Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine
Chapter One Hundred Twenty Nine
Having the ability to send and receive messages on her own was certainly helpful and useful. But Twilight couldn't deny that there was something comforting about watching Spike carrying out the process, just like he'd done so many times before. There was a sense of familiarity in watching her assistant/little brother sending out letters for her just as he'd done for her for years.
And right now, a comforting sense of familiarity was very much needed.
"And that's done," she stated rhetorically as she turned back around to face her company. "Now all we can do is wait."
In the main room of the library with them were three other mares, those being Lyra, Vinyl, and Octavia. All of whom had come by not long ago to bring her up to speed with the latest developments.
"Typical Monday morning. Even by Ponyville standards," Spike mumbled.
Lyra could do little more than sigh softly and look down at the floor in response. Vinyl responded by reaching over and patting her back in a supportive manner with her left hoof.
"I do hope that he can help," Octavia commented as she spared a glance at her friends, before turning back to face Twilight. "But is he really the best one to be asking for help, love? I don't mean to be rude, but he doesn't strike me as being the bet suited for a problem like this. He seems more the type to kill a problem than discuss it."
Vinyl nodded in silent agreement as she placed her hoof back on the library floor.
"You're not wrong," Twilight admitted, her mind recalling various details about Ulquiorra's exploits that were better left unsaid at the moment. They already had enough on their hooves without getting into a discussion about Ulquiorra's true field of expertise. "But at the same time he might be the only one who actually can help us. His brain works at a speed that even I can barely keep pace with. He might be able to figure out something that we can't. Maybe he can formulate a plan and the rest of us can carry it out."
"I sure hope so," was all Lyra could muster in response.
Twilight frowned, wanting to offer her friend some comforting words to assure her that everything would be alright, one way or another.
But any words she could've offered up died in her throat as a familiar feeling crept its way over her.
"Huh. He made good time today. Ulquiorra's already in town," she stated.
"Really? Just like that? How can you tell?" Octavia asked.
"We've been around Ulquiorra so many times, Twilight can basically feel the mana drain he generates within a fifty yard radius," Spike explained.
Twilight nodded. "It's a unicorn thing," she explained.
Vinyl nodded in affirmation, much to Lyra and Ocatvia's confusion.
"Spike, could you get-"
"Already on it," Spike stated, already in the act of scurrying his way over to the front door and opening it.
As Twilight had said, Ulquiorra was already in town. Left unsaid was the fact he'd been right at the door by the time it was opened, before he'd even been able to knock.
"It's good to see you, Ulquiorra," Twilight stated and smiled weakly. "Come in."
"What's the current state of the situation?" Ulquiorra asked, skipping the pleasantries entirely as he stepped inside the library, only then even seeming to pay the others any attention as they turned to face him.
"By Espada standards, nothing to get excited about. By pony standards, definitely not good," Twilight stated. "I-"
"Actually, Twilight, I'd like to explain the situation if that's alright. I feel like I'm best qualified to right now," Octavia spoke up as she turned back to look at her as she spoke.
Certainly a curious development as far as Twilight was concerned. But at the moment she couldn't see any reason to object.
"Very well, Octavia, the floor is yours."
"Thank you, love," Octavia replied and turned back around to face Ulquiorra. "You see, it's like this. It all started last night when I..."
+++
"Hold still! Hold still, you little brat!" Octavia huffed in annoyance.
The only response on Vinyl's part was a frown as she continued to squirm in discomfort, all the while doing her best to successfully pull herself away from Octavia's brutish hold. But the earth pony was not to be easily swayed and held firm, not letting her quarry escape from her.
"You know as well as I, the doctors said you have to keep your throat bandages clean, especially between surgeries," she grunted, idly wishing she wasn't such a mare of class so she could be more free to express her frustrations as she fought against the smaller mare. "Honestly, you act like you don't want to get better and speak again."
Vinyl's response was a particularly sour scowl, followed by her horn glowing as it flashed and flickered.
"D-don't you take that tone with me, young lady!" Octavia objected, doing her best not to become flustered in recognizing just what was being communicated. "I swear, I don't even know how Mother and Father ever put up with you. Five children in our family, four with astounding musical talent, and the one unicorn to grace our family in over three generations turns out to be the biggest brat of the lot!"
Finally, after much difficulty, the task at hoof was done and Vinyl was released. Octavia smiled wearily as she admired the end result of her efforts, with the fresh bandages wrapped around the unicorn's throat, proving to be just as white as her coat was.
And with that done, Octavia could feel her frustration dissipating, along with the need to be combative.
"What am I ever going to do with you?" she asked tiredly.
Vinyl's response was a smug looking smirk, and a wiggling of the eyebrows.
"Well of course I'm going to love you, that goes without saying. That's just what family does, even in the worst of times!" she pointed out, before sighing in near-exhaustion. "But you're still an incorrigible brat. You know that, right? It's such a good thing you're not living with our big brother. Concerto would tan your hide while you're still wearing it and not even think twice about it."
Vinyl gave another sour scowl of disapproval, her muzzle wrinkling as she thrust her tongue out between her lips.
"Yes, he certainly is that," Octavia chuckled and nodded.
Before any further conversation or discussion could be had, they were interrupted by an urgent knocking coming from the front door.
"Were you expecting company tonight?" Octavia asked.
Vinyl shook her head, her tongue long since having retreated back into her mouth where it belonged at this point.
"Right then," Octavia replied before trotting over to the front door and opening it to figure out who it could be at this hour.
A currently crying Lyra, with puffy red eyes and her cheek fur stained with wet trails running down her face, was definitely the last pony she ever expected to encounter.
"Good gracious! Lyra, dear, whatever's the matter?"
"Octavia," Lyra sniffed, "Vi', could I stay with you girls tonight? Please?"
"O-of course, love," Octavia stammered as she quickly ushered their friend inside, before taking a quick look around outside and all but slamming the door behind them.
She then slid the lock's bolt into place, just in case something was far more wrong than the situation would otherwise suggest. While vinyl took it upon herself to usher their friend over to the couch so she could sit down.
"Now then," Octavia started as she approached, and sat down next to Lyra on her unoccupied side. "What seems to be the problem?"
"Bonbon," Lyra sniffed as she wiped her eyes with the back of her foreleg. "We had a fight. A really bad one."
Octavia wanted to frown much like Vinyl currently was in light of this news. But being the more cultured, more mature mare, it fell on her to be more restrained and portray a neutral energy. So she maintained that restrained mask, and opted to simply ease her foreleg across Lyra's back to provide her a sense of physical comfort and connection, and simply waited for their friend to speak at her own pace. No matter how much she wanted to pry for details.
At a time like this, she was -slightly- thankful that Vinyl couldn't speak up and potentially make things worse.
"We were just... talking about what we planned on doing tomorrow. Getting our schedules sorted out and stuff, you know?" Lyra sniffed. "I don't even know what I said at the time. Maybe something about Ulquiorra, I just don't know. All of the sudden she just snaps at me and starts yelling. She started saying such awful, horrible, hateful things. Things I never would've expected to hear from Bonbon.
"About him, about ponies who still treat him as a friend, about ponies who aren't even involved in this whole mess! She was just so angry. So angry at me..." Lyra whimpered.
Octavia and Vinyl leaned back just enough to share a look behind their friends' back, each concerned about this news, but uncertain of what to do right now.
"She just wouldn't quit yelling and saying horrible things. I've never seen her so angry before," Lyra continued as she repeatedly sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "It just hurt to stand there as she screamed. She just made me so angry that I just started yelling right back at her like a mare utterly possessed! I was shouting and screaming right back at her like I hated her; like I just wanted her to die! I-I just couldn't take it! I just left without looking back. I can't bear to even look at her right now..."
Another shared look of confusion and concern between the two, uncertain of just what could be done. Of just what should be done. But what they both knew for certain was that they couldn't just turn their friend away right now; not after all that.
"Alright," Octavia finally spoke up. "You know our couch is always open for a friend in need, Lyra. You stay here with us for tonight. And after breakfast tomorrow, we'll all go over to the library and explain the matter to Twilight. Hopefully she'll know what we can do to get this matter resolved."
+++
"... And that brings us to now," Octavia stated in conclusion.
Again, Vinyl nodded in affirmation, with Lyra joining in.
"Which in turn brings us to you," Twilight elaborated. "I know that something like this isn't your area of expertise, Ulquiorra. But all the same I was hoping you might be able to provide us with your own unique outlook on the matter before we proceed; maybe you might notice something that we haven't thought about, and can point it out before we make a mess by trying to intervene prematurely.
"Like I said, I know this isn't your area of expertise. But at the same time, it's not really mine either. The last time I tried to talk with Bonbon I sort of... burst into flames and terrorized her because of how mean she was being to Pinkie at the time. I'm probably the last pony she wants to have anything to do with right now..."
The other mares in the room looked in confusion at the statement, while this time it was Spike who nodded in confirmation.
"That may be an accurate assessment. But even if it is, you're likely on far better standing with Bonbon than I am," Ulquiorra pointed out, having listened closely to what had been said since his arrival, as he was brought up to speed with everything that'd been going on in their case. "Requesting assistance from an outside party is certainly a wise move. But my assistance may only serve to make the situation worse if I get involved.
"I am arguably the last individual Bonbon would want to see under any circumstances. Even just seeing me may cause her severe psychological trauma. She may be driven to react in a violent manner, much as Roseluck did. She may end up suffering a severe psychotic break and lose all touch with reality. There is a far greater potential for harm than help in this particular instance."
A look of shock, horror, and even regret settled across Twilight's face as the words struck and the explanation sank in. Much as was standard whenever Ulquiorra explained something in a way that highlighted just how idiotic they could be at times, and how much growing they had left to do.
Why? Why hadn't she been able to think of that possibility? She'd been there when Roseluck went ballistic and started throwing potted plants at him. So why hadn't she been able to foresee that potentially being a thing this time around? How had they been able to survive for so long without his help!?
"But at the same time, if merely hearing my name is enough to make Bonbon hostile towards those around her, including her friends, we may not have much choice but to undertake such a course of action, regardless of the risk posed by doing such," Ulquiorra continued.
"Seriously?" Spike asked skeptically. "You really wanna risk that, after explaining how things could go bad if you talked to Bonbon?"
"Whatever I may want has no bearing on the matter at hand. Bonbon's grief is making her hostile towards those around her, and if allowed to continue unabated, could yield significant complications down the road. Complications I can't even begin to postulate on, because this is a subject I'm not well versed in," Ulquiorra clarified. "If allowed to continue unabated, what's hostility now may advance to assault charges in the future, if not worse. This could prove to be the start of a cascade sequence of bad events."
The discomfort in the library in the wake of his announcement was practically palpable, even to him. But that was hardly surprising, considering just what the subject matter was about. Few tended to do well in light of hearing that one of their associates could end up doing something they believed was entirely out of character for them.
"Do you want us to come along and provide backup?" Twilight finally managed to ask. "We're all Bonbon's friends, we might notice something that you don't."
"It would perhaps be best if I proceeded alone on this matter. While intel is undeniably important, this situation may require split-second reaction time and on-the-spot improvisation due to a change in the course of how events proceed at any given moment. You won't be able to help either her or me if you're too busy being caught off guard and uncertain of how you're supposed to respond," he warned. "Bonbon already regards me as a monster, and correctly so. There's no sense for anyone else to be dragged into that evaluation as well."
"That doesn't sound comforting at all," Spike pointed out. "What exactly are you planning to do anyway?"
"I don't know," Ulquiorra admitted, it being the only thing he really could say right now. In truth he had absolutely no plan on just how to proceed, or what to do when he went to confront Bonbon. This was well outside his fields of experience. Even his experience with Rainbow Dash during the Nightmare Moon incident seemed insufficient for this problem.
Eventually, he replied with the only thing he really could think to say in response. "Shock and awe."
In the kitchen of their shared home, Bonbon firmly brought her hoof down onto the top of the ice pick currently held by her left, driving the tip through the bottom of a can of cranberry sauce.
The events of last night still played out in her mind, over and over on a brutal, interrupted loop, the words said making her wince and cringe internally. Sleep had not come easy for her throughout the night, and she was certain that was only fair after everything.
She had been utterly horrible to Lyra, in ways she could barely even comprehend right now; like her memory was choosing to only give her a cliff notes version of events that transpired. So many, many horrible things said without even the slightest hesitancy. It was like the windigo event all over again!
She had to apologize to Lyra, that much was certain. Exactly how to go about doing so, that much was less certain. All she could do was hope that making her friend's favorite meal would be enough to help get the ball rolling, and make the process a little easier.
Now she just needed to dig out the can opener to get that process underway.
But the search for such an implement in a drawer that was in desperate need of organization and cleaning out, was interrupted by a knocking at the back door of the kitchen.
"Now who could that be?" she asked herself in a purely rhetorical manner, before trotting over to the door and opening it to see who was on the other side.
As she did, time seemed to freeze in place, and she was positive she could feel her eyes growing wider in surprise.
"You-"
"Are here at the behest of your friends," Ulquiorra interrupted. "It was their idea that I get involved. Were it my decision, I would still be in Canterlot right now."
The exact words being said weren't really reaching Bonbon's ears right now, as the sound of her own heart pounding was effectively drowning out everything, filling her with a sense of sheer terror as she slowly backed up, fearful that if she turned to flee she'd be pounced upon in an instant.
The sense of terror was only magnified as he slowly strode through the doorway with all the casualness of owning the place, shattering the notion that the safety of her home offered her any actual protection against the likes of him...
Bumping into the kitchen's island quickly snapped her out of her trance and brought her back to her surroundings, where she laid eyes on the ice pick still laying on the countertop. As quick as she could she snatched it up in her left hoof and lunged at him, rearing up on her hind legs and driving the sharpened tip into the right side of his skull just ahead of his ear with all of her might.
And then her horror returned as she realized, even with all of the force she'd put into it, she hadn't even managed to pierce his skin with her attack. He just... stood there, staring at her with those horrible eyes, as she stood stock still, staring slack jawed in fright and shock.
It was only after the fact that he showed any signs of life, as his eyes slowly drifted to the right to regard or even acknowledge having been assaulted. That just made everything worse to experience.
He reached out towards her, taking her right hoof in his left hand to hold her up, while cupping his right hand around her left hoof, and proceeded to push the ice pick against his own skull, driving the entire shaft in all the way to the hilt.
Or at least it looked like that, until she realized what really happened was the ice pick's shaft had been driven all the way through the wooden grip, splitting it apart along the grain, with the tip being forcibly curved over from the amount of strain it'd endured, rendering it little more than a primitive crocheting hook at this point.
And then those horrifying eyes slowly moved back to her, as if to emphasize the point of just how much of a monster he truly was.
"Your hatred for me is reasonable, justified, even warranted," he stated as he released his hold on her, allowing the broken pieces of ice pick to fall to the floor.
She followed, too stunned by the entire demonstration to maintain her balance, and fell backwards, landing right on her butt with a hard thud against the kitchen floor.
"You don't have to stop hating me. Truly it makes no difference to me one way or another. I was brought to this world to save these ponies, not to be loved by them," Ulquiorra continued. "But when others start being subjected to that same hatred, and met with unjustified, unprovoked aggression simply because my name is mentioned, that's when it becomes a problem, and does make a difference. I deserve to be hated by you, but the others don't. Is that clear?
"Since you obviously can't do this on your own, this is what's going to happen. You and I are going to take a quiet walk together, to an equally quiet and secluded spot. Away from the prying eyes and curious ears of trespassing interlopers who have no business being present for what is going to transpire. And once there, you are going to do whatever it takes to get this aggression out of your system, until you're no longer driven to hostility whenever you hear someone mentioning my name. I don't care what form that course of action may take, so long as it gets done and you no longer pose a threat to those around you."
The entire scene had been so surreal for Bonbon to witness, leaving her uncertain if she could even trust her own senses, which currently both felt foggy and incredibly focused if such a thing were even possible.
"How... h-how do I know this isn't just some cheap ploy so you can get me somewhere and kill me without getting caught?" she asked as she stared up at him.
"As if I would concern myself with such pedestrian trivialities," Ulquiorra replied dismissively as he looked back down at her. "If I wanted you dead, you'd never even know I was there. You wouldn't even know you were dead until you were looking down at your own motionless body laying on the floor, and no one would ever know what happened."
The explanation was utterly terrifying to hear. But at the same time, Bonbon couldn't help but appreciate and perhaps even respect the blunt honesty of the answer. No deception, no effort at trying to make her believe he wasn't a threat, just straight to the point and admitting the horrifying truth of it all.
And then he crouched over her, and picked her up to help her back onto her hooves again.
"We'll need to stop by Barnyard Bargains on the way to where we're going. There are a few things we'll need to pick up for this," he stated.
Spike glanced up at the clock on the wall of the library's kitchen, before looking back down at the small jar he currently clutched in his claws.
It was nice -if a bit unusual- to have the library filled with ponies other than their core group of five friends, because if gave Twilight a chance to socialize with others and potentially establish other friendships.
But the circumstances that brought them here were far from ideal. And Lyra's anxiousness really wasn't doing any of them any favors, as she alternated between fidgeting as she sat, and paced restlessly about the main room. She was an absolute bundle of nerves, and there was only so much any of them could do to help her out. And he knew it was only a matter of time before that helplessness and inability to do anything began getting expressed as annoyance.
That was what brought him to where he was right now, contemplating the idea of brewing up a cup of Zecora's special tea for Lyra to soothe those nerves. Something to leave her feeling a bit sleepy, and more inclined to just sit and snooze for a little bit.
Just contemplating the idea of potentially drugging Lyra felt wrong, even if the dosage would be small. Just a little bit to take the edge off, just enough to make her feel a little bit relaxed and could easily be written off as the adrenaline wearing off.
It would help them in the short term, but it might not do the same for her. And he really didn't want to go down the route of turning to such solutions anytime a problem arose and tensions were running high.
Plus it was far too early in the day to be making Lyra tired, even if it could be framed as being for her own good. With Twilight it was one thing, but Lyra wasn't Twilight.
Slowly, even a bit reluctantly, he pushed the jar back into its usual storage place under the cupboard. For the time being they'd just have to put up with her anxiousness and the clacking of her hooves against the wooden floors as she paced.
For the time being, all they could do was wait it out, do their best to not go and get themselves involved directly, and trust that Ulquiorra could handle this situation without making everything worse.
Whitetail Woods.
Out of all the locations that were within walking distance of Ponyville, it had ultimately been selected as the most suitable for their intended purposes. It was reasonably secluded without being difficult to reach, reasonably close to Ponyville without being a main stop for many, didn't require an excessive amount of travel to be reached, and was for all intents and purposes deserted at this time of day as adults worked and foals attended school.
Out of all the locations that were within walking distance of Ponyville, it was the one that best suited the needs that were presently had, offering seclusion and privacy.
Peace and quiet would've also been offered, if not for the fact it was currently being disturbed by a steady sound of commotion as Bonbon went to town on Ulquiorra with a sledgehammer, wailing away at him with all she had.
The journey to Whitetail Woods had been a particularly tense one to be had. Tense enough that even Ulquiorra had been able to feel it as he and Bonbon walked towards their destination. He had been able to feel it throughout the entire course of their journey, as her reiatsu flared violently and often erratically. That just further confirmed and convinced him that this course of action was ultimately necessary. Readings like this simply couldn't be allowed to go unaddressed.
And for better or worse -likely worse- he was the one left with the unenviable task of addressing them by himself. And so he did just that as best he could, in a manner he believed could do the most good; standing idly in place as Bonbon vented in a fully uninhibited manner.
The opening salvo upon their arrival at Whitetail Woods had been verbal, with Bonbon shouting and screaming at him without a hint of concern for what somepony might hear from listening in where their attention didn't belong. She had gone all out, airing every manner of grievance with him that she could coherently think of, her speech slowly becoming peppered with equestrian obscenities the longer she went on, before slowly morphing and including various human profanities being mixed in as well.
She howled, she screamed, she cursed, she blamed him for so much suffering and so much evil their world had been subjected to, until finally she'd run out of intelligent words and had been reduced to little more than furious gibberish as she tried to express the sheer amount of rage that simply refused to be properly exorcised.
That had inevitably led them into the next phase as she started pounding away at him with her front hooves, before learning how bad of an idea it was to do just that. Which was in itself why they'd stopped at Barnyard Bargains on the way. Ulquiorra had known this development was likely to occur based on prior experiences with others, so he'd taken it into consideration and purchased some... stress relievers... for Bonbon to make use of.
The crowbar covered in bright red enamel had been the first to be used, first as she tried to stab him with the straightest end of the contraption, before considering the whole endeavor useless and flipping it around to savagely beat him with the curved end.
It had fared poorly, and had started to bend after a short amount of use against his unyielding exterior.
The five pound pick axe had been next, swung with ferocity in hopes of doing something to him. And for a while it looked like a superior choice, as the wooden handle did a far better job of absorbing the shock and reverberations of each impact than the solid steel construction of the crowbar. But in the end it hadn't fared much better than its predecessor, and after a while it was apparent it was going to get nowhere, as the points had been worn down, bent, or otherwise broken from the repeated impacts against a hard surface. The resulting crack along the hickory grain didn't bode particularly well either.
Finally it was down to the eight pound sledgehammer mounted on a fiberglass handle for maximum shock absorption and durability, in the hopes of yielding different results as she went with pure blunt force trauma against him.
The entire exercise had been going on for approximately two hours now, and was showing no immediate signs of coming to an end anytime soon.
Even Ulquiorra had to acknowledge, that for a pony whose special talent supposedly revolved around making candies, she had remarkable physical stamina and endurance to be able to go for so long. Her form and follow through were also quite good, with her neither overextending or overexerting herself on her swings. She appeared to have a marathon mentality in mind, keenly aware that she had an indeterminate amount of work ahead of her, and a finite amount of strength to utilize to get it done. She wasn't foolishly laying into him excessively in the amateurish belief that it would make shorter work of what laid in front of her, and would just burn her out at an accelerated rate.
It wasn't something that someone could be expected to just know intuitively, but usually had to be learned from experience by doing just that and learning the hard way how it was a bad idea to go all out at too early of a point, burning themselves out too quickly, and still having a mountain of work left to do without the strength necessary to see it through.
That, along with her ability to apparently combine physical labor with intermittent swearing that would possibly impress the likes of Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Princess Luna, was enough to leave him idly wondering if her family either owned or otherwise worked at a construction company. It would certainly explain a few things if that were the case.
The pattern of strikes and blows finally began to change, however, as Bonbon started to display signs of fatigue and exhaustion slowly but surely setting in. Her form was starting to become less maintained, her stride and pace were slowing down, her breathing was becoming heavier, and the hammer blows against him were becoming more and more infrequent.
Finally, after two long hours, Bonbon no longer looked like she had the strength or the stamina to go any further despite her pacing efforts, as she managed to land one last blow before the hammer dropped to the ground with a thud, and serving as little more than something for her to lean against to remain upright as she tried to catch her breath again.
All the while Ulquiorra continued to remain unharmed, unfazed, and unmoved throughout the entire process.
"It's not working," Bonbon panted. "I'm exhausted and sweaty, but I still hate your guts just as much as I did before. Maybe even more now than I did before."
"Rest up and try again," Ulquiorra advised.
"You just don't get it, do you?" Bonbon grunted dismissively and allowed the sledgehammer to drop to the ground as she set back down on her hooves again. "I get that you're trying to do the right thing, but there's just no right thing to actually be done here. You killed my sister, you bastard, and that's just not going to go away, just because you let me beat you with a hammer until I'm sore and can't stand up. Especially not when I couldn't even put a hole through your shoe with the pick axe.
"And you have the gall to just stand there and look bored about it all! You took my family away from me, you son of a bitch! I promised our parents that I'd take care of Twist and look after her. She was my main concern for years. And now because of you I can't keep that promise to them. I'm going to have to live with that failure for the rest of my life, and nothing is ever going to make up for that!"
"And I will be carrying that failure for far longer than you will ever be alive," Ulquiorra countered pointedly. "Princess Celestia entrusted me with the safety of you ponies. All of you ponies, your sister included. Every violent death that occurs, every life lost to villainous incursions, is another failure on my part. Them being statistically acceptable losses in the grand scope of things, doesn't change the fact that I failed to keep them safe from avoidable and preventable harm."
Bonbon was at a loss for words, uncertain if Ulquiorra's response made her feel better or worse about her own situation. Was she supposed to hate him more, or hate him less from this? Was he... was he actually comparing what she was going through now to his job?
"Look," she sighed, "I can appreciate that you tried to make things better. But this isn't going to cut it. I don't think anything ever will. So... thank you for giving me the opportunity to vent my frustrations like you did. Now let's just go back to town, we can continue to avoid each other, and I'll try not to take out my anger on others just because they say your name around me. Problem solved, and all is right with the world..." she grumbled as she turned around to take her leave, wanting nothing to do but put this whole ugly episode behind her.
"Before she left, Twist gave me a message to give to you."
The statement nearly caused Bonbon to faceplant on the ground in surprise.
More. She definitely hated him more right now. Immediately she whirled back around to face him and scowl.
"You expect me to believe, that after you rammed a spear right through my little sister's heart, she still managed to give you some parting words before dying? What kind of idiot to you take me for!?"
"Whether you choose to believe it or not, it doesn't change the fact of the matter," Ulquiorra replied.
"I don't care! Just leave me alone already! I don't want anything you have to offer!" Bonbon snapped back.
"Then that's your problem," Ulquiorra stated.
There hadn't even been time to scream in shock before what happened next.
* * *
Bonbon tried to blink. Tried to process what was going on. Tried to process what had gone on. There hadn't even been time for her to scream before it all happened. Now she was flat on her back, looking up through a surrounding of plants and...
No. She wasn't actually on her back right now. Right now she was standing up, and the plants she was surrounded by and looking through weren't individual plants. They were tree branches. She was inside the canopy of a tree, standing near the trunk atop one of the branches as she looked out through the canopy. But what was she looking at, exactly?
Headstones. Grave markers. This was a cemetery. More specifically this was Restful Hills Cemetery just outside of Ponyville. But why was she here?
A service of some sort was currently underway. And as she watched, she would've sworn her heart seized in her chest as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. This was the service that'd been held for the victims of Nightmare Moon. She was seeing everypony who'd been in attendance, herself included! She was starting right at herself from behind with Lyra standing right next to her!
But it went so far beyond simply seeing herself and everypony else. She was hearing them as if she was standing right next to everypony. Every droning word that was said, every anguished cry, every muffled sob and everything else was ringing in her ears as clear as day. She could feel each and every one of them in attendance, she could read how much they were hurting from their loss. She could honestly feel just how palpable her own sorrow was right now.
It was only when she could catch a glimpse out of her peripheral vision to her right, did she see a white hand resting against the tree's trunk, and realize the horrible truth of it all. The Espada had been in attendance right along with them. He'd actually been standing behind them the entire time, and they'd never even known it! She was seeing what he'd seen; she was looking through HIS eyes, and lacked the ability to look away!
It was so indescribably weird to watch the service playing out just like it had, to be watching herself grieving and gripping to Lyra for support and strength when she was ready to go to pieces. It was even weirder to feel herself in such a condition and recognize just how bad off she was at the time. It felt... really invasive to realize such things. Had she been broadcasting herself that openly to everypony this whole time, or was he just really that perceptive?
Watching the service as it played out, from an outside perspective, was such a strange thing to be witnessing. Being there for it all, and then seeing how it differed from her own experience, was surreal and disorienting.
Eventually the service concluded as the sun began to set for the horizon and those in attendance began to depart, either for home or elsewhere, but there were still others who remained present. She didn't really recognize them at this distance, although she could feel some sense of familiarity with them. She didn't know how exactly, but it could still be felt.
Only once she saw herself depart did she find herself leaving the tree canopy as Ulquiorra jumped from his hiding spot and landing on the ground. From there it was a short walk as he approached the most recent graves, and stopped in front of one in particular. She instantly recognized it as being Twist's grave, and she was powerless to do anything but watch as he placed his right hand atop its marker.
Was the grain of the stone really that smooth? Why was she feeling its texture beneath his fingers right now?
"Nope, sorry, I've got nothing new to report. But thanks for asking anyway."
Bonbon froze at the memory playing in her mind without warning. She remembered the day that conversation had been had. Ulquiorra had showed up at their house, checking up on Lyra after her sprain at the party, and asking if they had anything out of the ordinary to report that might help him.
"I don't know what I'm doing wrong here. Taste this. Do you think this need more oregano?"
She remembered asking him that question. Something just hadn't seemed right about the dish she'd been making that night, and she'd needed a second opinion that wasn't Lyra. Ulquiorra just happened to be there at the time.
He agreed with her. More oregano had definitely been needed.
"Would you care to stay for dinner? We made plenty."
That was Lyra for you. Ever the friendly and open one to others. And much to their surprise he'd -if reluctantly- accepted the invitation to stay. Along with eating his fair share of what'd been cooked.
"When in my life am I ever gonna need to now how to diagram a thenteth?"
She winced as the memory of Twist's question came up. And it was a fair question to be sure. The importance of diagramming a sentence was something she herself had grappled with at that age, and even today she still couldn't see the importance of it.
And what had Ulquiorra said in response? That if she could figure it out, she could sell her knowledge and skills to other foals who needed help with their homework and make some extra money, simply by having knowledge they didn't possess.
He then went one step further and suggested that if she could become really proficient at diagramming a sentence, she could actually do that portion of their homework for them, and charge them whatever price she wanted since she'd technically have them over a barrel. Oh how she'd absolutely FREAKED at the thought he was telling her sister to help other foals cheat on their assignments.
The resulting wicked smirk and the attempt at an evil laugh coming from Twist at the idea of doing just that hadn't helped. Nor had Lyra laughing her flanks off either.
He had -eventually- stated that he wasn't endorsing such a course of action, and that he was only providing a hypothetical answer to a valid question.
"Thith math ith thupid!"
Math, a common complaint on Twist's part. Ulquiorra confessing that math wasn't his strong suit either had been a surprise in itself.
"Could you help me with my homework, Mithter Thither? Please?"
She wanted to choke up at that particular memory smacking her in the back of the head. She remembered doing her best to politely remind her sister that it was rude to be asking guests to help with such things, as well as improper since she was meant to be doing such work herself. But despite that he'd agreed to at least take a look at what she was doing, to see if he could spot what she was having trouble with, and potentially point out to her so she could more easily understand the explanation.
He'd been very calm, very patient, and utterly monotone in his explanation of things, to the point he could practically put a pony to sleep just by talking.
So many memories. So many, many memories rushing to the forefront of her mind in an utterly unrelenting fashion that just wouldn't stop, despite a dedicate effort to shut them out. Was he remembering all of this?
"For whatever it may be worth to you now, I am sorry, Twist," he stated.
As he said that, a small cream-colored hoof rested atop his hand.
"It's okay, Mr. Cifer. I know you didn't have any choice."
Bonbon felt like her heart suddenly seized up in her chest as she heard that voice. That was Twist's voice! And now it wasn't just a memory of her voice either, she was actually hearing it!
Immediately her attention was pulled to the left and confirmed it; Twist was right there with her. Er, with him. Either way Twist was right there. Minus her glasses and not speaking with her lisp, but she was still right there!
But... how? She'd been there to claim her sister's body, she saw for herself that she was dead. So how was she here speaking now? How could she feel the contact of her hoof? Why was she floating like a unicorn levitating themselves!?
"The fact there was no other choice that could be made in the matter, doesn't actually make the decision any easier," Ulquiorra explained as he slowly withdrew his hand to slide back into his pocket. "I could've ripped Nightmare Moon from your body and devoured her soul. But not knowing how the mechanics of this world work, that might have served to give her the opportunity to take control of my body."
Twist shuddered in response at that evaluation, understanding just how bad such a hypothetical turn of events could've been.
"In the end, the only decision I had available was to be quick, and try to make your pain and suffering as brief as possible," he continued. "Were Nightmare Moon not as durable as she proved to be, that might've actually been possible."
Bonbon tried to make sense of what she was feeling right now. There was a sudden wave of... what was that right now? Was that regret from his perspective? It was so weird.
"Actually, Mr. Cifer, you didn't really hurt me," Twist stated. "It was really weird. I was hearing and seeing everything that happened, but I didn't really feel anything that happened. I mean, I knew what was happening, and I knew that it should've hurt, but it didn't really. It was just kinda... there... you know?"
"In truth I don't. But your evaluation does line up with Princess Luna's assessment of when she played host to Nightmare Moon. The both of you reported being aware of what was heard and seen, but no mention of what was felt or otherwise experienced at the time. Princess Luna stated she was helpless to do anything to stop Nightmare Moon from using her as a puppet. Perhaps whatever mind controls the body like a puppet is subjected to the more physical senses of what's experienced," Ulquiorra theorized.
"Yeah..." Twist replied slowly, not entirely certain of what to say in response. "Anyway, you don't have to feel bad because you didn't hurt me. I didn't really feel anything up until the very end, and all I felt then was warm like stepping into the warm sunlight of a brand new day."
Immediately a new series of thoughts became apparent to Bonbon; thoughts that weren't her own, and were triggered by Twist's evaluation of her own experiences. They had to be his at the time, based on how in-depth they were. Thoughts about what had happened at the time that could potentially explain and rationalize things.
The spear he used at the time hadn't been normal; not the Luz de la Luna, the Light of the Moon. It had bore a similar physical structure, but its makeup was different, infused with properties that weren't entirely his own. Infused with something that felt foreign and yet familiar all at the same time. It was... it was almost like the spear had been directly crafted right from the harmonious energies that Twilight and all the others had infused into him during the battle.
Luz de la Luna hadn't seemed an appropriate name for what he'd been holding in his hand at the time. It had practically named itself Luz de Amistad as if it somehow knew what it was, even if he didn't share the same understanding.
Maybe that's why it hadn't caused Twist any pain in the end. Harmony wouldn't hurt anypony that was innocent... would it? But why had she died then? Was it because it wasn't pure Harmony energy that had been used? Was it because he'd been the one using it and not them? She didn't know. And apparently he didn't know either.
"Yeah... This is touching and all, but what about us?" another voice called out.
Bonbon suddenly remembered that Ulquiorra hadn't been alone at the time, and there were still other ponies present at the cemetery. Turning to the left to regard them, she felt an uneasy sensation creeping up her spine. There were thirty eight others present, all of them foals, and all floating just like Twist was. Some of them she immediately recognized and could recall their names. Some she recognized by sight but didn't know them by name. And others she didn't recognize at all and didn't have a clue who they were supposed to be.
"Yeah, what about us, Mr.?" Archer piped up. "What happens with us now?"
A chorus of others joined in, voicing their confusion and seeking answers.
"I don't have answers to those questions," Ulquiorra admitted. "If this were my dimension I could tell you what would happen next. But the mechanics of this world and how they work are as much a mystery to me as they are to you."
A chorus of moans and whines of disappointment sounded. Not that she could really blame them for feeling that way.
"You. Shinigami pony."
All attention from everypony present was suddenly directed back to the right, as Bonbon realized there was yet somepony else with them that she hadn't noticed before.
Unlike the others this pony was an adult. Or at least she looked like more of an adult than they did. An earth pony mare with a cream-colored coat like her own, with strawberry pink eyes, a light blue mane and tail done up in a loose ponytail, wearing what looked like a pink Neighponese yukata, and clutching what looked like a wooden boat oar with her right hoof.
She'd never seen this mare before, but there was something so strange about her. Some otherworldly sense of beauty to her as she just hovered there, looking utterly bewildered.
"Eh?" she asked in surprise as she blinked twice in confusion. "Are you addressing me? Can you actually see me?" she asked in a voice with what sounded like a Trottingham accent.
"I am, and I can. Just as I saw you at the hospital when you were escorting Cupid and her parents in the aftermath of her passing. It doesn't take a genius to deduce what you are, and what your purpose here ultimately is," Ulquiorra stated. "You're here to ferry these souls to the afterlife, correct?"
The pony could do little more than nod dumbly in response, obviously well outside of her comfort zone at the fact she was being seen and addressed.
"T-that's quite correct, Sir. It's my purpose to ensure the dearly departed are escorted to where they belong."
"What will become of them once they leave here?" Ulquiorra asked.
"As much as I wish that I could, I'm afraid I can't answer that question," the pony admittedly sadly. "My role is to escort the departed to the afterlife, but what happens after that, I sadly don't know. I'm not privy to what happens after I do my part. I'm but a simple ferrymare, what you're asking is way above my pay grade. As long as there's life I'm barred from entering the afterlife myself. Only when all life is gone will I actually be allowed to cross over myself, and know what awaits on the other side."
Bonbon didn't need to be experiencing things from Ulquiorra's perspective to know that he didn't like the answer the ferrymare had to give. Was she feeling... hostility from him right now? Was he standing protectively between her and the foals to prevent her from gaining access to them? Was he actually intending to fight her to prevent her from taking them with her?
"As I explained, I have no idea how the mechanics of this world work pertaining to matters of life and death. I have little choice in the matter but to take you at your word and trust you," Ulquiorra eventually acknowledged.
The ferrymare, in turn, visibly relaxed at this statement.
"But know this," Ulquiorra continued as he slowly approached her, until he was standing barely an arm's length away from her; literally close enough that he could reach right out and grab her if he chose to. "If I find that my trust was violated, our next meeting won't be nearly as pleasant. Is that clear?"
Bonbon was left feeling utterly dumbfounded, even flabbergasted. He hadn't actually just done that, had he? There was just no way, it had to be a mistake.
"No way," one of the foals behind them whispered. "He just straight up threatened Death right to her face."
"And Death blinked first," another of them practically wheezed out.
The assessment, unbelievable as it was to hear, certainly appeared accurate. The ferrymare nodded vigorously as she hovered backwards to put some distance between them, gripping her oar protectively in front of her like it was a shield as she whimpered, apparently taking his warning seriously as if she genuinely believed he could make good on it.
"Very well then," Ulquiorra replied, before turning and walking away from her.
He looked to the foals, who looked back at him, then at one another. They nodded to one another, and then to him, before moving forward and past him, seeming to understand they were supposed to go with the ferrymare from here.
"Bye Mr. Cifer," Twist spoke up as she lingered, hesitating to join up with the rest of them. "Tell Bonbon goodbye for me, alright?"
Bonbon winced, really wanting to cry at the moment, knowing that this was the last time she was ever going to see her little sister, and desperately wishing she could reach out and hug her one last time.
"Wait."
She hadn't expected Ulquiorra to speak up, or to turn back around, but he had.
"Shinigami pony. A moment of your time."
The ferrymare and the foals looked back at him, as confused as she was right now.
"Yes?"
"There is still business to tend to, before you and the foals depart," he stated as he stepped forward again. "There is a way for Twist to tell her sister goodbye herself."
"That's... interesting? But what exactly makes her so special?" the ferrymare asked in confusion.
"The fact that I killed her directly, whereas the others were killed by Nightmare Moon," he stated simply. "I'm directly responsible for Bonbon's pain and suffering, because there was no other way to keep the others safe. Because of factors beyond my control, that fact is weighing heavily on me and I can't make it go away, no matter how illogical it may be. This is something that I owe the both of them. Twist will be able to tell Bonbon goodbye in her own words, and Bonbon will be able to receive it as it was intended to be."
The ferrymare suddenly found herself to be the center of attention as all eyes were on her, leaving her hovering there uncomfortably as she chewed at her bottom lip in thought, as she tried to weigh the pros and cons of the decision she was now faced with making.
"Alright," she eventually agreed and nodded. "But please try not to take too long. A lot of these foals have been dead for a very long time. It's not right OR good for them to linger in the living world as long as they have."
Something about her words felt strange from Bonbon's perspective. Or rather the response they drew. Was it a sense of irony coming from Ulquiorra that she was picking up? Was this a subject he had direct experience with?
"That is something I understand quite well," he replied simply.
Whatever the source of the sensation was, Bonbon didn't have time to linger on it as Twist was making her way back over to his position again.
"So I can tell Bonbon goodbye on my own?" she asked as she looked up at him.
"In a sense. I possess certain unique abilities that ponies don't. Address me as if you were addressing Bonbon directly, and she will see, hear, and feel everything as if she were experiencing it herself. Everything will be experienced from my perspective, with my memories and observations becoming available to her," he explained.
"That is so cool!" Twist stated with a huge grin on her face. But all too suddenly the grin faded away. "But, what should I even say? If this is going to be the last thing I ever say to Bonbon, what should it be?"
"Anything you want it to be. Sappy, silly, meaningful, uplifting, the decision is entirely yours to make," Ulquiorra stated.
Twist nodded uneasily, visibly trying to compose her thoughts.
"Alright. Ugh, this is gonna be awkward, pretending you're my sister," she admitted as she glanced away, trying to muster the courage she needed to proceed.
Eventually she looked back forward and let out a huff as she straightened back up.
"Here we go, I guess... Hi, Bonbon, it's me. I guess you know by now that I'm gone and not coming back. I'm really sorry. I wish that I could come back, though. I'm gonna miss you and Lyra a lot.
"There's just so many things that I wish I could tell you right now. So many things that I wish I could've asked you when I had the opportunity; like how to let a crush know that I like them without sounding like a dork in the process," she giggled. But all too quickly the mirth in her voice died as she once again became serious. "I know you're sad, but please don't be sad for too long, alright? Please? I don't wanna leave you crying. Remember all the fun we used to have, not the bad stuff. Smile and laugh again for me, alright? Please? Please don't cry just because I'm not there with you right now.
"And the stuff that's under my mattress? Please don't get too upset about it when you find it?" she all but pleaded while in the middle of blushing heavily and fidgeting uneasily in place.
"There are so many things I'll never get to say to you, things I'll never get to ask you, even with Mr. Cifer helping me. That makes me sad to think about. But I don't wanna be sad, because I know it'll make you sad and I don't wanna do that. This is already going to make you sad and I hate that. But if I left without saying anything when I had the chance, that'd just make me feel worse, like I was ignoring you. I'd hate that a whole lot worse.
"I wish I knew just what to say that'd make it all better, but I don't. I'm really sorry about that, Sis. Just... know that you did alright, and I never hated you, even when we did bicker and fight."
Bonbon desperately wished she could reach out and hold Twist in her forelegs, to assure her that everything was alright, that she didn't have to feel bad about not being able to tell her anything, but she just couldn't seem to do it. As much as she willed her forelegs to move, they refused to comply.
But it was unnecessary, as Twist turned out to be the one to initiate contact as she hovered closer, and she felt her sister's forelegs wrap around her in a hug.
And then she felt her own forelegs close around Twist in a firm, unyielding hug as she was held close. And for a brief moment, she completely forgot that her sister was dead as she felt the coarseness of her coat brushing against her. She could even still smell the faint scent of peppermint sticks clinging to her mane.
The bastard Espada. He had actually gone the extra mile and hugged her own sister, just so she could feel that embrace for herself one last time.
"I love you, Bonbon."
The words hurt to hear, knowing this was going to be the last time she'd ever hear them being said by her sister. Desperately she wished she could hold her sister tighter and say that she loved her too.
"I love you, Bonbon," Twist repeated.
"I love you, Twist," she wished she could say in return, but no words actually came out.
The feel of lips against her cheek was a surprise, but not an unwelcome one under the circumstances.
Far too soon for her own liking, the hug ended as Twist eventually let her go. And as desperately as she tried to hold on just a little while longer, she was powerless to stop Ulquiorra from relinquishing his own embrace on her, allowing her to hover away from him.
"I guess I have to go now," Twist sighed reluctantly. "You'll make sure Bonbon gets the message?" she asked.
"I will," he replied.
"Good," Twist replied and smiled weakly. "Thanks for everything."
With that, Twist slowly made her way back over to where the others were currently -and patiently- waiting on her.
"I'm ready now," she stated.
"I'm glad. It's much easier for the dead to pass on without regrets weighing them down," the ferrymare stated as she gave a comforting smile.
"Hey you!"
The sudden yell made some of those in attendance jump, as one of the foals present spoke up. One of the foals that Bonbon didn't recognize at all. A young pegasus filly about Twist's age, with a powder blue coat topped with a poofy, curly white mane and tail with blue streaks, and what had to be the bluest eyes she'd ever seen.
"The next time you see Princess Luna, can you let her know that I don't blame her? That none of us do? We know she wasn't responsible for what happened."
The whole thing had been a strange, unexpected development. That much went without saying.
"I can do that," he replied.
"Alright, children," the ferrymare spoke again, her voice a bit firmer this time as she did. "If you'll all be so kind as to follow me."
Without further fuss, the foals complied and took their place next to her as she began to slowly ascend, with them following behind her on their final journey. Some of them turned to wave their goodbyes as they traveled along towards the horizon.
All the while he watched their departure, unblinking as they moved further and further away into the sunset, until they could no longer be seen or detected.
Now they truly were gone. And he was truly alone.
* * *
The brief sensation of vertigo passed as quickly as it had come, leaving Bonbon to experience a brief period of disorientation as she blinked, trying to process exactly what had just happened. It'd been just a few seconds, but it'd felt like hours had passed.
Glancing to Ulquiorra for answers at that moment had been a bad idea, as she failed to turn away in time to avoid seeing as something like a black orb sitting in his right eye socket transformed into a replacement eye. It'd confirmed he'd actually done what she'd seen him do, but wow was it unsettling to watch!
All of this time. All of this time, ever since the funeral, he'd been carrying around a message from Twist for her. One last chance to hear her sister's voice, one last opportunity to share a hug with her. He'd even gone out of his way to orchestrate everything just for her so she could have that. He'd done things entirely out of his character, just so he could make her feel like she was there instead of it being him.
And what had she done? She'd kept him at bay because of how furious she'd been. All these months of anguish and sorrow, both for herself and those around her had been her own fault! He could've helped her a long time ago if she'd only just let him! But no, she just had to go and lash out angrily at him and anypony who even so much as mentioned his name because the pain was too great for her to accept.
All this time, he'd been waiting patiently to keep his promise to Twist. And she'd been nothing but absolutely horrible to him. The things she said to him, the things she did to him, as she tried to make him comprehend even a fraction of the pain she'd been going through. Only to find out that he was already fully aware of what that suffering was like.
It was all too much for her to bear. The sorrow of her loss, the memories of what she'd witnessed and experienced from his perspective, and the utter guilt she felt from her own actions all hit her like a ton of bricks all at once, reducing her to a pitiful bawling state that she was helpless to stop.
She felt herself being pulled into a hug, but by who or what exactly, she didn't have a clue in her current state. Nor did she particularly care right now as she latched on for dear life and held tight as her body quaked as she cried, blubbering incoherently as she tried to form the words of an apology that she would have to give to so many, for all that she had done to cause them pain and suffering in turn.
Princess Twilight bolted upright with a surprised snort as she jolted awake and frantically looked around, trying to figure out where she was and what was going on.
She was in the royal gardens of Canterlot Palace, currently sitting under the canopy of a large oak tree.
Now she remembered. Ulquiorra had told her to wait here while he tended to business so they could go to Ponyville together, and see what they could do to help Bonbon.
She'd already informed Celestia about what was going on. Or at least to the best of her abilities, based on what limited information she had to go on. Next had been Tempest in the infirmary, letting her know that she was going to be out of the palace for a bit because she had something to tend to.
After that it was just a matter of waiting for Ulquiorra to finish up whatever business he had going on. She didn't know exactly what that business was, nor where exactly it was in the palace, so staying put like he'd suggested had seemed like the best decision to make.
But the longer she waited, the longer she went without seeing any sign of him, the harder it was to just sit and wait. More than once she'd glance at the sun to try and determine just how long she'd been waiting. Or contemplate getting up and going to look for him, to see if she could offer her assistance so he could finish up quicker.
But if she did that, then she'd risk being away when he came looking to meet up with her. Then he'd either have to come looking for her in turn, or wait for her to return to the gardens. That would just waste time in the name of trying to save time.
In the end, all she could do was sit tight and wait for him to finish up whatever pressing matters had to be tended to. So she sat patiently in the comfort of the shade of the tree and just waited as he'd instructed, trusting that he'd be along at any minute.
She must've fallen asleep at some point while she waited, but she certainly didn't remember it happening.
Had she missed him? Had he found her asleep and proceeded without her? Was he still not done with his business yet?
"Ulquiorra," she sighed as she sat up to stretch her legs. "Where are you?"
The longer they waited, the longer Bonbon had to go without the help she obviously needed. That fact hurt. Her just sitting here and doing nothing when she could be doing something hurt. Not only that it also made her mad. She was supposed to be the Princess of Friendship, but she wasn't doing her title justice if she was just sitting around and waiting on others.
"That does it," she grumbled as she pushed herself up onto her hooves and stretched her back. "Forget it. I'm not waiting around here anymore. I'm going to go tend to Bonbon myself. Time is of the essence here. If Ulquiorra doesn't like it then he can just come and find me."
Her plans had been made and finalized. But her execution was abruptly halted as the booming, staticy echo of Ulquiorra's sonido sounded next to her, breaking her concentration and stopping her plans of teleporting to Ponyville.
She may or may not have screamed in an in-eloquent fashion at getting caught off guard.
"Don't do that!" she shouted as her heart raced. But she had enough sense to be embarrassed by her outburst and cleared her throat as she tried to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. You caught me off guard. I was starting to think you couldn't get away. But you're here now, so obviously that's not the case. Anyway I'm ready to leave now, what about you?"
"I am," Ulquiorra replied, seemingly unfazed by her outburst.
Twilight nodded. But just before she could tell him to place his hand on her back so she could teleport them both to Ponyville, he turned around and proceeded to walk off.
"What?" she asked, utter confused. "Um, where exactly are you going?"
"The library seems like as good a place to be right now as anywhere," Ulquiorra replied, not even pausing in stride as he spoke, and without even turning around to face her.
"But... what about Bonbon? Aren't we supposed to be going to Ponyville to help her?" Twilight asked in bewilderment.
"The matter relating to Bonbon has already been tended to," Ulquiorra replied as he paused his walk to address her. "She will need time, understanding, and support to properly heal and move on. Fortunately for her she has a support network of friends who can provide her with just that."
"But you said-" Twilight started to object, only to be quickly halted.
"I said that once I was done I would meet you in the palace gardens, and we could depart from there," Ulquiorra stated. "I have done what I can to help Bonbon, so my business has been concluded. We can leave now, and get back to more important matters at hand."
Twilight snapped in front of Ulquiorra in a flash of teleportation, her wings flapping angrily to give her just enough altitude to let her glare at him at eye level, with her lips pulled back in a snarl.
"You dishonest, disingenuous jerk!" she shouted furiously, no longer concerned with decorum. "You think you're clever with your tricky wordplay? Well you're not! That was mean, that was cruel, tricking me into thinking you were going to let me help a pony with a friendship problem! I've been sitting here all this time like a good little pony, just to find out you went behind my back after ditching me! You make me want to curse at you like Princess Luna!"
All throughout the tirade, Ulquiorra didn't so much as even blink in response. He just stood there, staring at her with those dull, disinterested eyes. It was only once she'd stopped yelling that he responded.
"Had you accompanied me to Ponyville, your presence would've only served to complicate the matter, even with the use of your newfound incognito spell. The presence of two Twilight Sparkles side-by-side wouldn't be a simple matter that could easily be brushed off to the side," he pointed out, his dull tone in sharp contrast to her own. "Even if it were, you would need to be read into the situation from the ground up to bring you up to speed. That would take time, which would only prove to be longer because of your inquisitive nature, and the questions you would be asking. Time that could otherwise be spent actually fixing the problem at hand, rather than sitting down to hammer out details to make a plan about how to fix the problem. Time that could've been of the essence, depending on what the exact nature of the problem was.
"Even if you had come along, you wouldn't have been prepared for what needed to be done to help Bonbon. You would've objected to the process that had to be implemented, because it was wholly unconventional to the norms held by you ponies. Everything would've become more complicated. The most logical, time-expedient option available was to simply proceed."
Twilight's glare slowly weakened as Ulquiorra's words met her, leaving her less and less certain about the validity of her outrage. As much as she hated to admit it, he was raising some very valid points that were becoming increasingly difficult to dispute. And slowly but surely he was starting to make her regret her outburst.
"Beyond that, how am I ever supposed to develop my own understanding of what friendship is, if an over-eager expert in the field who wants to make herself useful, potentially does all of the work herself?" he asked further.
As much as Twilight hated to admit it, that was an exceptionally good point to raise. How many times had she been envious and even jealous of her friends when the cutie map called them away on a mission, while she'd been left sitting around the palace and unable to join them? She couldn't say for certain that she wouldn't have tried to assert royal authority on the matter and arbitrarily take over, simply to prove that she was still needed on missions like this.
Maybe he'd been far smarter than she could even comprehend.
"I'm... sorry about that just now," she apologized weakly as she touched back down on the ground, now feeling rather ashamed of her outburst. "I shouldn't have acted like that. I shouldn't have let my own feelings get in the way and cloud my judgement like they did. I have to remember that this isn't my world, that things don't work exactly like they do back home."
Ulquiorra didn't say anything in response. She didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it still left her feeling unnerved, as if the other shoe was about to drop at any moment.
The only response on his part was withdrawing his hand from his right pocket, and bringing out a rolled up scroll to hold out to her.
She nearly asked what it was, but stopped herself as she realized it'd be easier to simply take it and ready it to see what it had to say, rather than asking for an elaboration. So she gingerly reached out with her magic to take it out of his hand and unroll it.
Dear Princess Twilight,
That feels so weird to unironically say, much less write down in correspondence.
Ulquiorra told me about the idea you had for dealing with the Chrysalis back in your world since she's still alive, unlike our own in this reality.
Let me just start by saying that I like the idea. As in I really, really like the idea. It's all very practical, pragmatic, and it honestly does sound like a logical application of our teachings in order to address an unconventional situation with equally unconventional circumstances.
But even though I like it, I wouldn't be doing you any favors if I didn't raise a few points that could potentially be shortcomings of such an idea.
Based on all we know about changelings, scant though it may be, we know that love isn't just a source of food for them, it's also a source of power to fuel their magic. While it might be possible to buy Chrysalis off and get her to agree to the hypothetical terms, it's equally possible that her pride and quest for revenge will never allow her to take the easy way out. For all any of us know, she might simply choose to stockpile the love you offer her, to fuel a future campaign to conquer Equestria. Your gesture of friendship and goodwill might only be giving her ammunition to use against you.
I'm not saying that it's a likely outcome, because I don't have the information I need to make that determination. All I'm saying is it might be something you need to factor in before making any final determinations on how to proceed.
I'm hoping we'll be able to meet up soon and discuss matters like this and others face-to-face. Not that there's anything wrong with the pen pal route, but as we both likely know, some things just have to be experienced directly, right?
Signed,
Your fellow egghead and friend, Not-Princess Twilight Sparkle
Twilight looked over the note slowly, uncertain of what exactly she should feel in response. She hadn't even thought about the possibility of Chrysalis possibly using her offer against them. Had she been too tired at the time to see that as a possibility? Had she simply wanted to believe that even Chrysalis had some good in her that could be brought out with a bit of kindness and the right presentation? Or was she truly too stupid to comprehend that some parties simply couldn't be reached, no matter how much effort one put into it?
"I need rest, don't I?" she eventually asked as she turned away from the scroll and looked back to Ulquiorra.
"It wouldn't hurt," Ulquiorra replied. "Get some sleep. Whatever needs to be done can be done later."
"Right. I'll just... go and get some sleep," she replied, not certain what else she could say right now.
Without further discussion she rolled up the scroll from her counterpart and trotted off, hoping that a few hours of shuteye would help her make sense of everything.
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The final message to Bonbon was an assault upon my feels I was not prepared for....but I enjoyed it none the less. Very well done, now excuse me I need to beat up the invisible person cutting onions near me.
*Applause*
That was a brilliant idea. Having Bonbon wailed on Ulquiorra to relieve some grievance was simple, but having him be literally a messenger of Death was the highlight to conclude this sad episode of Nightmare Moon.
I hope will soon see an interaction between the two Twillight, though for now this letter is a nice prelude.
Also :
I was beginning to wonder if Ulquiorra could see departed souls, considering his nature. Hey if bonbon ever gets a clear enough head to realize the implications of exactly why Ulquiorra could see Twist after the event of her death could be that he's technically dead to would she someday ask him to elaborate. Ulquiorra isn't in the business of keeping things on the downlow and, as he told Twilight and her friends so long ago, their is no point in denying who and what he is. Would he tell Bonbon of the concept and nature of Hollows? If he does, word might spread and before you know there be a mass panic at the notion of a soul devourer, living with the princesses no less.
He already partially admitted to his true nature, for he explained to Twist that he could have torn Nightmare from her body and devoured her soul but was hesitant to do so.
The final message from Twist was very emotional ðŸ˜
Closure is something every sentient being needs to begin the post-grief healing, and this chapter... I have no shame in admitting I cried during Twist's final message. It was a nice touch to have Botan make a cameo, and wasn't something I (or possibly anybeing else) was expecting. Good work, my friend, and may the muse always be kind.
I don't know why it didn't occur to me that he'd be able to see ghosts in pony land, too
I decided today to make an account on this site so I could comment on this fic, only to discover that I apparently already had an account.
Anyways I really liked this chapter, and the whole fanfic as a whole. This is one of those very few super long fanfics I do full rereads of from time to time, its so cool to reread a chapter and then notice foreshadowing I didn't on the first read.
I'm really looking forward to Twilight meeting Twilight face to face, and to see how they will resolve the problem of Starlight Glimmer. Like even if Ulquiorra isn't present for it, it would be very interesting to see how the Mane 6 deal with her. I feel like they are better prepared mentally, and emotionally for it than they were in canon. Her motivations for almost destroying the world were strange to say the least. A friend moved away and they lost contact?
IMO she was the most dangerous and competent villain they ever faced in the entire series.
Anyways, enjoyed the chapter, the entire fic as a whole, and I'm super excited to see how things further develop from here.
I think this chapter turned out very well. Loved the Botan cameo. Great job.
Sees new chapter :)
Sees it is 12 k words *wooooooo boooyyyyyyy*
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Those damn onion ninjas.
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I can't get Princess Twilight back home until she means her counterpart at least once.
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I actually broached a subject along those lines way back in chapter 86:
The townsponies already have some extent of an idea about what's going on. They know he's some type of ghost. And they may or may not've witnessed him devouring the windigoes when they made their appearance.
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I wondered who would get the reference.
Admittedly my eyes weren't all that dry while typing it up and trying to make it go with the music. That's why I had to include a little bit of comedy to offset how much sadness was in there.
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Just one of those things I guess.
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I'm glad this story has been able to hold your interest so well. The longer it goes on, the more I worry that older entries simply don't hold up and need to be revised.
As far Starlight Glimmer, I have something very special planned for her.
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I just had to include her. People have been saying for a while that Kubo was inspired by YYH relating to certain story elements, so it felt like something that just had to be referenced in some fashion. And Ulquiorra's shotgun variant to his bala just wasn't cutting it.
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😈
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That's Ponyville for you
I wonder who the shinigami pony is based of...
Also, shinigami pony.
Awesome Yu Yu Hakusho reference with Botan pony. Not to mention the inclusion of Snowdrop.
Also, I never thought to consider the headcanon of Octavia and Vinyl Scratch being sisters.
This was a pretty interesting and emotional chapter.
I'm only now realizing the ice pick is straight. I'm used to ice picks being shaped like pickaxes. Perhaps "chisel" would be a better name for this tool?
It's always hilarious to me to imagine a demon of death saying "Let's make a pit-stop at Walmart on the way."
Pleathe. :p
Ulquiorra has achieved the previously-impossible title of "Comfort Badass."
Now that I have just finished reading this chapter, I can honestly say that your worries are in vain. Although I feel it illogical that Twilight would turn to Ulquiorra first to solve a problem clearly caused by his very existence, at the same time I absolutely loved how this turned out, and in no way think this was a bad chapter. I look forward to seeing what follows!
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You're not wrong about that assessment. But at the same time Twilight was only planning on calling him in for a consult, so they could discuss a plan of action with the information they had. By her own acknowledgement his brain operates at a different level than hers, so she's desperately hoping he'll be able to think of something that she presently can't. She didn't know Ulquiorra had his own agenda and reason for getting involved.
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Aaah, that's fair then. Alright, no issues with this chapter whatsoever. I think it was done expertly. :)
Noice as always
Wow, that chapter was a real punch in the guts... 🥲