Chapter Twenty Five
Chapter Twenty Five
At these words, Princess Celestia's mouth dropped, and her eyes went wide at the scene that was unfolding before her. She watched in horror as the chain bindings of her spell wrapped around Ulquiorra's zanpakutō, and provided a contrast to the glow of the blade, before violently shattering and exploding outward under the strain of what they were attempting to restrain.
"Oh shit!" she found herself saying without even thinking about it. The phrase from his world seemed highly appropriate for the occasion and these circumstances based on what she remembered from his memories.
From his position overhead, a massive eruption of pure black energy with a haunting teal green outline exploded outward like flames in a most violent fashion, the sheer magnitude sufficient enough to completely blot out her beloved sun from her view. Just looking at the display was enough to make her feel like her heart had stopped beating.
She could feel rain beating down on her body and her wings now. But it wasn't rain that was falling on her position, rain wasn't green, nor did it tingle against her skin like this! She could feel it running down her face, a drop landing on her tongue, her face screwing up from the sickly sour taste that instantly registered with her, and was quickly spat out in disgust.
Mana. Pure, highly concentrated mana. Ulquiorra's mana. His body was putting out so much mana, it was literally clumping together in the sky, and being given a physical form capable of interacting with the world surrounding it, simply due to its concentration. What kind of monster could release such huge amounts of energy at one time in such a wasteful manner?
She got her answer the moment the downpour stopped, and the flames cleared from the sky. And upon first sight of what remained behind, she wished she never asked. She had at least some understanding of what she was facing based on the memories she'd seen, but nothing could have possibly prepared her for actually witnessing it first hoof. Her eyes went wide with terror at what stood before her.
"Sweet merciful Faust!"
It was difficult to put into words the pain that they felt right now. Not from being forced to lay in an uncomfortable position on the hard marble floor, held down by changelings, who weren't exactly well known for their cuddly exteriors. Rather the pain they were experiencing right now was internal and emotional, the hurt of betrayal.
Ulquiorra had betrayed their trusts in order to serve Chrysalis, and without even the slightest hint that he doubted the legitimacy of Princess Celestia's rule. He'd so readily abandoned everything they'd been through together up to this point as if it didn't matter in the least. It was the coldest, most heartless manner that was physically possible. Even after saving them from the dragon, and discovering the changeling invasion, he'd still turned his back on them, and everything that could've been, in order to serve their enemy.
Making it all the worse, was how Chrysalis stood behind them and chuckled wildly as the fight unfolded. Even after Ulquiorra had departed, and Princess Celestia gave chase, she was still amused.
The laughter is what finally got to Twilight, driving her to the point she couldn't stand anymore. She grit her teeth and growled, her horn flaring to life and enveloping each changeling drone in her magical aura, effortlessly lifting them up and off of herself and her friends, before they were slammed together, heads butting up against heads, and knocking them unconscious, before they were finally cast aside like garbage, and allowing all of them to be free again.
Chrysalis wasn't laughing anymore. Instead she looked on with a shocked face; too shocked to respond a Twilight dove in a flying tackle, knocking her to the ground, and allowing her to stare down at her, her teeth exposed and lips drawn back in a violent snarl as her eyes narrowed.
"You put Ulquiorra under a spell just like you did my brother! Release him right now!" she ordered fiercely and stomped on Chrysalis to emphasize her demand.
Much to her displeasure, Chrysalis merely started laughing all over again, unconcerned by the stomp.
"You really are a foalish little pony," Chrysalis commented, her horn glowing neon green as Twilight was forcefully yanked off of her by the tail, resulting in a pain filled yelp in the process. "What makes you so certain your dear Ulquiorra Cifer is under a spell? Your friend chose to serve me of his own free will. When he heard of my plight, he was all too eager to willingly serve me, and escort my hive here so that we might reclaim what's ours."
"Tha's nothin' but a load o' horse apples! Mr. Cifer wouldn' do nothin' like that!" Applejack stated and stomped her hoof.
"Yeah Ulqy's no traitor!" Pinkie added.
"If you don't release him right now, Chrysalis, I'll... I'll... I'll blow your head right off your shoulders, and splatter your brains all over the back wall!" Twilight threatened as her horn began glowing brightly.
Chrysalis chuckled in an amused manner at the threat. "Oh dear Twilight Sparkle, you have so much spirit," she commented and yanked on the unicorn's tail again, causing her to yelp again and lose her concentration from the pain. "I'll enjoy breaking you, and your friends, of that spirit in due time," she said as she leaned in and licked her right across her lips. She already had big, big plans for Celestia's most prized student.
Twilight reached out to bite down on Chrysalis' tongue but missed by a mile, the changeling far too quick for her, and finding amusement in her actions.
However that amusement suddenly stopped as a massive wave struck them all at the same time, leaving Chrysalis to gasp at what she felt. It was like the air had suddenly become dense and incredibly hard, stifling in nature, and too thick to breathe. Turning her attention away from Twilight, she looked upward. The drones that hadn't yet descended to reclaim the city, or the palace, were falling out of the air like flies, unable to resist the sensations they were experiencing. What was happening? What was this overwhelming presence that left her with the sensations of millions of needles pressing against her exoskeleton?
"Get 'er!"
She was so distracted that by the time she realized just what was going on, it was far too late to respond to the five mares tackling her all at once, and driving her to the ground, breaking her concentration in the process, and leaving Twilight to drop to her hooves, and have an unobstructed view of the source of the overwhelming presence.
At first all Twilight could see was the darkness in the sky, and the green rain of concentrated mana falling from the sky, and deluging everything. And then it cleared, and her eyes went wide with terror at what she saw.
It was Ulquiorra... but at the same time it wasn't Ulquiorra. The Ulquiorra they knew didn't have wings, or a Hollow mask that was symmetrical and served as a helmet, or all encompassing white robes that displayed his Hollow hole rather than hiding it, or commanded a presence that left them feeling cold and full of fear just at the sight of him, and made it hard to breathe.
This wasn't their Ulquiorra any longer. This was something completely different.
Princess Celestia's lungs burnt with fire from holding her breath for so long. She hadn't even realized she'd been holding her breath since Ulquiorra' transformation until then. Her mind simply couldn't properly wrap around the facts, all of it too hard to believe.
"How long?" she asked him hoarsely.
"Since the very beginning," Ulquiorra replied as he looked down on her from his position. "I have been able to utilize my resurrección since the moment you placed your restricting spell on me. I simply allowed you to believe you'd succeeded in sealing off my released state. As I said, I prostrated myself before you as a matter of my own survival. Showing you how you'd failed, and I was still a threat to you and your kingdom, wouldn't have been the wise thing to do," he pointed out. "Did you honestly believe that I would tip my hand so easily? You're more foolish than I assumed. All the more reason for a soft and uneducated figurehead to be dethroned. It's the only logical conclusion available."
"Well then..." Princess Celestia muttered as she tried her best to muster her courage and steel her resolve to see this through. It was far too late to turn back now. "It would seem you've made your decision. Now I'm making mine..."
Ulquiorra watched in silence, observing Celestia with his pesquisa at her words. Immediately he could both see and feel her reiatsu flaring dramatically around her, and stretching out into the immediate area, like the flames of a forest fire. If she was trying to crush him with her presence, then she was most certainly off to an impressive start of showing her full strength.
Up until a point anyway. Her reiatsu had skyrocketed to a point he'd never witnessed previously, before finally coming to a complete stop. Was that really the full extent of her strength? She was certainly quite strong, he couldn't deny that. But based on his earlier encounters, he was expecting much more than this.
"You're strong," Ulquiorra admitted willingly, "however you cannot possibly hope to defeat me through strength alone. Unlike you, I am honed in matters relating to armed and unarmed combat. You cannot hope to compete with me, having experienced nothing but peace during your reign. You're soft and undisciplined," he explained.
"We'll just have to see about that," Princess Celestia responded and once again summoned her sword of pure mana. So much for hoping to cause him pain and suffering with the presence of her magical strength, he wasn't even flinching. She was going to have to do this the hard way. "I might not have your experience, but it looks like you're at a considerable disadvantage. Even with your sword, you couldn't lay a scratch on me. What can you do now without it?" she asked him.
"You're quite foolish. In my released state I have no need for my zanpakutō, as I have other weapons at my disposal. Allow me to introduce you to my Luna," Ulquiorra spoke. Immediately a javelin of green energy formed in his right hand. "Luz de la Luna..."
Princess Celestia didn't even have time to blink, as Ulquiorra was immediately in front of her, his javelin slamming into her sword, and easily sending her hurtling backwards end over end, his physical strength unbelievably greater than before. Had he really gotten so strong in his released state, or had he simply caught her off guard? Quickly she righted herself, and ground herself to a halt in the sky.
She saw Ulquiorra coming in fast and headed directly for her. Immediately she readied her sword to parry the coming blow. Unfortunately in doing so she was deprived of her hoofhold, and she found herself easily being overpowered, and driven back as if it was absolutely nothing. She had no idea that it was possible for him to deploy so much overwhelming strength with such ease and skill that it looked effortless.
One thing was definitely for certain. This battle was going to get ugly long before it came to an end.
Chrysalis struggled on the ground. She'd been stomped on, sat on, jumped on, spat on, her limbs hogtied with rope in a most uncomfortable manner, and now Fluttershy was staring at her. And all the while she was trying her best to break free. How had these ponies gotten so strong, as to launch a successful fight against her when they possessed no significant magical aptitude?
"When I get free I swear you'll all pay for this! I'll banish you all to the deepest, darkest part of the mountain underneath Canterlot palace! Not even Celestia herself will ever be able to escape and the caverns shall become your tomb!"
Applejack grunted in response as she finished tying the knot with her teeth, making sure to tie it extra tight for maximum hold and discomfort on Chrysalis' part. "We'll jus' see 'bout that. Rar' ya mind bein' a dear an' doin' the honors?" she asked.
"Gladly dear," Rarity replied as she walked over to where Chrysalis lay. "This is quite unladylike, and even barbaric, but it's most certainly necessary under these circumstances," she stated before lowering her head, taking hold of Chrysalis' horn in her mouth between her teeth, and biting down as hard as she could.
Immediately Chrysalis' entire body jerked as she screamed in intense pain, howling like a banshee at having her horn bitten down on. Even casual injury would be excruciating, but this went far beyond that and left her with blurry and swimming vision, her voice stripped raw from all the screaming she was forced to do.
Rarity finally let go and spat to get the foul taste of changeling out of her mouth, finding it quite repulsive in nature, and easily capable of rivaling their offensive odor. "If our dear guest is anything like normal unicorns, she won't be able to perform any of her magic for hours now. And even if she tries, we'll just bite her again!" she stated over Chrysalis' continued screaming. "But somepony else will have to do it next time."
"Nice work there Rar'," Applejack commented.
The situation was well in hoof. For all intents and purposes, Chrysalis was defeated and unable to hurt anypony, all thanks to Twilight's friends.
However that wasn't enough to sit well with Twilight as she continued watching, oblivious to the acts of her friends, or their actions, due to her unyielding focus on the events above as they played out before her.
High up above Ulquiorra and Princess Celestia were flying about, their weapons clashing violently as they tried to strike each other down. Princess Celestia was holding her own against Ulquiorra so far... but as the battle went on, it seemed the balance of power was slowly tipping out of her favor.
Whenever Princess Celestia managed to get into the right position to land what just had to be a bone shattering kick, she could easily knock Ulquiorra sideways and out of the air, forcing him to compensate and right himself in order to reengage in combat, leaving him vulnerable to a counterattack.
But these moments of success were few and far between. Anytime there was a direct clash and Ulquiorra landed a hit, Princess Celestia was being exposed to more thrust than she could overcome, and she was sent flying back. Ulquiorra was flashing in and out of existence with his sonido, striking against her, and disappearing from view only to reappear in a completely different location, and strike at her again, before repeating the entire pattern in an unending cycle.
Even from down here, she could tell that Princess Celestia was having trouble just keeping up with his pace, as he slowly but surely wore her down. Her movements were slowly getting more sluggish and sloppy in nature, and she was having an ever more difficult time retaliating against him.
"Anything we can do to help out?"
Her attention was finally torn away from the battle between her beloved mentor, and her despised enemy, to see her friends standing next to her and looking just as concerned as she was.
"Or maybe anything that I can do to help out?" Rainbow Dash asked and stepped forward in the small group.
"I don't think you could even get close to him, Rainbow Dash," Twilight replied and shook her head, "Ulquiorra's body was putting out huge amounts of mana unlike I've ever seen before. I don't think there's anything we could do that'd amount to any good in this situation," she explained and turned her attention back skyward, just in time to see Ulquiorra appear from behind, and land a kick to Princess Celestia's back that sent her hurtling across the sky. "I'm afraid this is one battle that Princess Celestia will have to deal with on her own..."
Princess Celestia panted hard, using her wings to stabilize herself to avoid falling out of the sky. Ulquiorra had been quite accurate when he said he was honed in the art of combat, something she was sadly lacking right now. He was unbelievably fast, and incredibly brutal in his continual assault against her, not pulling any punches as he struck anytime an opening presented itself without any hesitation. It was becoming harder and harder for her to keep up with him, and he knew it as well as she did.
And this entire time, he had all this power available and simply hadn't used it. That was truly frightening to consider.
"You're burning through your reiryoku far too quickly. At this rate you'll die soon," Ulquiorra commented as he came into her view once again. "The strain of maintaining your sword's physical structure is quite taxing on you, I can see it as plain as day. Yet you can't drop it, for you know once you do, I'll kill you where you stand."
"Worry more about yourself," Princess Celestia panted, "once I get ahold of you, it'll be all over for you. I promise you that."
It'd been something she'd been trying to do since the start of this entire mess. If she could get Ulquiorra to hold still for just a few moments, she'd easily be able to snag him in her telekinetic hold, and prevent him from attacking further. All of his strength, speed, and skill would do little for him if he couldn't even move. And once she had ahold of him she could see about breaking whatever spell Chrysalis had him under. And if he wasn't under a spell... well she really doubted that his regenerative capabilities would be able to overcome his neck being snapped and twisted around.
Unfortunately Ulquiorra wasn't a foal, and seemed to understand what she was attempting to do. Every time she tried to grab hold of him with her magic, he'd sonido away before she could complete the process, and press an attack against her, forcing her to abandon her attempt, and instead opt for defending herself when he reappeared in striking range.
However she wasn't a foal either. Once she managed to figure out the pattern, she figured a way to utilize this and provoke him into attacking, allowing her to approximate where he'd pop into view, and direct her attack there, thus catching him off guard and sending him on the defensive for a change.
Unfortunately for her, Ulquiorra seemed to learn this tactic after the first couple of successful kicks she'd landed to his frame, and no longer attacked her close enough to be counterattacked. Instead he'd sonido from view, and then when she saw where he'd be, he'd do the same thing and attack from a new angle.
"Empty threats from one that no longer possesses sufficient strength to back them up. I grow tired of this pointless exchange," Ulquiorra replied dismissively. "The time has come for me to finish you once and for all," he said as he extended his left hand and pointed right at her.
Princess Celestia's eyes went wide. She recognized Ulquiorra's Cero from having seen it up close once before, but this was completely different. This Cero was of a totally black energy, with the same teal green outline as the flames of his transformation, the inward whirling trails of energy flowing like water towards a drain. This was without a doubt going to be very, very bad.
"Of all the Espada, this is my Cero and mine alone. No other Espada has proven capable of duplicating its fully powered nature," he explaiend calmly as his attack finished charging. "Allow me to show you, my Cero Oscuras."
Princess Celesia had no time to dodge or evade as the all-encompassing black wave of energy hurtled in her direction at impossible speeds, engulfing her entire frame without mercy or hesitation.
Or at least that's what would've happened under normal circumstances. In this case, however, it was a matter of Princess Celestia relinquishing her structural hold on the sword the moment she realized just what this attack was, and using the resulting mana to erect a shield capable of protecting against the assault. The sound of roaring flames rushing past her ears sounded as the Cero made contact with the outer wall of the shield, only to be parted upon impact, and going harmlessly around her where it presented no harm to her.
No harm except for leaving her exhausted as the attack came to an end, her shield dropping in response to the lack of outside stimuli to justify maintaining it. Trying to hold back the Cero Oscuras was like trying to hold back a tsunami.
"Rather impressive," Ulquiorra commented as she panted, "you're only the second in history to withstand direct contact with my Cero Oscuras. However doing so has cost you over a third of your reiryoku. Can you perform the same feat a second time?" he asked as he began charging another black Cero.
"And why do you think I'd ever stand still to let you hit me with it, when I know that it's coming?" Princess Celestia asked him pointedly. Did he really think she'd just remain in one place and take it? If he did then he was in for a very rude awakening. Now knowing what to expect when the attack was fired, she'd teleport in behind him, and strike when he was vulnerable to a counterattack. She could rip off his wings and send him hurtling to the ground like a stone before he could regenerate them.
"I already have an understanding of your nature. Including the knowledge that you would do whatever it takes to protect that which is most important to you," Ulquiorra replied and readjusted his aim from her toward Canterlot palace, not even noticing as her eyes went wide at the revelation. "Do you believe Twilight Sparkle possesses what it takes to be the third to survive my Cero Oscuras?"
He didn't even wait for her to answer, before discharging his attack again. She watched in horror as the black column raced forward... headed right for Twilight as she stood out on the balcony and watched everything unfolding.
"Hold 'er down y'all she's tryin' ta get free!" Applejack stated as Chrysalis thrashed about, trying desperately to break the rope that held her.
It hadn't even been three minutes since they tied her down, and kept her restrained, that the changeling tried to break loose again, thrashing about madly, and uttering all kinds of gibberish as she pulled against her bonds. In an instant Applejack and Pinkie were on her again and trying to keep her pinned down.
"I'm gonna snap her horn right off her head! Hold her still!" Rainbow Dash barked.
"It won't be that easy, darling, her horn is as hard as any bone would be. Strong as you may be, I don't think even you could successfully break it off," Rarity pointed out, horrified at the very idea of dehorning, but uncertain of just what she could do or say under the circumstances. She hadn't heard talk of such brutality in many years, and it left her easily caught off guard to think one of her friends would ever mention such an act so casually.
"Fine then!" she stated and turned her attention to Pinkie. "Hey Pinks you know where we can get a hacksaw, right? If we can't break her horn off, then let's just cut it off! Nice and slow too, so she's got time to really feel it." she said as she stared Chrysalis right in the eyes, a wicked grin crossing her face.
Twilight turned away from the battle above, at the sound of what her friend was talking about. Did she even realize the severity of what she was wanting to do? "Rainbow Dash!" she yelled in a horrified manner, "what's gotten into you!?"
"She's gotta pay for what she did to Fluttershy, and the rest of us! And she's way too much of a threat to keep around in her full capacity! I'm starting to think that traitor up there had a point before he turned on us, maybe we shouldn't be so forgiving to those that do us wrong like that," Rainbow Dash stated in response.
All further discussion was immediately ceased by an explosion going off overhead, and an eerie darkness creeping over the sky. Everypony's attention turned away from Chrysalis and Rainbow Dash's recommendation, in order to look up through the balcony window at what was going on to try and get a grasp of the situation.
"A black Cero?" Rainbow Dash asked, surprised that Ulquiorra could actually change the colors of his attack. And what was the significance of the color change? And what was he shooting at? Wait... was he actually... yeah he was, he was firing it right at Princess Celestia, but couldn't get through her shield. "Way ta go Princess!" she cheered.
"It's not good, Rainbow Dash," Twilight stated as the attack came to an end. She could see that Princess Celestia was exhausted by the way her wings sagged despite being raised, the way her feathers drooped, and her head hung. She might've been able to withstand the assault, but it'd taken a lot out of her; more than she'd ever seen. She'd been so engrossed in studying Princess Celestia, she didn't even notice as Ulquiorra was now aiming in her direction, and preparing to fire another Cero until it was too late.
"Scatter!" Rainbow Dash yelled as they all ran for cover. All except for Twilight, who was frozen in place in fear as she watched the Cero descend for her at frightening speed.
She blinked. What just happened?
It took her a moment to realize just why she was still alive. Princess Celestia had teleported directly into the path of the Cero's trajectory, not even a hundred feet overhead with her shield deployed again. Only this time it was much bigger across, and instead of parting the cero around her like a large stone in a river the structure of the attack was forcefully split apart against the domed nature of the shield, licking at the edges like flames around a log tossed onto a campfire, its destructive powers divided and cascading over all sides, and being diluted to the point of presenting no threat.
Princess Celestia had just put herself in harm's way to save her yet again.
The Princess turned her head, just enough to see Twilight's unharmed status out of the corner of her eye, giving her a small smile of reassurance to let her know she was safe, before turning her full attention back to the shield, leaving Twilight to simply look on, beating her wings to overcome the push of the intercepted attack and to avoid losing any further altitude than she could help. She was already getting pressed further down toward the palace than she was comfortable with.
His assault on her, she could fully expect that. She was his primary target, the one who presented the most credible threat. Yet after seeing that she could withstand his Cero Oscuras, he'd unexpectedly directed his assault against the palace, and all who were inside, especially Twilight herself. The utter brutality to his actions were absolutely horrifying.
The attack stopped and Princess Celestia's shield dropped, leaving her exhausted and gasping for air this time. The effort of actually stopping such an attack, rather than simply parting it, proved to be highly taxing in nature, and leaving her unable to maintain any notion of decorum or order. She didn't know if she could do that again if she had to, and she really hoped that she didn't.
"Cero Oscuras."
She was exhausted and weak, but still had enough energy to be alerted, and horrified at the voice behind her. When had Ulquiorra managed to move directly behind her? Immediately she spun around, only to catch sight of him as he was disappearing from view.
"Made you look."
She spun back around again, seeing Ulquiorra standing there and pulling back his right arm, not to discharge another Cero, but rather to hurl his javelin at her. Immediately she drew on her mana reserves to summon another shield to protect her against the impact of the attack that perverted her dear sister's name.
Unfortunately she was a second too late, and a measuring of mana too short. While she'd erected a shield before her, it was nowhere near strong enough to completely protect against the resulting explosion caused by the Luz de la Luna detonating upon impact. The shield shattered on impact, bits of it flying in every direction, as the force of the explosion itself sent Princess Celestia flying backwards, crashing against the balcony, and just barely missing slamming into Twilight, as the bounced and rolled against the hard marble floor, skidding to a stop on her side with one of her wings trapped under her body.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight screamed in horror and dashed over to her teacher's side. She was covered in bleeding cuts, deep scrapes, and burn marks that left her smouldering, many of her feathers charred black or otherwise melted, entire patches of once magnificent white fur now barren and absent.
"Twilight," Princess Celestia replied weakly and coughed between labored breaths, "I'm so sorry for all of this. I didn't know this would happen."
"Princess Celestia don't be silly, you don't have to be sorry. We've just gotta get you out of here so we can get you better," Twilight stated anxiously. She needed to get her back up on her hooves, get her walking and get the hay out of the throne room, and do so quickly before Ulquiorra could arrive to finish what he'd started.
"That will not be happening."
All activity in the room froze at the sound of the voice. Turning they could see Ulquiorra standing on the balcony and making his way in at a slow and painfully deliberate manner, another javelin forming in his hand in the process. Up close he was even more terrifying than far away.
"The reign of Princess Celestia has come to an end. There is nothing any of you can do to stop it," he stated calmly as he made his way over to where Celestia laid, his wings folding to allow him easy entry through the balcony, before extending one again.
"We'll see about that!" Rainbow Dash stated and dove into a flying tackle in his direction.
The impact of her hooves was solid against him. Unfortunately the contact proved to be with one of his sizable wings that'd folded up in front of him and served as she shield. It flexed briefly, before unfurling and sending her hurtling backward, brushing her away like trash, and sent her crashing against one of the palace walls.
Twilight watched everything unfolding in horror. Princess Celestia was horribly injured. The Elements of Harmony were back in Ponyville, and they had no way of contacting Spike. None of her friends could come anywhere near the measure of strength necessary to oppose Ulquiorra. The situation looked hopeless.
But she wasn't about to give up without trying. To the last drop of her blood, she would fight for everything that was important to her!
"Don't you come any closer!" Twilight barked as she stood between Ulquiorra and Princess Celestia, her horn glowing brightly, to the point sparks were beginning to fall from the tip. Princess Celestia had protected her from harm so many times, now it was time for her to return the favor. Ulquiorra was not getting past her without a fight.
"No Twilight!" Princess Celestia protested. She watched as Ulquiorra stepped closer and closer with a murderous intent in his eyes. Her limbs were scrambled and weak, like burnt rubber bands, unwilling to move no matter how much she willed them, her hooves scraping against her joints as she tried to untangle them. Ulquiorra was right on top of them now, his javelin held high at the ready. With one last push of effort and determination, she managed to force herself upright just in time to extend her -mostly- unharmed wing and sweep Twilight to the side, taking the strike in her place.
Everypony watched in horrified silence as the javelin passed completely through her, cutting apart her chest in the pass. In an instance of a flash, all the magnificent coloring Princess Celestia was known for faded out of existence, as her now off-white body began crumbling like stone.
Twilight's eyes were wide, time itself seeming to slow down to a near standstill. Princess Celestia's magnificent body, a structure some would regard as the pinnacle of absolute perfection, was crumbling like a house of millions of cards coming undone from the top down. She watched helplessly as her teacher disintegrated, her horn and wings disappearing in little tiny crystalline structures no bigger than ash, the erosion and decomposition working its way through her body at a steady peace. Loose particles from her missing limbs fell to the ground and away from the main body, piling up in a massive heap on the floor, loose particles blowing outward, as if being carried away by wind. The royal adornments she was known for wearing so proudly, lay sticking out of the pile of dust, her crown falling atop the heap with a heavy and resounding clang against the floor, and scattering the main stack of her powdered remains, before being buried under the pile of ashen remains as the last of the body crumbled apart.
Princess Celestia was dead. Dead and reduced to nothing more than a pile of dust and ash. A single flap of Ulquiorra's right wing was all it took to scatter her remains about the floor. And there wasn't a thing any of them could do about it, except watch in muted silence.
"No," Twilight choked out, tears streaming down her face as she dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably next to what remained of the pile of ash and dust. "No!" she wailed as the sobs became all out crying.
There was the sound of ropes snapping, and a triumphant yell as Chrysalis finally managed to break free and climb back to her hooves. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever believe she would actually see the downfall of Celestia in such a manner. She'd had dreams about seeing the alicorn imprisoned and forced to work in her hive for the rest of her life, but this... this was so much more rewarding! The mightiest being in the entire world was dead! And now there was nothing that stood in her way of absolute domination!
"Guards!" she called. Immediately more changelings came, heeding the call of their queen and flying in through the balcony window. "Seize these ponies," she ordered. All at once her drones dive bombed the six and forced them onto the ground just as the last batch did. "Wonderful, simply wonderful!" she cackled.
Ulquiorra was silent, allowing his javelin to disappear as he knelt down and scooped the crown out of the pile of ash, dusting it off with his hand, before standing back up again and turning around.
"All hail the true ruler of Equestria," Ulquiorra stated as he approached Chrysalis, Celestia's crown held in his hands. He stood before her and reached out, depositing the crown on her head before stepping back and to the side.
"All hail Queen Chrysalis."
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Well, shit.
YES Queen Chrysalis WILL RULE Equestria
Ulquiorra doesn't seem like the type to use "stupider".
Might I suggest "You're more foolish than I assumed."
And they're going to shit themselves when they discover that this isn't even his final form.
No Segunda Etapa? No Luna and Celestia joining forces against Ulquiorra? No Discord? And Celsestia crumbling to stone? Huh. Pretty sure I know what is going on, but I'mma let you fininsh. Great fight, BTW.
Dark days ahead, boys.
And que irrelevant story arc that was nothing to do with the plot.
O man!! This is EPIC!!!!!!
…I'm just sitting here wondering why I'm…okay with all this.
Very strange.
Bad Ass!!!
Ummm....okay...
I was laughing insanely the entire time. And that isn't even his final form.
...Well. Holy shit.
I actually enjoyed that little death scene. The seriousness meter just gone up another notch!
Awesome chapter.
I do not say say this for every story my friend.
Well . . . first the shit got real, and then it hit the fan. Now what will happen????????
3436455 Oh yes . . . they will crap themselves in terror.
Guys... Check out the tags. Dark is in them so that kinda bodes poorly for dear Celestia and the rest of the ponies.
Sadly, I'm starting to think this is awesome but I highly doubt that Celestia is "truly" dead.
Since she's technically a goddess she'll probably regenerate back in full health from the sun or something and kick Ulqeorra's ass.
Sad... I was hoping that he would stay good, guess not. :/
3436455
It's not??? O_o
3436419 Your avatar is perfect for your statement.
Thats funny you almost made me believe Celestia was dead.
But anyway Dear lord someone needs to animate this fight scene I would fucking pay to see it done!
Luna is going to be pissed Nightmare pissed
Welp.......
...
Is this really what you want?
...
Are you proud of yourself right now?
Was your intent to reduce the potential this story had to absolutely nothing? Are you truly happy now?
...
Well then... that makes one of us.
Sayonara.
3436622 Oh, you'll see... you will see...
3436574 The shit hit the fan, and then went into the industrial turbine.
........Fuckin epic
Was I the only one fist pumping and screaming "Yes!" over and over?
You're stupider than I assumed. All the more reason for a soft and uneducated figurehead to be dethroned. It's the only logical conclusion available.
Ulquiorra really is stupider than I assumed. A lot of dictionaries, not all I guess, would call his grammar atrocious.
Eh... about Celestia dying, can't believe it. Not yet. The hollow didn't say whether or not she is dead. And where the heck is Luna? Not trying to be mean but unless there's a really good reason for her absence I'd call this a plot hole. (Ulquiorra brutally impaled a bunch of changlings, so this story already qualifies for the Dark tag)
3436622
His current form would be considered his shiki
His second form is the equivalent of a BANKAI.
3436779
Hmm, I'm kind of confused now.
On one hand, this is a guy who, as his final line, said, "Her heart was right in my hands." Who stopped Ichigo from murdering his friend, and who could have easily ended the fight with Celestia just by letting out another Cero Oscuras (Though that would have hit Chrysalis and the mane six.) Further, Discord could revive Celestia if she truly is dead. And if he cares about a better ruler, then why is he entrusting rule to someone who wishes to destroy Equestria's strongest defense system?
But there's also the possibility that Ulquiorra wants to be wrong, and puts people in the right place to test his beliefs, waiting for someone who doesn't crumble away. He's not really a machine that does his job perfectly, he's more like a philosopher trying to find something in the world that means something.
And then there's still the possibility that Chrysalis really did effect Ulquiorra. I don't think he would truly let her become the queen when he noticed how weak she was, even if she should have been the queen earlier. Though he might have done it to piss off everypony else. But I don't see why he would have worked so hard trying to fight the changelings if his wish was to betray the ponies from the start (Though, he did hide his power from Aizen from the start while following him). I think Chrysalis is a fool to be trusting Ulquiorra so quickly after he killed so many of her drones, and I would be kind of scared if he said he liked me. And finally, why was that dragon already awake?
Also, are the mane six and Ulquiorra getting stronger throughout this?
Oh yeah, to everyone bailing out once they see Ulquiorra acting like the villain... Well, what did you expect? Did you think he was just going to finish off the changelings and end the story in one genocidal blow? Would you rather he did that? And did you think he would just have the two enemies talk things over peacefully?
where the hell are Discord and Luna
I hope this is not just ganna end up trolling us...
Pftt, he didn't even use his second form to kill her.... I am somewhat dissapointed, here's hoping that the next fight has him going all out.
3436928 But it would be funny f it did
3437036 I hate that, theres storys where she has a gun to her head, and well fuck it he decides hay the hell not jump out this window or some shit.
2.bp.blogspot.com/-9FQALuIylP0/Tyi5dDar_LI/AAAAAAAAACs/M3atbQfgw5g/s1600/imperial_guard_by_jetjetex.jpg
I believe she's alive yet, this I believe is Ulquiorra teaching them how open they can let themselves be at times.
She might have been transported by her sister or along those lines.
3437056 Nope, Goblins from MtG
3437164 What?
3436625
Heh, hadn't noticed that.
images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101230190129/uncyclopedia/images/0/0c/Shaking_head.gif
Ya should have killed Chrysalis when ya had the chance.
3437166 *coughs* and I quote Somehow Goblins found a tactical advantage in sending a jester to the battle field.
Don't mind him, he's working on a few hours of sleep...
Ffffffiiiiiissssshhhhh *face falls on desk*
...........
3436620
She's not a goddess, the author even said so.
3436703
Don't give up just yet buddy. There is still the possibility that this was all a plan of Ulquiorra to teach the ponies a lesson.
Well, Ichigo? That's the only hope now.
I'm with the people who wonder where the hell Discord is and why he didn't help (presumably he could). Also with the camp that has been saying that Ulqy's defection to Chryssie was a very hasty, poorly-informed and illogical desicion. But oh well, I'll just hope the story explains itself eventually. It's still entertaining to read, although to be honest not as much as when Ulqy was [pretending to be] sided with the ponies.
Twice in the chapter, you mentioned Ulquiorra had hooves. When the hell did this happen?
Edit Edit: Never mind, I'm a dumbass. My Google Chrome reset and it turned my Ponify setting back on.
You are such a tease!
Woah, MAN that was dark! Poor Celestia!!
COME ON! Update already! I want blood, death and genocide. Kill those pesky anime characters and show them what happens when they try to fight against a realistic human force.