room, timid as they were, alerted Luna to the fact that Celestia had finished dawning her regalia. "I... I'm ready," she stated softly as she approached, her trepidation quite apparent as she did. "Good. We do not have any time to waste," Luna replied as she disengaged the hug with Rainbow Dash in preparation of travel. She would have to take the lead on this teleport, knowing that it wasn't going to be an easy one. She usually rode along with Celestia, rather than leading the way on things like this. "Let us depart, before anything else can possibly go wrong." "Right. Let's get the hell outta here," Rainbow Dash agreed. There were way too many ponies -and others- at immediate risk. And every second they took getting into action, was another second Nightmare Moon had them all to herself. Shady didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have at some point, otherwise waking up would've been a really hard trick to pull off. But wake up she had, to a pounding, throbbing headache that felt like her brain was trying to come out of her skull, one way or another. The worst part about that kind of headache was the pressure it put on her eyes. They were already useless to her, did they really have to ache as well? As she came around, she became aware of a number of scents and smells in the area. A great many scents actually. Whatever was going on, at least she wasn't alone. "What in the hay is going on around here?" she asked. "Ya a'right, Shady?" Apple Bloom asked her. "Never better," Shady replied sarcastically. "Gears, Gumdrop, somepony wanna tell me what's happening?" she asked as she sat up, once her head actually allowed her to do such. "We don't know," Scootaloo spoke up, her voice heavy with uncertainty. "It looks like we're in the Everfree Forest. But it's so dark, and there's so much fog, it's hard to see anything." "Yeah, I can understand that," Shady replied, "did anypony actually see anything on the way out here? Anypony at all?" "No, not a thing," Rumble spoke up, his voice squeaking as he spoke. "All I remember is being home asleep, and then... here." Voices of agreement sounded from all around her. Along with a few babbles from those she could only assume were too young to speak; that would certainly explain the smell of manure she was picking up in the area. Time to take stock of the situation. She and a lot of other foals -maybe every foal in Ponyville- were in the Everfree Forest, with no idea how they got out here. Along with no adults in the area as far as she could tell, going by the scents and voices she was picking up on. Not a very good situation to be in, all things considered. And then loud noises could suddenly be heard, echoing from all around them. Shady's ears tilted and flicked about as she tried to get an idea of what was happening, and where it was happening. "What is that? Can anypony see anything?" she asked. "It's too dark, I can't see anything," Silver Spoon complained. "I'm gonna let that one slide," Shady quipped, more concerned with figuring out what was going on, rather than engaging in a battle of snarks at the moment. Whatever was going on around them, she wanted to know. It sounded like short, sharp crashes of thunder with very short duration echoes; like a storm was right overhead. But it wasn't coming from overhead, so that just added to the confusion. Even more confusing was how the ground was trembling with each loud sound. She could feel it in her hooves, so she knew that it was happening, even if she didn't know why. "Well I'm not waiting around to find out," Diamond Tiara stated before she broke into a full gallop as she took off running. And then there was a dull thud, following by a pain-filled yelp. "Ya run into a tree or something?" Shady asked, mildly amused by the premise of such a thought. "There wasn' a tree there ta run inta. It was like she jus' ran smack into a wall er somethin'," Apple Bloom stated. "It's a force field," Sweetie Belle spoke up. "I felt it as soon as Diamond Tiara ran into it. And it feels like it goes all the way around us, so we're trapped on the inside." "Well this can't be good," Rumble commented. "It usually isn't," Scootaloo grumbled in response. "So what're we supposed to do now? Just sit here and wait?" "I don't see any other way out of it," Noi commented. "What? You mean all we can do is sit here, and wait for... well... whatever to happen? Like getting eaten by timberwolves?" Diamond Tiara asked. "Way to keep morale up, Snap," Shady commented and fowned, "Crackle your friend is an idiot." "You shut up!" Silver Spoon yelled back. "Don't you tell her to shut up!" Truffle Shuffle yelled back in return, before wheezing afterward. "QUIET!" The sudden yell was more than Shady could reasonably tolerate, causing her to fold her ears against her head in an effort to shield them from the source of the high-pitched screech. And going by the lack of commotion, the others present had experienced a similar reaction. "With all of us being awake, that means we're not dreaming. That means Princess Luna is bound to notice something being amiss. And if she does notice, that means she might be able to find us," Pipsqueak stated. The next wave of talk that Shady heard was muffled agreements with Pipsqueak's idea. According to a lot of them, Princess Luna would likely be coming by to rescue them. She really didn't know how that would work, but asking those sorts of questions just might get everypony panicking if they thought on it too hard. "Then I guess we just need to get comfortable and wait it out," she replied. And then came the sound of crying. Or more specifically, the sound of a foal crying. "Oh just great..." "Um..." Firelock paused, "what about them? We don't have any formula or diapers for the babies. And I don't know if they can wait as long as we can," she stated. "She's got a point," Archer stated. That brought about a period of silence, other than the sound of foals crying -and the continual claps of short thunder from somewhere outside- that Shady could only assume was filled with awkward looks exchanged between one another. "A'right," Apple Bloom spoke up, "anypony tha's got experience wit' babies, see if ya can calm 'em down any. Ah'm gonna see 'bout breakin' this here force field, an' gettin' us outta here." "And just how're you gonna do that, blank flank? You honestly thing that you can break a force field like it's nothing?" Silver Spoon asked. "Well the changelings did it at the royal weddin', an' that was Shinin' Armor's force field; Captain o' the Guard at the time if y'all remember. If they can do it, then it's gotta be possible," Apple Bloom replied. The same thud that was heard when Diamond Tiara tested her face against the force field was heard again, only it was a lot louder this time; understandable if she was putting both of her back hooves into it. There was a pause, followed by another thud sounding. And then another, and yet another. "Beats just waiting around," Scootaloo stated. And then there were two thuds being heard as they each worked at it. "You're just wasting your time," Diamond Tiara sneered. "This is pointless. You're not going to get anywhere." Despite her evaluation of the situation, neither Apple Bloom nor Scootaloo opted the stop what they were doing. Diamond Tiara scoffed and turned to walk away. But that course of action caused her to bump her muzzle right into Shady's muzzle, giving her an up close and intimate smell of a filly who didn't smell at all like any filly should. It also gave Diamond Tiara an up close look at her eyes, since she didn't have her sunglasses with her. "Do you know anything about taking care of babies?" Shady asked her. "... No," Diamond Tiara admitted uneasily. "Then shut up and help us buck our way outta here, fatso," Shady quipped, before pulling back and making her way over to where it sounded like Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were hard at work. "Somepony wanna help guide me into position so I can do this? I can't really see what I'm doing when I'm backing up." She couldn't explain just what it was, but she had a really bad feeling about all of this; about those concussive crashes and bangs happening beyond whatever the perimeter of the force field was. "... And that's... pretty much it," Twilight said as she concluded her explanation. In the time since Ulquiorra's departure, she'd found herself blessed with the incredible honor, of having to explain to a town full of easily spooked ponies, about the Espada's origins, his nature, and a great many other things. All while being mindful of glossing over certain details that could be classified as too disturbing for public ears. And all while trying not to cause a panic to develop from the more frightening revelations being made. It was an incredibly difficult, very taxing prospect she'd been forced to undertake. And she was going to get Ulquiorra back for saddling her with that duty, one way or another. As she concluded, in the illumination of a number of lanterns that were alight, she noticed how most everypony present was dead silent, looking on with wide eyes, and slack jaws at her lecture. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd concealed the wrong details about him, and if the reveal had been too much for them to take. She was afraid that she might've actually broken the entire town yet again, but without the benefit of Celestia being there to put it back together like she had before. "Are... are there... any questions?" she asked. Silence. Silence that made her nervous of what might happen. All the while silently begging that they not start screaming and running in every direction. "So..." It was Bonbon who was the first to speak up in the ensuing silence. "What you're saying... is that visiting foreign dignitary, is actually a legion-type ghost from a different dimension? And he was brought here by Discord?" she asked. "Well... more or less," Twilight admitted. "You can see why Celestia wanted to keep the details quiet as much as possible." Several nods from the crowd followed, as hushed whispers began to break out. Twilight was able to pick up on some bits of what was saying, but not nearly enough to get an accurate picture of what the ensuing consequences would be for this deception, either for the short term or the long term. This might jeopardize some of the friendships she'd formed since coming to live in Ponyville. And there was no telling what it would do for Equestria as a whole if they lost trust in Celestia. "I must say, can we really trust him under these circumstances?" Time Turner asked, all the while being unable to ignore the disturbed feeling he was experiencing. To think that everypony had been in such close proximity to something like that, all the while not knowing about what they were facing. Although the revelation would certainly explain the strange feeling a lot of them had been experiencing when around him. None of them could consciously explain just why they felt like they were in the presence of a predator, but now it made sense. "Yeah, what he said," Blossomforth spoke up. "Well maybe it's jus' me, but Ah reckon tha' Mr. Cifer deserves the benefit o' the doubt. He's saved all of us like three times already," Applejack pointed out, cutting off whatever sort of panicking Ponyville was getting itself primed and ready for. "Besides, he jus' don' strike me as the kind o' fella that'd go outta his way ta hurt anypony. He's been hangin' around us all fer a good long time. If there was reason ta not trust 'im, Ah reckon we would've known about it before now," she pointed out. "I... I see then," Time Turner replied before growing quiet afterward. With the crowd's unofficial spokespony silenced, a great deal of potential commotion quieted down as a result. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at how the situation had been so effortlessly defused. If she had attempted it on her own, she doubted she could've done it as easily and quickly as Applejack had demonstrated herself as capable of doing. "Note to self: work on my public speaking skills," she thought to herself. She'd have to thank Applejack for taking charge like she had. But before she could actually think of how to go about doing that, she felt a tingling sensation run up her horn, followed by a scroll materializing in front of her. "A message? Does this mean the antidote worked?" Spike asked curiously. Twilight didn't say anything as she levitated the scroll in front of her, before unrolling it to read it, her eyes scanning the contents. But as she did, her eyes went wide in surprise, before teleporting away without a word of explanation, the scroll falling to the ground and forgotten. "Wha' was that all about?" Applejack asked. "Let's find out," Spike replied as he picked up the scroll to read himself. "Huh?" "What?" Applejack asked, only to have the scroll turned around so she could read it. Heads up, Egghead. She, Spike, Pinkie, and even Zecora shared a confused look at the message, as well as the lack thereof. But then that confusion faded as the realization struck them as the pieces fell into place. They minced no words before tearing off in the direction of the library, everyone running at full gallop, except for Spike who managed to latch onto Pinkie's tail, and pull himself up onto her back for a ride. Applejack was the first to reach the library, slamming full force into the door and knocking it open, rather than stopping to take the time to open it normally. It flew open and smacked into the wall as she was crowded by the others joining her immediately after, nearly knocking the lot of them to the floor. But none of that really mattered any right now, as they were more concerned with what was happening in front of them. The exact source of the Kurostruct's origins remained as much a mystery as anything. But what wasn't a mystery, was the fact that it was one certainly one of the most difficult opponents Ulquiorra remembered facing in recent history. In terms of strength it was on par with him, but in terms of durability, it just seemed to be in excess of him. Regardless of how hard he hit it, or how many times he hit it, it truly showed no signs of being any worse for wear. It was a lot like pounding away at a tire with a hammer, and not getting anywhere; a fact perhaps best exemplified by him slamming his elbow down on the top of its skull, and the impact doing little to falter it. However it did present an opening that allowed him to deliver a forceful kick to the posterior that sent it tumbling to the ground. "You're nothing but an annoyance," he stated as he reached down and grabbed the kurostruct by its long hair, only to drag it back up to its feet, before putting it in a headlock. The first rabbit punch was to take some of the fight out of it, and make it more cooperative. The second was simply a contingency in the event the first one had failed to work as intended; it was in no way indicative of him being aggravated with how things had proceeded, and engaging in pettiness. He then proceeded to drag the Kurostruct over to one of the larger trees in the area, before lifting himself several feet up off the ground, and slamming its head against the trunk. The horns on the Kurostruct's head were curved upward at approximately a forty-five degree angle, much like they were for the real Ichigo Kurosaki. So now they were pointing downward at an approximate sixty degree angle when they were lodged into the trunk of the tree, leaving the rest of its body to hang at a very awkward -and uncomfortable- angle, with no way of getting its footing from this height. "Stay," he instructed. Perhaps now he could get back to finding the missing foals, and getting them out of the forest alive. Rarity stumbled as she ran, fueled primarily by adrenaline in her currently sleep-deprived state, her brain trying desperately to make sense of everything. All the while she tried to avoid tripping and falling to the ground as she ran through the darkened streets of Ponyville, as Fluttershy tried to keep up. All of this in addition to trying to avoid being stampeded by an aggravated apple farmer who was currently hot on their hooves. "C'mon ya two, this is mighty important, get ta movin'!" Applejack barked. "Applejack, darling, you could've at least told us what was so important that it couldn't possibly wait until morning," Rarity panted as they continued running along, being guided to the library as best she could guess. Lately sleep had been a valuable commodity to her, ever since Fluttershy had come to reside at the Carousel Boutique after Celestia's last visit. It had been an arrangement that was easier for her to manage, than staying at the cottage to look after her friend in her time of need. Perhaps it was the more familiar surroundings, or perhaps it was the magic Celestia had used several days ago. But whatever it ultimately was, that ease she experienced was marginal at best. Fluttershy was simply in a fragile state, and needed a lot of care to keep her together; she was so much like a foal right now. So long as she was in the company of another, she was mostly alright, and could manage with a little help; such as assisting in the trek back to the cottage daily to feed all of the animals in her care. But if she were left alone for too long, she would devolve into a trembling, crying mess that needed to hugged until she finally calmed down again. It was a situation that led to some rather interesting bathing and sleeping arrangements the past few days. "There ain' no time ta be explainin' it to ya, Twi'll fill ya in on the details when ya get there, now move!" Applejack bellowed as she herded them along. Sensing that no further information was going to be garnered from her inquiries, Rarity simply continued running along. She knew that Applejack wouldn't have come pounding on the boutique's door, and rousing them both from their sleep at this time of night, unless the reason for such was an extraordinarily good one. She just wished that she had some clue of what they were walking into... and why so many other ponies were currently up and outside. "Inside!" Applejack ordered as she ran ahead of them and more or less slammed into the door to open it. The few seconds spent between then, and them actually hurrying inside as they'd been instructed, were spent with her anxiously jogging in place, as she waited for when she could finally shut the door behind them. "Alright, Applejack, we're here," Rarity panted, "now can someone please tell us just what's going on?" "YOU!" Rarity's winded status was immediately forgotten at hearing that yell, and feeling her blood running cold in the immediate aftermath. She recognized that voice all too well, and flinched as a result. She didn't even have time to scream, as she was tackled by a prismatic blur that knocked her to the floor and... ... and was currently nuzzling against her? Nervously she cracked an eye open, and confirmed that it was indeed Rainbow Dash who currently had her down on the ground. But she wasn't being beaten to a bloody pulp; far from it actually. The cyan pegasus was treating her like she'd just given her a free ticket to an air show by the Wonderbolts. Not that she was complaining, but she was utterly confused. "Rainbow Dash?" she asked. "The one and only," Rainbow Dash replied as she sat up and climbed off of Rarity to let her get back up. "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened last time, I wasn't really myself. Are you okay now? How ya doin' Rares?" "... Hopelessly confused, I'm afraid," Rarity replied as she climbed back to her hooves, trying to ignore the pain in her back from her rough landing against the floor. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was also suspicious about the exact nature of Rainbow Dash's presence, and what might be in store for them, considering what happened last time. Before any answers could actually be head, she jumped at the sound of a loud squeal from beside her, followed by Rainbow Dash being tackled by a sobbing, blubbering Fluttershy, who locked onto her around her neck with great ferocity. As this was going on -and as Rainbow Dash tried to assure Fluttershy that everything was alright- Rarity took the opportunity to properly observe her surroundings, hoping that they'd have an answer as to what was going on. As she did, she saw that more or less everyone was present and accounted for; all six of them, along with Spike and Zecora, and even Celestia and Luna! Whatever was going on, it must've been very big to warrant this turnout; and bigger than just Rainbow Dash being recovered. "Not that I'm not absolutely thrilled to see Rainbow Dash again," she started, "but could somepony please tell me just what is going on around here?" "Ah wouldn' mind gettin' some answers 'round here mahself," Applejack said as she turned to look at Twilight, who currently stood over by Luna and Celestia. She really didn't care who spoke up first, just so long as they got to figuring out what was going on. Most of them had been standing around this entire time, being given the put off until the whole gang was present and accounted for so the explanation only had to be given once. Luna nodded as she looked to her sister and Twilight -the latter doing her best to calm the former- before facing everyone assembled, and cleared her throat to ensure everyone present was listening; the reunion between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, while touching, would simply have to wait. "Much as I would love to allow you all to have a joyous reunion with one another, I am sad to report that such will have to wait for the time being. We currently find ourselves in a crisis, and we have very little time in which to respond," she explained. It hurt to tell them that their rejoicing about being back together had to be put on hold, especially with knowing all that they had been through during this time. But what else could she really do right now? "Please listen carefully, as this is most important. As unlikely as it may seem for you to believe, we have discovered information suggesting that Nightmare Moon has returned, and has been behind everything taking place in recent time." Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement before speaking up. "The dragon, the changelings, the terror fog, all of it. We don't know how, but as best we can figure, the Elements of Harmony separated her from Luna rather than killing her, and left her as a disembodied spirit. Apparently she's been very busy since then." Luna nodded in turn, confirming Rainbow Dash's assessment of the situation, and what they knew. "I know that you likely have many questions about all of this, my friends, and I promise you all that I will do my best to answer them; but not at this point in time. Right now I am imploring myself to you, I need you to be focused on the task at hoof." The others looked at one another in the aftermath of Luna's plea, and wordlessly nodded to one another in agreement. "A'right, ya can count on us, Princess," Applejack said as she turned to face Luna again. "Whadda ya need us ta do?" "Help my sister," Luna stated as she unfurled her left wing to gesture in Celestia's direction. "The antidote has done nothing to undo what she has been subjected to. It did no more good than giving her plain water would have," she explained. It was at this point that Rarity and Fluttershy took a good, hard look at Celestia for the first time since their arrival. In simple terms she looked like a mess; like she was struggling to keep herself together, and just barely able to hang in there. Rarity had seen that look before in so many others since the start of this whole debacle. It made her want to march herself over to the alicorn, and simply hug the stuffing out of her; although it looked like Twilight had beaten her to the punch on that one. Zecora simply sighed and closed her eyes. She had doubted that the potion in its unfinished state would do any good, but she'd hoped that she would be wrong. Unfortunately she hadn't been. All of their hard work had been for nothing. And if what Luna was saying was true, it stood to reason that Nightmare Moon had become aware of their efforts, and retaliated to stop them from completing what could put a crimp in her plans, whatever they may be. "Oh dear. How do we go about doing that? None of us have any training in this field," Rarity pointed out. "Perhaps not. But you do have experience in using the Elements of Harmony. It is my hope that they can be used to undo the damage that has been done by the terror fog. Not only in Celestia, but perhaps for the entire area. Perhaps we can accomplish two goals in one fell swoop, and deal a critical blow to Nightmare Moon in the process," Luna explained. Applejack, and even Zecora immediately noticed Twilight's reaction to the suggestion of using the Elements of Harmony in this situation. They'd been living here long enough to know what was going on with them; they had ever since Zecora's late night appearance, when she and Spike had gone into the basement to retrieve the guest bed, and noticed the weak strobing pulse of the red gem in the Element of Loyalty. And considering the work that had been done in the basement the last few days, Zecora had become aware of it as well. And the both of them being aware of it had put Twilight in a bind, and driven her to confess everything. The truth had come pouring out of her like water from a broken dam, along with a great deal of guilt over her actions, even though she believed they were ultimately justified under the circumstances they found themselves in. She didn't appreciate the dishonesty, but she certainly understood it. If the rest of their friends found out that the Elements of Harmony had ceased working because of what happened to Rainbow Dash, there was no telling how panicked they'd become, or what they'd do in the aftermath. That left poor Twilight trying to wither the burden all by herself, both physically and emotionally. "RD's back in the game, they might be too," she pointed out in an effort to cut off whatever worry Twilight might be experiencing, about the others finding out the truth. "Oh. Right. Right," Twilight replied and quickly nodded. "I'll be... I'll be right back," she said as she made her way for the basement. Turning to look at the others, she saw Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie all looking back at her. "Darling, what was that all about?" Rarity asked. Applejack waited until Twilight was on her way down the basement stairs before finally responding. "When the terror fog got ta Rainbow Dash, the Element o' Loyalty went dormant, and the rest o' the Elements wouldn' work with it bein' such. Twi' didn' wanna worry us over somethin' we couldn' change, so she's been keeping it to 'erself for our sakes. But now that RD's doin' better, her Element might be active again," she explained, doing her best to cushion whatever blow was going to be delivered by bringing them up to speed. "Oh, the poor dear," Rarity replied, her mind already churning out various thoughts as to how much Twilight must've been suffering with nopony to unburden herself to. "The amount of burden she hoisted upon herself must have been tremendous. To carry on without anypony to talk to, she must have felt friendless," Zecora muttered. Spike frowned, wanting to point out that Twilight had him to talk to about the problem, and had indeed done such. But before he could actually remind them that he was here, she was already coming back into the main room with the case in tow, a look of concern across her face. "I... I just don't know," she said simply as she approached, before setting the case down in the middle of the room. "Why is the Element of Loyalty pulsing like it is?" she asked. Luna -and even Celestia- observed the case that held the artifacts, and observed as the gem held in the Element of Loyalty was indeed pulsing and flashing with a red light that contrasted with the darkness of the gem itself. "When did this start?" Luna asked as she looked back at Twilight. "When it started, we don't know. But we noticed it the night when Zecora came to town; Spike and Applejack saw it flashing when they went down into the basement to retrieve the guest bed. But it was really weak flashing compared to now; it started flaring like this less than an hour ago," Twilight replied. "Do you know what it means?" Luna offered up a weak smile in response. "What it means, is that the Element of Loyalty is sensing the return of Rainbow Dash's loyal nature, and is attempting to resonate with her once again, but is not yet fully able to do so," she explained. "Well then let's see what we can do to hurry it along," Rainbow Dash stated as she squirmed in Fluttershy's hold, preparing to do what she felt was necessary. She just hoped Rarity didn't deck her in response. "Flutters, I need you to let me go, I've gotta do something." "It won't work..." All activity in the room ceased at the sound of Celestia speaking up for the first real time since their arrival in the library. Those that had been present prior to Celestia and the others arriving had heard her utter bits and pieces, but this was the first real statement she'd made. "The Elements of Harmony aren't something that can simply be forced to perform, I'm afraid," Celestia explained as she straightened up and stood taller than previously. "Ponies are able to persevere and... and overcome a great many hardships, as we have witnessed in recent time. But the Elements of Harmony are a different matter. They are bound to each of you, but they won't work simply because you want them to, even if the situation is dire..." "Then there's nothing we can do to help Dashie with her resonance thing?" Pinkie asked. Celestia could do little more than shake her head in response. "I'm sorry, I really am. But if Rainbow Dash can't resonate with the Element of Loyalty on her own yet, nothing we do will make any difference. It's something that she has to do on her own," she explained as she hung her head and closed her eyes. "Wielding multiple Elements of Harmony simultaneously grants... a certain degree of insight into their manner of functioning..." The news dealt a major blow to Rainbow Dash's mood, it more or less undoing her entire game plan for this evening on how to get back into action. She was sure that if she just tried hard enough, she could push through the latent issues that were still weighing in the back of her mind -like the subdued whispers of Nightmare Moon still trying to urge her that Rarity couldn't be trusted- and just power on ahead to victory. Now she was being told that no matter how hard she tried, it still wouldn't work. Her bravado dropped sharply in response to this, to the point she really wasn't even paying attention to what the others were saying around her. She needed a new game plan on what she was going to do. What that game plan was, came to her shortly after. With Fluttershy's hold on her loosened sufficiently, she worked her way free, before going over to where Rarity currently stood, and proceeded to pull her into the biggest, firmest, warmest hug she could manage. Rarity was surprised at first, but quickly succumbed to the warmth of the embrace, and returned it with gusto. "Take care of yourself, Rares," she said as she relinquished her hold, before making her way to the library's door. "Darling, where're you going?" Rarity asked, confused by it all. "To the Everfree Forest to find Ulquiorra," Rainbow Dash said as she stopped at the door. "All I can do here is wait for the Element of Loyalty to get its act together. At least out there I can do some good, either by finding the foals, or helping him in kicking the crap out of Nightmare Moon, whichever comes first." "What!? No, no!" Twilight objected and forcefully latched the door shut with her magic, while simultaneously mentally kicking herself for only having the one lock installed during this whole crisis. "You can't!" "Yeah, Dashie, that's super dangerous!" Pinkie stated, horrified by the very idea. Rainbow Dash had just come back to them, and now she was leaving again? Like this? It was unacceptable! "I quite agree. Rainbow Dash, going out there all by yourself is admirable, but to face Nightmare Moon like you're suggesting? Darling it's a suicide mission! You'll be killed!" Rarity practically shrieked. "I don't think so," Rainbow Dash replied and shook her head, being far calmer than her friends. "The only thing keeping Nightmare Moon from being harmonied into the ground for a third time is the fact that I'm still alive. If I die, the Element of Loyalty goes to whichever pony it best matches, and it's all over for her again. She can't afford to kill me, so that gives me the advantage in this. She wouldn't dare kill me, that'd be as good as cutting her own throat," she explained. Applejack opened her mouth to express her own opinion on Rainbow Dash's evaluation of facts, but she quickly found her mouth shut for her as Twilight was the first to speak up, and explain how the idea was just plain stupid, and assumed too much about what Nightmare Moon did and didn't know about the situation. To which Rainbow Dash retorted that the whore had been in her head since this whole ugly event had started, and knew what she knew. Rarity, in turn, stated that if Nightmare Moon knew what Rainbow Dash knew, that would make her actions even more of a liability since she would know she was coming; a fact that Pinkie eagerly agreed with as being a concern. To which Rainbow Dash replied that simply knowing something was coming didn't mean you could necessarily do anything about it. Fluttershy was the next to speak up, and offer her own reason for why Rainbow Dash shouldn't go charging off into danger. While based less on matters of logic and tactics than the others, was directly from the heart, and a simple plea that she not put herself in harm's way simply because she was frustrated about having to wait for the Element of Loyalty to resonate with her. To which Rainbow Dash explained that Nightmare Moon was responsible for hundreds of changelings, one manticore, and who knew how many other innocent animals getting killed, and how she should find that unacceptable. Finally, both to head off what was bound to be a shouting match, and because she was getting a crick in her neck from moving her head back and forth so much, Applejack decided to speak up. And she did so loudly in order to not be drowned out by the others. "The next one o' ya that says somethin' an' interrupts me, Ah'm gonna hogtie ya!" she stated. That brought everyone's attention back to her, and gave her the opportunity to speak freely. "Not ta be speakin' outta turn, Princess, Ah know wha' ya said 'bout asking' questions, but seeing as the Elements o' Harmony still ain' workin' an' all..." "What is on your mind, Applejack?" Luna asked. With their plan no longer being an option, she saw no point in refraining from answering whatever questions might be had. "Ah know Ah've been here the whole time so Ah'm missin' somethin', but are ya sure that it's Nightmare Moon? Ah mean, is it possible ya made a mistake?" Applejack asked. Luna slowly shook her head. "Much as I wish that was the case, it is not. Nightmare Moon took delight in forcing me to experience certain actions she took while in control of my body, ensuring that I would never forget them for as long as I live. And I am now noticing such happenings occurring around me once again. So in answer to your question, Applejack, yes, I am quite certain it is Nightmare Moon behind all of this. No other enemy we have ever faced, had displayed this extreme level of sadism before." "Beggin' yer pardon an' all, Princess, but somethin' here jus' doesn' seem ta add up," Applejack stated as she spoke up, her uneasiness apparent in her voice as she did. "You have no need to beg the pardon of a friend, Applejack," Luna said as she regarded the concerned earth pony. "Speak up, what is the mathematical inconsistency to which you refer?" Applejack paused for a moment, confused by what she was saying, before getting her thoughts back together. "Well... it's jus' that this whole thing seems really complex fer the likes o' Nightmare Moon. Ah mean, when she returned from her banishment, she spent the whole night tryin' everythin' ta make us turn back, an' not seek out the Elements o' Harmony. But she knew where they were the whole time, right? Why didn' she focus on gettin' rid of 'em before we ever got there, rather than tryin' ta scare us off?" "Ooh! Ooh, good point! Good point!" Pinkie added as she bounced up and down excitedly. "Even I would have to agree," Rarity spoke up and nodded. "Nightmare Moon was a rather arrogant, egotistical pony to deal with. She never struck me as having a tactical mind. She threw traps and frights at us, but even when none of that worked, she didn't change her game plan at all. It was like she couldn't see beyond her own muzzle, and was obsessed with proving her superiority to us in the most prideful manner possible." Twilight listened as the others talked. And as she did, she couldn't help but notice that they were right in their observations. She had been focused on other things at the time, and had never stopped to consider that the entire approach had been... lacking in terms of being well thought out. If Nightmare Moon had been serious about stopping them from acquiring the Elements of Harmony, why hadn't she destroyed their vessels, and scattered them to the far reaches of the world where they could never be found? She'd had a thousand years to plot for her return, so why hadn't she done something more creative? So where had all this strategy come from? "Er... I mean, no offense," Rarity quickly added when she realized Luna had turned her attention to her. "It is not something that I choose to take offense over, Rarity. We may have unwillingly shared the same body, but she and I were not two sides of the same coin; she was no more an aspect of my identity than a parasitic infection would be," Luna explained and shook her head. Nightmare Moon might have exploited her insecurities back then, and led her down the path towards corruption, but that still didn't make them one in the same; it didn't even come close. "So what about this tactical inconsistency? How did Nightmare Moon go from being too arrogant to think, to being able to lay out this whole cluster of ideas and strategies to weaken our defenses, and leave us open to attack while we were trying to figure out the responsible party?" Twilight asked. "It is quiet easy to be arrogant in your abilities when you have twenty times the magical strength of a seasoned unicorn at your command. But when the Elements of Harmony separated us from one another, that was no longer the case. Without my strength to fall back on, she would be forced to adopt a different approach to doing things, if she wishes to make a reappearance," Luna stated. When one was devoid of desirable resources, they made do with what they had, and learned how to maximize what little was at their disposal. "It is the only explanation that I can think of." "So she learned how to get smarter, in order to make herself stronger. That's a very bad combination," Rainbow Dash stated. It had been hard enough to defeat Nightmare Moon the first time around when she was arrogant about her own strength. But now that she was demonstrating that she could be all stealthy and thoughtful and shit, it was only going to be worse from here on out. Was it really asking too much for Nightmare Moon to be nothing but a dumb, wild animal when it didn't have Luna to piggyback off of? "So... assuming we can get the Elements of Harmony working again, what happens then?" Spike asked since he finally had the opportunity to speak up. "I mean, will they work this time when they didn't work before?" "Do you have some other suggestion of how to proceed?" Luna asked, not intending to be rude, but genuinely curious as to what the young dragon might have in mind as an alternative course of action. Spike hesitated at the tone of Luna's voice, but nonetheless continued on. "Well... Ulquiorra's already out there, and we know what he can do. Maybe we should just... let him do this on his own? If she's a disembodied spirit right now... couldn't he just devour her and that'd be the end of all this?" he asked. When nopony said anything in response, and were simply looking at one another in confusion, he couldn't help but wonder if maybe he'd said the wrong thing. Maybe he should've just kept his opinion to himself? "Could... could we actually do that? Would that actually work?" Pinkie asked, being the first to break the silence in the room. "I do not know. I-I suppose that it could work," Luna replied, practically floored by the idea of something like that actually happening. She couldn't deny that there was an extreme irony present in the very idea of Nightmare Moon meeting her end in such a manner. Now that the question had been asked, however, she couldn't help but think of something else. Was this why Discord had brought Ulquiorra to their dimension? Had the spirit of chaos somehow known that Nightmare Moon had survived, and would be returning once again? But if that were truly the case, why hadn't Discord alerted them to this development? Why had he gone through all of the trouble of crossing the dimensional boundaries to retrieve Ulquiorra after he had died? Having experienced the Elements of Harmony twice on his own, was he aware of whatever limitations they had, and knew that they would be of no use to them in this case? But if that were the case, then why would Nightmare Moon bother targeting Rainbow Dash to such an extreme degree, if the Elements of Harmony couldn't hurt her? More disturbingly, she had to ask herself if events would have transpired just as they had, if they had been informed about Nightmare Moon returning. Had Ulquiorra been right in his hypothesizing, that an outside intervention had been needed to prevent widespread disaster from occurring? Was Discord responsible for all of those deaths that had occurred, or were they inevitable, and beyond their ability to stop? Once again, her sister's migraine was catching up with her. She really didn't need that added frustration right now. "The amount of strength Ulquiorra commands is truly monstrous," Celestia muttered, remembering when she had clashed against him over Canterlot. To this day she still had no clue just how much of his strength he'd been using against her. Despite it being mainly for show to trick Chrysalis, a lot of it had also been genuine. He had been very tight lipped about the truth, and whenever he did talk about it, he would only comment on how he was merely ensuring that it looked convincing enough to fulfill her orders. It was true, their magic was greater than anything Ulquiorra had to offer in comparison. But he had a strength all his own that they couldn't possibly compete with, and she knew it. It was... more concentrated in a manner, like the difference between a log and a rock. Despite their ability to juggle the sun and the moon as they saw fit, it still paled in comparison to him in certain respects. He could command a dragon to cease an all-out assault with but a single punch, easily piercing the armoring of its thick hide and causing it to bleed; a feat that very few could legitimately claim to do. Even she couldn't honestly say she could do the same. "If Ulquiorra has met with Nightmare Moon, it may already be over," she suggested. "Just like that?" Rarity asked, finding the idea hard to believe. Granted she didn't doubt that Ulquiorra could indeed do something like that, but... the idea of how he might've gone about doing it just disturbed her to think about. "So all this ends with a midnight snack? That's certainly one for the books," Rainbow Dash commented as she stepped away from the door to stand by the others, not sure what to think of the idea of them just being able to kick back for a change. "Um..." Fluttershy mumbled, barely above a whisper, "what if... what if it doesn't work out like that?" "Whadda ya mean, Fluttershy?" Applejack asked as she turned to look at the meek pegasus. "Yes, dear, whatever is the matter?" Rarity asked. Slowly all eyes were turning to Fluttershy, making her the center of attention. It was one of her worst fear, quickly becoming a reality. But compared to what she had experienced, its place on the list had dropped by several spaces. That alone gave her a greater ability to speak up. "Well... we're all sort of assuming that if Ulquiorra meets Nightmare Moon he's going to.... um... win. But... b-but what if he doesn't? I mean... what if Nightmare Moon... what if she manages to possess him instead? I mean, she did with Princess Luna, what's to say she couldn't do the same to Ulquiorra?" she asked. The silence spawned by Spike's question had brought about a number of confused looks and uncertainty at the prospect. But this silence, this one was oppressive and conveyed absolute terror; almost the palpable sort in terms of scope. Immediately Twilight's head whipped around as she looked at Luna. "Princess, you know more about Nightmare Moon than any of us. I-is that possible? Could Ulquiorra become a host to her?" she asked, almost afraid of actually getting an answer, but still needing to know regardless. "Knowing so little about Ulquiorra Cifer, I cannot even begin to fathom a guess. I-I suppose that it could happen, but I do not know what would become of such an attempt. She could become victim to his otherworldly nature and die in the process, o-or... she could stand to become even more powerful than ever before. There is simply no way of knowing," Luna stated. Both options were equally horrifying, but each for differing reasons. Without a word, Rainbow Dash was off like a shot, and over by the door. Twilight didn't even have a chance to secure the latch before it was disengaged, and the door pulled open. The only thing that kept her from actually bolting outside, was the unexpected tackle from behind by Pinkie, slamming the door shut in the process, as she proceeded to sit on Rainbow Dash's back as she pinned her to the ground. "Pinkie get off of me!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she struggled to get free, squirming every which way while also attempting to swat at the pink earth pony with whatever appendage was able to move. "No, Dashie, no! You're gonna get hurt if you go out there!" Pinkie stated as she squirmed in an effort to resist the squirming of her friend, and keep her down on the floor. "I'm not letting you go until you calm down!" "Pinkie's absolutely right, darling," Rarity chimed in as she trotted over to assist. "It's far too dangerous to simply go rushing off in such a reckless manner. You don't even know where Ulquiorra is, and flying around at this time of night, with no way of seeing where you're going, there's no telling what could happen." "I don't care!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she continued struggling to get out from under Pinkie. "Ulquiorra needs help, those foals need help, I'm gonna help! You're gonna have to break my wings and my legs to keep me here, so just get off of me!" "We need some rope er somethin'," Applejack commented as she watched Pinkie struggling to keep Rainbow Dash pinned. She knew as well as anypony just how strong the cyan pegasus could be when she pushed herself, and she was pushing herself mighty fierce right now. She was wriggling and squirming and trying to bite in an effort to get free. But if she got loose, she was just going to run off and get herself hurt, or even worse. As her friends, it was their obligation to keep her confined until she saw reason, and stopped trying to do something so stupid. They were only looking out for her best interests, after all. "Release her." It was Celestia who spoke up, both firm enough and loud enough to be heard by all over the sounds of struggle that were taking place in the library. "Sister?" Luna asked as she regarded her sister with curiosity, wondering where the sudden commanding presence had come from. "Rainbow Dash knows about what dangers she'll face if she goes out. She'd made her decision on what she wants to do. As her friends, we should respect that decision, even if we don't agree with it," she explained as she began to step forward, her legs trembling as she moved, but not really looking as if they'd give out under her. "Whether she's here, or a hundred miles from here, it doesn't really matter. The Element of Loyalty will resonate with her again regardless of where she is, once it's ready to do so. At least out an about, she can be of some use," she explained as she glanced back at the pulsing gem. Luna looked horrified at what she was hearing. "Sister, how can you say something like that? Rainbow Dash is our friend! What good could come from letting her go out on her own into such a dangerous situation?" she asked, practically demanding to know the reasoning behind her position. "Reconnaissance, Luna, which we could use right about now," Celestia stated as her horn was flared to life, and Pinkie was levitated off of Rainbow Dash's back, allowing her to stand up again. "Her speed could be quite beneficial to us right now." "Wait, I think I understand!" Twilight stated, the excitement evident in her voice. Before anyone could ask her to explain what was going on, she was already in the process of talking again. "We let Rainbow Dash go ahead of us, allowing her to look for Ulquiorra, Nightmare Moon, or the missing foals. But not before equipping her with a homing spell, so we can immediately find her position once she does so. Once she reaches the target in question, we can teleport to her location and, depending on what the situation entails, assist with the rescue operation as the circumstances allow!" "Quite correct," Celestia stated, a genuine smile on her face for the first time since waking up on this night. Luna had to admit, that wasn't what she thought they were talking about. But regardless, she didn't like the idea of using Rainbow Dash as a scout in such a dangerous situation, as there was no telling what would happen before their arrival. But at the same time, she knew that they couldn't just sit around and wait, as there was no telling what would happen even then. There was just so much at stake regardless of what decision they made. "Very well then. Go," she relented, knowing that there was the potential for this to be a no-win situation. "Let us proceed with this course of action." "Awesome!" Rainbow Dash stated, happy to hear that they were finally going to be doing something other than just standing around and talking. "Spell me up and let's get this show on the road!" "Not just yet," Luna was quick to add, once again resuming the authoritative position. "Before you go rushing off into danger on some damn fool errand, there are a few things that I believe will be of aid to you." Rainbow Dash was about to ask what Luna had in mind, but the glow of her horn signaled that she was already going to work. This was followed by a bright flash of light, and feeling an unfamiliar weight and sensation resting not only on her back, but almost everywhere else on her body. "Wowie dowie!" Pinkie stated. "Uh... what just happened?" she asked as the flash blindness faded, only to notice that her peripheral vision was blocked by something on both sides of her head. "You.... you got armored up," Spike stated, not knowing how else to describe it. "Really?" Rainbow Dash asked as she tried to look at herself, but not getting a good overall look. "Somepony get me a mirror?" Where the mirror came from, she didn't know for sure, all she knew was that magic was involved in bringing it about. What she was really interested in at the moment was how she looked. And from what she could see, she looked completely badass! The armor looked a lot like what she'd seen Luna's guards wearing, but at the same time it was different somehow. She couldn't put her hoof on it, but there were distinct differences in every piece. But aesthetics aside, she was amazed at how well the armor fit her; almost like it'd been made for her. Even the shoes were comfortable on her hooves, and she hated shoes. And it was so light, it almost felt like she was wearing nothing compared to what she thought it would weigh; more like cardboard and tinfoil than steel plates. She could easily extend and flap her wings without any hindrance and... even her wings were armored! They were encased on what looked like metal bat wings, but the plates moved and flexed with her joints so naturally, she was pretty sure she could fly even with them like this. The whole thing was awesome... except for the helmet. She couldn't see a thing properly in it, and it just plain had to go. "So why the armor?" she asked as she pulled the helmet off, before shaking her head to get her mane straightened out again. "And where'd you get this? I don't remember seeing it before." "That is because it is not yet available for general duty purposes. It is still tied up in the research and development section as a prototype," Luna explained. Ever since her return to Equestria, much had changed, that went without saying. But among other unexpected changes, was just how much new staff she would have to manage. And that included a research and development division looking to introduce her to modern concepts; such as how the historical armor for the night guard was looking dated, and had grown long in the tooth. They believed that royal guard armor should be more lightweight and flexible to better match the natural movements of the guard wearing it to provide for quicker responses, rather than conveying the ability to take tons of abuse in a single engagement. She didn't know if she agreed with that line of thinking when she'd been presented with the idea of fielding a new generation of armor for her guards to make use of, as she believed the funding could be used for more relevant purposes. But they had been insistent, and it was the squeaky wheel that eventually got greased. And upon seeing a physical representation of what was being proposed, with how the redesigned plates still had respectable tensile strength, and how the entire platform was built with lightening enchantments to reduce the overall weight on the wearer, she had to admit that she was pleased with the sleek packaging that her guards would eventually don in her service. "As to the why, it is bound to be quite dangerous out there, and it would be foalish to head out unprepared. I do not know what you will encounter once you leave the library, but perhaps it will afford you some measure of protection," she continued. And if the armor did indeed keep Rainbow Dash from suffering serious injury, then she would push for it to be finalized for implementation immediately. Rainbow Dash nodded in understanding, a wicked grin on her face. "Cool. Thanks. So what's the other thing?" "An enhancement spell necessitated by the number of non-thestral members of my night staff. In laypony terms, it is often referred to as "thestral vision" as it grants them superior night vision. As dark as it can be in the Everfree Forest, you will most likely need it," Luna explained as her horn started glowing again. Rainbow Dash blinked, not really feeling anything that would suggest what was going on. Although the fact that her reflection suddenly had a gold shimmer to its irises, not unlike the yellowish eyes of thestrals, suggested that it was already complete. Now she was starting to feel anxious to get out, and see what it was like. "It is done," Luna said as the glow of her horn ceased. "I have done as much for you as I can, short of following you to your destination myself. And while I would do so in a heartbeat, I do not yet know what difficulties will be faced here. I am sorry to say that there is nothing more I can do for you, my friend." "Hey, it's alright, don't sweat it," Rainbow Dash replied and waved her hoof dismissively, not seeing any reason to be worried about something that couldn't be controlled. She was honestly surprised she'd even gotten this much support. Now the only thing left was to actually head out. But before that, there was something that she had to do. Something that was way too important to put off, because there might not be a later. Without a word, she turned to face the others. "Look, everypony, we don't have time for long goodbyes and whatnot, but I need to say something," she stated slowly, trying to find the right words to express what she was feeling right now. "Whatever happens tonight... I've been lucky to have friends like you. Nightmare Moon tried to break us apart, she got close, but she failed, plain and simple. And... if Ulquiorra hasn't made himself a meal yet... well we're gonna kick so much ass tonight it's gonna be legendary! So... so just be ready to head out, alright?" she asked, trying to keep things on a positive note. If anypony started crying, she didn't know if she'd be able to hold it all together. "Rainbow Dash," Twilight spoke up as she stepped forward, "Ulquiorra said the foals were about three miles inside the Everfree Forest. That would probably be as good a place as any to start looking," she explained. "Right, three miles, got it," Rainbow Dash replied and nodded. She wanted to say more, but she knew that time was of the essence right now. With one last look at her friends, she pulled open the library door and took off for her destination, leaving her friends behind to their own devices. The moment she was out of sight, Fluttershy's composure immediately crumbled as she succumbed to tears. Rarity was by her side in short order, holding her close, and assuring her that everything would be alright. "Was it really a good idea ta let 'er go off like that?" Applejack asked as she looked at Celestia. "I can't say for certain, Applejack," Celestia replied as she glanced back at the case holding the Elements of Harmony. "But I believe that it was." Despite what it looked like, and what it sounded like, the armor was proving to be a lot easier to fly in than Rainbow Dash had first anticipated. Granted the commotion it caused when she moved was annoying, and not feeling the air movement across her entire body as she cut through the sky was really disorienting to experience; it almost didn't feel real. But her movements weren't restricted, her wings had loosened up considerably since Canterlot, and she wasn't having any trouble seeing. All in all, things were acceptable for her. That didn't necessarily make the flight easy, however, as three miles was still three miles, and the armor still amounted to extra weight that she had to factor in. Luna really had been right about her not being in top shape at the time. But she was committed to this course of action, and she was going to see it through to the end, come Tartarus or high water! As she drew closer to her intended destination, she couldn't help but notice something very odd; a large pocket of fog in the area, sticking out above the tree lines. And all of it about three miles inside the borders of the Everfree Forest, give or take. That had to be the terror fog Ulquiorra had mentioned back in Canterlot. If they were anywhere in this mess, it had to be in there somewhere. Much like it was a pond on a hot day, she dove right in without so much as a second thought, cutting through the thick fog, her eyes scanning for anything that looked like the targets she was trying desperately to find. She'd been expecting a lot of hunting to get through all of this fog and find some trace of what she was looking for, but apparently she'd expected wrong. As she traveled deeper into the fog she could see Ulquiorra and... wait, was that actually Ichigo? What was that Shinigami doing here? Never mind, she didn't need the answer to that question right now. All she needed to know was the fact that Ulquiorra was pinned on the ground with Itchy boy standing on top of him. That was completely unacceptable, and she totally needed to do something about it. "HEY ASSHOLE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, hoping desperately to distract Scratchy before he could do anything fatal to Ulquiorra. It looked up at her. It actually looked up at her. This couldn't have worked out any better if she'd planned it out! As she approached it at top speed, she drew her right hoof back in preparation of slugging the bastard with all of her might. "FUCK OFF!"