Chapter Six
Chapter Six
The first thing Twilight became aware of when she awoke was how much her neck hurt. She must've slept crazy last night, or worse wound up kicking her pillow off the bed and just laying flat on the mattress without any support. She always hated when she did something like that.
The second thing she became aware of was just how hard the mattress was. It was all firm and lumpy and felt like there were bones in it. What was she sleeping on? Had Spike climbed into bed with her during the night and she'd wound up sleeping on him again?
"So you're finally awake."
The voice was strange and foreign to her as she tried to shake off the drowsiness she was feeling right now, trying to make her eyes focus in the direction the voice had come and the pale figure it'd come from.
"Ul...quiorra?" she asked, mumbling as she raised a foreleg to try and wipe the sleep from her eyes. "What're you doing here?"
"Several times after you came back to the library you wound up falling asleep in a sitting position, only to wake yourself back up again. Eventually you simply gave up and chose to utilize my leg as a headrest. As I would need you as my escort for today I simply allowed you to rest until you awoke on your own accord," Ulquiorra explained.
The third thing she became aware of when she woke up was his words, and the fact that she'd been laying on the hard library floor and treating his knee like it was a pillow. Immediately she shot up and off of him, the crimson glow of her cheeks shining through her lavender coat with ease.
"Oh Celestia I'm sorry! I had no idea I was doing something so rude!" Twilight apologized, and rather profusely too.
Ulquiorra merely stood up from the spot he'd been sitting on, set his book of choice down on the pile that sat next to him and dusted his jacket off. "You were tired. You weren't in full control of the cognitive process," he explained. "Are you in the habit of sleeping where you fall when studying?"
"...Sometimes..." she admitted hesitantly. Ulquiorra remained silent in response. "What time is it anyway?"
"I'm uncertain," he replied. "Perhaps you should make sure the others haven't awoken and become aware of your unscheduled absence," he suggested.
"Yeah that might be a good idea, I better go do that right now," Twilight replied, seeing it as a great excuse to get out of there really quick. She still couldn't believe she'd used Ulquiorra like a pillow!
"This is the method of travel?" Ulquiorra asked and cocked the eyebrow underneath his Hollow mask.
The time for departure to Ponyville had finally come, and if Ulquiorra was prone to emotional responses he'd be expressing that he was glad of that fact. The morning had been plagued with numerous and pointless wastes of time that had served no purpose other than being distractions. Countless discussions and reminders about what would be going on during this excursion, all of it redundant to him as he remembered it all quite well.
"Yep! Canterlot's finest method of travel," Twilight Sparkle replied as she proudly eyes the gold colored chariot, two of Celestia's finest pegasi troops hitched up and waiting to take them on their journey.
He had doubts as to just how "fine" the travel would be considering the rough amount of their combined weight and the chariot itself. Were the two pegasi sufficient to carry such an amount?
Celestia had escorted them to where they'd be departing from to give them a proper sendoff. And apparently she could pick up on Ulquiorra's uncertainty about the whole matter. "The chariot has a special low gravity enchantment so it, and by extension the passengers riding atop it, weighs less than it would normally on the ground," she explained.
"Fascinating," Ulquiorra replied evenly.
"You're sure you're ready to leave now? No last minute details that need to be worked out before departure?" Celestia asked the three.
"Everything's fine, Princess, really, we've covered all the bases. We'll be heading to Sweet Apple Acres first, then we'll find the rest of the girls and introduce Ulquiorra to them and get all the questions out of the way, and then we'll escort him into Ponyville proper and let the townsponies get to know him from there. It'll save all the trouble of going around and making introductions one by one," Twilight explained.
"A wise decision. As expected from my most faithful student," Celestia replied and smiled. "If you have everything in order then I bid you farewell for now."
"Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn. But my assigned curfew specifies that I must return to Canterlot by sundown. If I'm to learn anything of significant importance in the time available perhaps we should dispense with the extended pleasantries and begin travel," Ulquiorra spoke up.
"Of course," Celestia replied after a moment. He did have a good point, they were essentially burning daylight by talking. And if he was going to learn anything about friendship and his new world he'd need all the time he could get. "Take care on your journey."
There were no more words said as the three stepped onto the chariot and departed from Canterlot on their journey, both to Ponyville and to Sweet Apple Acres. For the most part the trip was in silence.
"Hey Ulquiorra what's the matter? Do ya not like flying or something? You look kinda pale," Spike stated.
"Spike! That's not funny," Twilight scolded in response.
"Aw come on Twi' it's kinda funny," Spike replied.
Ulquiorra merely remained silent as the bickering between the two began. He could easily tune them out as he had tuned out far more annoying than the two of them. However he decided for another course of action. "How long will it take to arrive at our destination?"
The plan worked. Almost immediately the bickering between the two stopped.
"It takes about fifteen minutes to arrive at Ponyville by chariot. Although if it's an emergency the time can be cut down to five minutes. But since we're headed for Sweet Apple Acres first it should take only twelve minutes," Twilight explained.
"And this is the same Sweet Apple Acres that made the founding of Ponyville possible?" Ulquiorra asked.
"The one and only. Tastiest apples you'll find in Equestria and the only place outside of the Everfree Forest you'll find the legendary zap apples," Twilight stated happily.
Ulquiorra said nothing in response, merely observing the land from his vantage point as he stood still with his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Hey Twilight I've been thinking. Do you think we should figure out what we're going to tell everypony? We can't exactly tell them Ulquiorra's a ghost, Fluttershy might have a heart attack if she hears that," Spike pointed out. "And even if we had the time to give all our friends the full explanation and everything went perfect there's still the matter of everypony else in Ponyville. No matter how our friends respond once we step into town the others are going to notice him and get curious."
"An accurate assessment of the situation. It would be illogical to assume that order can be had evenly with all participants," Ulquiorra replied.
"Don't you two worry about that, I've actually been thinking about it since last night and I've got an idea. Just let me do the talking," Twilight told them.
The landing with the chariot provided by Celestia was a lot smoother than the one provided by Luna the day before; as to be expected from the like. They touched down in a clearing at Sweet Apple Acres before disembarking, and then unhitched the two pegasi guards that were to serve as the escort so they could stretch their legs as they'd be around for a while.
"Extensive," Ulquiorra noted as he looked around at the vast expanse of apple trees surrounding them from all angles.
"Yep! Sweet Apple Acres is nearly as big as all of Ponyville. Sometimes it's hard to believe that just three ponies handle it all themselves," Twilight stated. Ulquiorra continued to remain silent.
"So where's Applejack?" Spike asked, "you'd think the sight of a royal chariot descending in her orchards would bring her running."
"That's a good question..." Twilight paused as she looked around, scanning the horizon but seeing neither hide nor hair of her friend. "Ulquiorra do you think you can use your pesquisa technique to find her?"
"I can only identify sources of reiatsu, not determine who is whom without first meeting them," Ulquiorra explained. "However there is a sizable source of reiatsu approaching from the north. Current location approximately one quarter mile away."
All eyes turned north, catching glimpse of a quick moving orange dot approaching in contrast to the greens and browns of the surrounding trees and grass, the dot slowly gaining more details and morphing into an easy to identify pony wearing a hat. Based on the cutie mark it was safe for Ulquiorra to assume that this was Applejack.
"Applejack! We were just looking for you!" Twilight called in greeting her friend.
Applejack skidded to a halt and paused to catch her breath before addressing Twilight and Spike. "Nice ta see ya. Ah gotta tell ya Twilight ya took me by surprise showin' up in a royal chariot an' all. Ah thought Princess Celestia was paying me a personal visit er something," she explained inbetween breaths. It was only once she caught her breath and looked up that she noticed the other one and the really, really strange look they had about them. "Who's yer friend?"
"Applejack this is Ulquiorra Cifer, a visiting dignitary all the way from Las Noches," Twilight said as she made the introductions.
"Howdy," Applejack replied in a friendly manner and tipped her hat. "Ah never seen nopony like ya before 'round these parts."
"Well Ulquiorra isn't a really a pony. He's from a bipedal species known as Arrancar. He's up here in Equestria to try and establish diplomatic relations with our land and Princess Celestia has asked me to show him around Ponyville and the surrounding territory so he can meet all the ponies that make up this great land of ours," Twilight explained. "We thought that it'd be best to visit Sweet Apple Acres first since it would allow the girls to get introduced first and then we could go from there."
"Well if that don' beat all," Applejack stated. "Mighty appreciated ya picked our farm ta start out gettin' ta know everypony," she said as she turned her focus back to Ulquiorra. "Ya wanna step inside an' take a load off yer hooves? Give us a chance ta show ya some o' the legendary Apple Family hospitality."
Ulquiorra was silent, allowing Twilight to do the talking and give the explanation she thought was best. He merely observed the situation, listening as the earth pony spoke in a most unusual dialect that seemed easier to understand by instinct than simply from hearing it. The pronunciation of various words was choppy and incomplete, reminding him of the rather informal way Gin Ichimaru preferred to speak.
A cursory exercising of his pesquisa revealed that she was in possession of a significant amount of reiatsu that seemed to easily rival that of Twilight during one of her emotional high points. Perhaps this was the differentiation in magic between the races that Twilight Sparkle spoke of last night. If earth ponies exercised their magic in a passive manner it seemed logical to conclude that they would possess greater reserves than others species as there was no active depletion to take into account.
Now though she was speaking to him directly, meaning it was time to move from a passive role to active and interact.
"I must decline your offer. Your Princess Celestia has requested that I return to Canterlot castle by sundown. My time here is limited. While I'm certain much could be gathered by experiencing the hospitality your family has to offer, the knowledge gained wouldn't be relevant to the surrounding territory and the rest of the inhabitants," Ulquiorra stated as courteously as he could muster.
"Actually, Ulquiorra, it might be a good idea if you took Applejack up on her offer while we go and round up the others. It's gonna take some time to find everypony so you might as well be comfortable," Twilight explained.
"A valid point I suppose. Very well, I accept your invitation," he said as he turned his attention back to Applejack. "Will you be able to provide for our escort as well? Your Princess Celestia insisted on them accompanying us," he explained and brought the earth pony's line of sight to the royal guards that stood several paces behind them.
"Sure ah can do that, no problem. Twilight ya an' Spike go on ahead an' find the other girls an' bring 'em 'round, ah'll keep our guests entertained 'til then," Applejack told her.
"Thanks Applejack I appreciate that. Come on Spike let's go find the girls," Twilight stated.
They watched as Twilight galloped off, Spike riding atop her back toward Ponyville to find the rest of the girls. Hopefully she wouldn't be gone for too long. Looking back at their guests she tried not to cringe. That Ulquiorra fellow was polite enough but he sure didn't look the part, that blank and unfeeling expression on his face and eyes that just about cut through her. She really didn't know what to make of him, but that wouldn't stop her from doing her best to be polite to him.
"So...uh...yer name's kinda hard to remember an' all so ah'm just gonna call ya Mr. Cifer fer the time bein'. Do ya mind some tea while we wait?" Applejack asked.
"Tea will be fine. Lead the way," Ulquiorra replied.
"Straight ta the point huh? A'right this way," Applejack replied and lead the way back to the farmhouse, Ulquiorra following after her at his own pace and the two pegasus guards behind him.
"Twilight Sparkle has spoken favorably of you during out preliminary meeting. Can you elaborate on the nature of your relationship with her?" Ulquiorra asked as they walked along.
Applejack was a little surprised by the question. If she were a betting pony she would've wagered that Ulquiorra wasn't one for small talk; or much of any talk at that rate. But without even a hint of what might've been going on in his mind he opened the door to conversation.
"Well ah'm one o' Twilight's first friends from when she first came ta Ponyville on assignment from Princess Celestia. Ah'm also one o' the Elements o' Harmony jus' like Twilight, 'cept mine's the Element o' Honesty," Applejack explained as she trotted along.
Elements of Harmony? That was one topic he hadn't yet read about during his confinement to the Canterlot library. Now he was being informed that one of the ponies he was in the presence of possessed one of these mysterious elements? This was a matter that warranted curiosity. Beyond that it warranted further investigation.
"Matters pertaining to Equestria do not usually come to the attention of Las Noches. Are you able to elaborate on what the "Elements of Harmony" are?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Ya don' know what the Elements o' Harmony are?" Applejack asked in a surprised manner, nearly falling over herself as she turned her head to face him. He was as stone faced as ever, showing no signs that he was trying to engage in a practical joke. How could somepony not know about the Elements of Harmony? It didn't make sense. And yet he was standing there in all seriousness and saying that he didn't. "Ah'll explain it over tea. This is gonna be one long conversation," she stated and resumed her pace.
"Hey Twilight?"
The journey between Sweet Apple Acres and Ponyville wasn't exactly a long one, but it certainly seemed to be taking a long time right now as they traveled by hoof. Maybe it was just his anxiousness over the situation but he was starting to feel very aware of all the bumps in the road, which translated to bumps for him as he rode atop Twilight's back the entire way.
"Yes Spike?" Twilight asked as she continued trotting along.
"Is there a reason you didn't just teleport to Ponyville? Or at least closer to Ponyville?" Spike asked.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked while continuing her journey.
"Well we both know teleporting's a lot faster than walking or running. And we both know that you've got enough magic to teleport the both of us like it's nothing. So why're we just trotting along like earth ponies?" Spike asked.
Twilight slowed her pace before coming to a stop as Spike's words sank in. He did have a very good point, why were they simply walking when it would take so much longer to get there? Ulquiorra was blunt about having a limited amount of time available before he had to return to Canterlot and spending most of the day with Applejack probably wouldn't provide him with what they needed.
The more she thought about it the more she realized how foalish it was to simply walk. She was engaging in a real world example of what she detested authors doing in their literary works; excessive padding that served no purpose other than to warrant a certain page count. How had she missed it? If she wasn't carrying Spike right now she'd kick herself for doing that.
"Sorry, Spike, I guess I just didn't give it any thought. I'll rectify that right now," she stated as her horn began to glow. In a bright flash of light and the blink of an eye they were gone.
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Update soon i need MORE!
Can only end well.
Funny.
*spoke
images6.fanpop.com/image/answers/3060000/3060804_1351873407679.34res_500_281.jpg
That is all.
i.imgur.com/O1t1tKF.jpg
Heh... Ulquiorra, you never change... but I would like it for him to show a teensy weensy bit of his power. Come on, he's the fourth strongest of his species, he deserves to show off a little! Example, he says- i dunno- shy's a little too cowardly to be an Element. Rainbow gets in his face, and doesn't know when to shut up. Ulquiorra taps her with the back of his hand- BOOM, out the wall! Then he stares, "You should be grateful... had I closed my fist, your skull would've been reduced to a bloody mess. Learn to contain yourself." Then Fluttershy uses the Stare, then he goes 'If using your eyes is considered a display of power here..." He rips out his eyeball, "Then let me display mine." Crushes it, and then he blinks- new eyeball. "Please do not attempt to make me violent. I am on a very thin line with Celestia, and it would be a shame for me to break her trust. Not to mention, I wouldn't want to have to kill unnecessarily."
2763938 All of my yes. ALL OF IT.
2764001 That would seem pretty forced, he knows what thoughts to keep to himself. And if The Princesses, hypothetically, heard about him attacking Rainbow, provoked or unprovoked, he'd be in a heap of shit. I'm sure your blood knightedness will be sated when they actually get to a point where it'd be plausible for a fight scene.
Welp, there goes the fourth wall indirectly...
2764001 Like PyroDefense said, too forced. Not to mention, Ulquiorra'd be in an Olympic pool of shit for it.
Maybe an 'expedition' from the CMC into the oh-so-obvious place where Ulquiorra can showcase. Plus a good view of his Hollow hole and regeneration.
For example, find a Manticore, Manticore goes to stab Ulquiorra with tail in the chest, all are shocked when he's fine and no blood. Add a claw across the face or somewhere, throw in a backhand and finish with a Cero. Boom, showcased.
For the record - if the author wants to use this, go ahead I don't really care. If you planned on this and I just ruined it, woops. In any case, #Ulquiorra
I get the feeling that Ulqy will deduce the reason Celestia is having him meet with the "Elements" is so that she has her ultimate weapon pointed right at him..... With the way her mind works, he probably isn't to far off.
Below are some typos that were missed: 
*listening as the earth pony smoke in - listening as the earth pony spoke in
*rather informal was Gin - rather informal way Gin
*has to offer the knowledge gained - has to offer, the knowledge gained
Do they not care about the hole under his throat? Maybe he doesn't have it anymore. Why not? Maybe it was a mistake by the author or he some how healed or we looked over his description.
One-sided conversations rock
On another matter, I can't tell you how happy I am with the direction the story is going or how excited I get when seeing it update in my Favorites Menu. I think your doing a great job, please continue
2763854 Dialect is a certain type of cigar. How do you not know this?
2764252 The hole in Ulquiorras sterum (I beleve that is the correct word) is coverd by his clothing
2764935
Hope I didn't come off as stupid.
But why didn't Celestia or Luna or SOMEBODY say anything about it?
Oh well, I'm sure it'll be a funny reaction when someone finds out.
Now...I cannot wait for it to happen. BTW cool Username.
2764959 Don't worry, you didn't sound stupid in any way.
And I guess nobody has actualy seen the hole yet so the topic simply haven't come up yet. And I want to see a reaction as well. Calling it now: Rarity is going to faint!
And thanks for the compliment!
Now this will be good, can't wait for the next chapter.
2765050But what about when Celestia saw Ulquiorra's memories or when he showed Luna the other Espada
some don't bother or can't cover there's...right? Sorry, I'm a little rusty.
I don't know
I ramble
And I challenge your hypothesis...Rarity is going to be like
And Pinkie is going...to...
And don't THANK, just LOVE and TOLERATE
2765246 Ok, you got a point there, and I copleatly forgott about that... But didn't be explain that the hole represented the loss of their hearts? ... I can't remember
And I still think that Rarity is going to faint... after an overly dramatic scene
Pinkie is probably going to ask a billion questions all at once, and then try to put a hoof through the hole
personally i think rarity is going to drool over his outfit and i think pinkie will be pinkie and rainbow dash will try and pass him off as not kick@$$, while flutter shy will no doubt cower for a period of time before coming out and then going back to cowering again the moment he does something that could be perceived as 'scary'.
2765447I think you got Pinkie spot on
and we'll see about Rarity
Thank you
But I think we are at a stalemate as to why they didn't care about his hollow hole, but hopefully Charlie_K will fix that up.
It's been nice talking/rambling, and I hope to do it again in later chapters
PS:Have a Pony SMORE
2765595 We will indeed see about Rarity... Let the waiting begin!
Pony Smore! Nomnomnomnomnom! 
And it has indeed been a plesure conversing with you, and I hope we will again!
*gasp!!!*
Is it just me or did this chapter seem kinda short? No? Okay....
Can't wait for more
This is becoming one of my favourite fics!
This was short but pleasant
2763854
2764935 you're probably looking for sternum, you missed an n there :p
... or is it A n!? DUN dun dunnn
Awesome!
nice! the ending made me chuckle xP
2767359 Ah, thank you, I will try to remeber that
I would just like to comment that I prefer chapters like the first one which is 11,000 words, I think It would be good if you spent two weeks or so making another like that. Just my opinion, on a side note story's going great!
really now
2774943
Just imagine if it'd been Grimmjow who got sent to Equestria instead. Celestia and Luna would both be blushing furiously at hearing some of his vocabulary.
Why ain't Ulquiorra using his sonido?
2789666
How do you think Celestia would respond to a potential threat proving that he can freely move about faster than the guard's or even her eyes can see, especially over large distances?
2790543 She would splode his head? 24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsw9blUmR21qbklpto1_500.jpg
2790543Let me guess, will other arrancar/Espada/Soul Reapers be showing up. Because it STRONGLY hints at that when saying the portal Might be opened to there world. Or will Aizen be showing up? Because I can think of a Number ways to make that plausible.
I'm surprised he let her do so.
3988923 well it's not like he had places to be...
img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130405221911/mlp/images/e/e1/FANMADE_Luna_I_see_what_you_did_there.jpg
4870098 Oh, God...they know!
2764001 or maybe he could just release his spirit pressure and crush them all into the floor lol
Oh Twilight, you chose a really bad place to fall asleep, good thing her pillow is so placid that he doesn't seem to care. I'm surprised Ulquiorra didn't read about the elements of harmony during his time, did he just skip it or something because he was prioritizing certain topics?
Hehe, big lampshade hanging at the end there.
2764001 I really like that idea with Fluttershy. Imagining her reaction to him pulling out his eye...PRICELESS!! XD
5336987 FS: Oh no, that's supposed to stay in there
Or
*FS screams and faints*
Dear God! They've figured it out!.
Heheh thats actually pretty funny.
5619404
Flutters saying in a concerned voice "umm.. Are you meant to pull that out?"
And him just going.
"No."
If you know what I mean...
2790854 this isn't Scanners!
Subtle
7797260
I might be going with the Hollywood blockbuster approach of storytelling, but that doesn't mean I'm above poking fun at myself in my efforts at doing that. It's sort of the Star Wars approach to doing things; take it seriously, but not too seriously, and don't forget to have fun in what you're doing. It's one of the things that made the original trilogy so fun. It's also what made Farscape such a success.