Chapter Sixty Eight
Tuesday, June 25, 0002 ANM
Today
Sweetie Belle sighed dejectedly as she looked down at the progress of her most recent journal entry. Or more accurately, the lack thereof. Try as she might, she just couldn't properly express what she was thinking, and how she was feeling.
She knew what she wanted to say, what she was trying to say. The words were all there in her mind, just waiting to be put down on paper. But try as she might, she just couldn't translate thought into physical form. When she tried, nothing would come out, and she'd experience an overwhelming sense of writer's block. And this fact was complicated by the fact that she was surrounded by numerous tempting distractions, that her mind was desperately wanting to focus on a lot more. And whenever she did succumb to such temptations -even unintentionally- any half-formed thoughts that had developed, were suddenly lost to her, and what she was going to say was gone, leaving her totally unable to recall them, and ever further dejected then before.
She really needed to learn to write down, what she was thinking about writing down. Or something like that anyway.
Maybe she could ask Twilight about enchanting her pencil, so that it would automatically write as she thought. Then things wouldn't get lost while she was in the process of getting her stationary out.
"Hello! Equestria to Sweetie Belle, are you there!?"
"Huh?" Sweetie Belle asked as she looked around. She then became aware of Apple Bloom and Scootaloo being present, looking confused, and annoyed.
"Ya were kinda zonin' out on us there," Apple Bloom explained.
"Oh. Sorry about that," Sweetie Belle replied and sighed again, before slowly closing her book. "I've been trying to write in my journal about what we've done. But I've got writer's block, and I can't get past it. No matter what I try, I just can't get the words down onto the paper," she explained and slid the book back into her saddlebags for the time being.
"But we haven't done anything today," Scootaloo pointed out, annoyed that she was apparently the only one who recognized the fact. She loved her friends, she really did. But, much as she hated to admit the fact, there were times when they could be such boneheads, and she often wanted to throw her hooves up in exasperation with them.
"Seriously, what's there to even write about? Us meeting up at Sugarcube Corner? Or the fact that we weren't able to think of any idea for getting our cutie marks today? Or the fact that Ponyville's still not put back together yet?" she asked them. She sure couldn't see anything about the morning that was particularly noteworthy. "Ooh, I know! We could write about the fact that nopony will tell us anything about what's going on around here!" she stated sarcastically.
"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom spoke up, not happy with the way things were starting to shape up. She knew that if she didn't interrupt the pegasus during her tirade, then things could quite possibly get ugly. But simply yelling at her wouldn't do any good. So it was time to do a bit of digging. "Wha's got ya so upset anyway? Ya've been testy fer days now," she pointed out. And she really had been. This hadn't been the first time Scootaloo had gotten snippy with them about one thing or another. And while she was willing to make allowances to some degree, this was starting to get out of hoof.
Scootaloo, in response to the question, sighed and huffed, before turning her attention towards the ground, letting her body slouch.
"I'm sorry. It's just... I'm really upset about Rainbow Dash, okay? Nopony's seen her for days now, and nopony will tell me anything about it! I tried asking Twilight if she knew anything, and all she would tell me is she hasn't seen her either. Where could she be?" Scootaloo asked them, although she really doubted either one of them would have any answers to give.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle remained silent as they watched their friend experiencing a mini-meltdown, everything now starting to make a greater deal of sense to them. It was certainly no secret that their pegasus companion idolized Rainbow Dash, and looked up to her like she was her own big sister. The only real reason they hadn't given it much thought up until now, was the simple fact that most of the time, they didn't directly interact with the friends of their older sisters. Or at least not all at once. Sure they saw Rainbow Dash around town, but not all the time.
"I'm sure she's alright. Otherwise we would've heard something by now. Ponyville's a small town, you know how news travels," Sweetie Belle pointed out, doing her best to try and put a positive spin on it. "I mean, even if nopony is talking to us directly, we would've overheard something from somepony telling somepony else."
"I know, I know. It's just... it's just not knowing and all. What could've happened? Where could she be? How come Raindrops and Thunderlane were assigned morning fog duty last week, when it's always Flitter and Cloudchaser doing that?" Scootaloo asked them, even though they couldn't possibly give her any answers. But asking the questions, and actually getting them out in the open where they could be heard, still felt better than just rolling them over in her own mind again and again.
Silence. Nothing but silence in the aftermath of her questions. All Scootaloo could do was sigh in response.
"Actually..." Apple Bloom started slowly, causing the other two to look at her. "Ah know it don' help ya any, Scoots, but ah'm worried 'bout Applejack too. An' fer the same reasons. The other night when Carrot Top was over fer dinner, Applejack came in cryin', covered in barf, and hugged me fer dear life an' almost suffocated me. Then Big Mac took 'er ta see Twilight, an' we didn't see hide nor hair o' her 'til the next mornin'. Ah've tried askin' 'er 'bout what happened, an' she won't tell me anythin' 'bout it. She says she's alright, but ah don' really believe 'er," she explained.
"Alright you two, stop it, this is getting spooky," Sweetie Belle stated, drawing their attention to them. "I don't know what happened, or when it happened, but something did happen to Rarity over a week ago, and she won't tell me anything about it. Every time I try and ask her, she just tells me not to worry about it. That it's an adult matter I wouldn't understand. That a lady doesn't pester others when they make their positions known. Ugh!" Sweetie Belle groaned at the last part. Sometimes she wondered if Rarity's focus on social acceptability and manners, was interfering with everything else.
"Now tha's jus' flat out weird," Apple Bloom stated.
"But what's it all mean?" Scootaloo asked, now finding herself intrigued by what they were saying.
"I don' know," Apple Bloom replied. If there was any sense to be made out of this mystery, then she wasn't seeing it for herself. "But considerin' tha' whatever's goin' on involves our sisters, ah think it involves us too."
"And if it involves us," Sweetie Belle began, "then it's only right that we get ourselves more involved, and see what we can figure out."
"Yeah! Now you're talking!" Scootaloo announced excitedly and raised her right hoof in the air. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom followed her example, as they did a team high hoof. They had a plan for a course of action on how to proceed, and that's exactly what they were going to do!
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
And just like that, all of the excitement had been sucked right out of the surrounding area, and Scootaloo couldn't help but groan at hearing that voice. She hated that voice. She hated that voice, and the pony it belong to, and the pony that usually followed alongside...
Turning her attention to the southwest, her misery -and the misery of her two friends- was confirmed by the arrogant approach of Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. This was gonna be so not good...
"Looks like the same old, same old, if you ask me," Silver Spoon commented as they came to a stop several paces away. "What's the matter? Still no bright ideas for earning your cutie marks?" she asked snidely.
"Well..." Apple Bloom began and huffed. She knew that getting out of this one without an exchange of words wasn't going to be possible. So they might as well just face the music and get it over with. "If ya mus' know, we're tryin' ta figure out wha's goin' on wit' our sisters. Somethin's wrong wit' Applejack an' Rarity, an' they won' tell us squat. An' nopony's seen Rainbow Dash at all in days, an' that jus' ain' like 'er," she explained.
Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement, deciding to be cordial, as it would get them -somewhat- further than abrasiveness, and -reasonably- quicker too.
"It's not just them, something's wrong with Miss Ditzy as well. The last few days, she's been considerably melancholy; you can tell it just by looking at her when she's delivering the mail," she explained.
"Wait, seriously? You can?" Scootaloo asked, surprised by that assessment. Sweetie Belle just nodded again, indicating that it was indeed possible. Maybe it was something that came about from having Rarity as her big sister; all that uppity society nonsense and stuff.
"And you think that you three are the ones to figure out just what's going on?" Diamond Tiara asked them skeptically.
"It sure beats sittin' aroun' doin' nothin'," Apple Bloom replied. "We jus'... don' know where ta start is all..." she admitted. That was one thing they hadn't yet figured out, as they'd been interrupted before they could actually get to that part.
Silver Spoon had a witty response to give them. But before she could even get her mouth open to give it, Sweetie Belle spoke up first.
"Well we could always find Ulquiorra and ask him for advice. He's practically a genius like Twilight, I'm sure he could give us an idea of where to start looking for answers."
"Well I guess you could do that. But do you really think that's such a good idea?" Diamond Tiara asked them critically.
"Well why wouldn't it be?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Yeah," Scootaloo chimed in, "why wouldn't it be a good idea to ask him?"
"Just think about it. Doesn't it all seem just a little strange to you?" Diamond Tiara asked them. But she already knew that she'd have to spell it out for them, otherwise they'd never get what she was trying to say. "A visiting dignitary, of a species we've never seen before, from some land we've never heard of before, is here to establish diplomatic relations with Equestria, when he apparently doesn't know anything about us? Traveling by himself, without any sort of escort, or security detail, like a regular dignitary would? And Princess Celestia thinks the best place to send him, so he can learn more about the land, is Ponyville? She doesn't insist on him being up in Canterlot, or some other important location that could give him a better idea of what he's getting into?"
"Mr. Cifer don' need a security detail fer 'imself," Apple Bloom pointed out.
Again, Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.
"We saw what he can do. Up close. Saying he's strong and capable would be an understatement," she explained. They'd been present to witness his Cero, and she'd felt what it was like to be in its presence. If Ulquiorra needed a security detail to keep himself safe, then... actually, that was a thought she didn't want to consider. It was just too disturbing to even think about. The idea of Ulquiorra not being able to fend for himself was... it was just too crazy to give any real thought to.
Diamond Tiara wanted to point out that strength had nothing to do with having a security detail in place. But she was pretty sure the point would be lost on these three. However she could point out something else along those lines just as easily.
"Even if that is the case, doesn't it strike you as just a little weird, what he's been doing here? Why would a visiting dignitary to a foreign land, here for the sole purpose of establishing diplomatic relations, go along on a mission to clear out a slumbering dragon? Never mind going along voluntarily, why was he even allowed to be present in the first place? What if he'd gotten killed? What would that have done for the whole diplomatic relations thing he was trying to set up?" she asked them. And from the looks on their faces, they didn't have any answers to give.
"And while we're on that subject, don't you think it's all just a little suspicious?" Silver Spoon asked them. "A dragon just happens to show up the day after we meet him? And he just happens to be present, so it can be witnessed that he can supposedly hold his own against a fully grown dragon?"
"It's Ponyville. There's always a dragon er somethin' in the area," Apple Bloom pointed out.
"We are next to the Everfree Forest, after all," Sweetie Belle added and nodded.
"Alright, fair point, fair point," Diamond Tiara conceded. She hated that they had a valid counterpoint; especially one that was so easy to throw out in response. "But even allowing for that, doesn't everything that's happened recently, just strike you as even a little bit suspicious? First the dragon, then the changelings, that freaky eclipse over Canterlot, and then the manticore, all in about two weeks time? And all of it happening only after he first came to town? All of it only after he was in the area, and able to respond to it?" she asked them.
"Wait, what're you saying?" Scootaloo asked, confused by it all.
"They're saying that Ulquiorra might be the one responsible for everything that's been going wrong around here," Sweetie Belle elaborated.
"Right on the first try," Silver Spoon announced. Diamond Tiara nodded in agreement.
"That can't be the case! Princess Celestia trusts 'im!" Apple Bloom objected.
"Yeah, and Princess Luna does too! He can't be the one doing all this," Scootaloo added.
Diamond Tiara merely scoffed in response.
"That really doesn't mean anything. I mean, I have as much respect for the Princesses as anypony, but it's not like they're perfect. They're not clairvoyant, they can't see into the future," Silver Spoon replied.
"And how do you know that they can't?" Scootaloo shot back, not finding this line of talk very pleasant. What would an uppity filly like her know about anything relating to the Princesses?
"They were at the same party we were two weeks ago," Diamond Tiara pointed out. Confused blinks and stares were her response from the three. Sighing, she continued. "If Princess Celestia could predict the future, and had reason to know that the manticore would attack Ponyville, why would she be at the party, all the way at Sweet Apple Acres, where she couldn't do anything to save the others? Do you really think she'd do that, knowing for certain that others were going to get killed in her absence?" she asked them.
And slowly, she could see the dawn of realization coming over them. And at that, she smiled.
"Like I said, I respect the Princesses as much as anypony, but they're not perfect. Just because they trust Ulquiorra, doesn't necessarily mean that he's trustworthy," she pointed out.
No retorts. No rebuttals. No excited utterances. Diamond Tiara was actually surprised by this.
"Alright," Sweetie Belle began, breaking the uncomfortable silence in the process. "Let's assume all that's true. Let's assume that, somehow, Ulquiorra has the ability to manipulate the local predators in the surrounding territory, and provoke them to the point where he can direct them to attack as he see fit. For what purpose? Where's the motivation? What's the endgame to such a strategy, that would in any way benefit him? What's he stand to gain from starting a crisis, just to go and solve it himself right afterward?" she asked.
"Tha's a perdy good point right there," Apple Bloom agreed and nodded, before turning back to the two rich fillies. "Where is the motive in all o' this anyway?" she asked.
Diamond Tiara frowned. These three were proving to be more intelligent and aware than she'd originally thought they'd be. Normally that was a good thing. But right now... well right now she wasn't all that sure.
"Look. What you three do is up to you. I'm not saying that he can't be trusted, I'm just saying that something seems fishy about it all. Surely even you three can see that," she replied.
"Yeah, whatever," Scootaloo replied and waved her hoof dismissively at them, before turning back to Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "Come on, girls, let's try Sweet Apple Acres. That's as good a place to look for clues as anywhere."
Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara watched in silence as the three took their leave. That whole interaction... could've gone better.
"So... what was the game plan of that again?" Silver Spoon asked once they were out of sight.
"Just trying to get those three thinking logically," Diamond Tiara replied. She would admit -more to herself than anyone else- that the gumption to get up and do something was respectable. But their total lack of conscious, deliberate thought, left them looking ridiculous. And their blind trust in that pale stranger, treating him like the greatest thing since sliced bread, did nothing to help their image.
"I mean... surely we're not the only one who can see that something's not right," she continued as she and Silver Spoon started walking again. "We're not, are we?"
"I dunno, Diamond," Silver Spoon replied. Sometimes she really had reason to wonder. Granted they -much like everypony else- had been curious about the visiting foreign dignitary, and doing their best to give him the right impression of their little town.
For the first day anyway.
After that, and when the stories and rumors started to circulate, they had reason to be suspicious. Or rather, Diamond Tiara had reason to be suspicious, and had managed to convince her enough to be as well; she honestly didn't know just where her friend had gotten those books about what being a foreign diplomat actually involved, but it had served to prove the point well enough, and illustrate what didn't seem right.
Unfortunately they seemed to be in the minority on this matter. Wherever they looked, when talk of the Arrancar came up, it was like all the adults were under a spell that blinded them to the inconsistencies. They didn't question why a foreign dignitary would be going out and getting involved in violent conflicts with dangerous predators, they just took it at face value. And with her eyes opened to the inconsistencies, it was maddening to watch unfold around her.
"All this thinking is making my head hurt. What say we go and get a root beer float or something?" she suggested.
"When you're right, you're right," Diamond Tiara agreed. There was only so much that they could actually do in any given situation. They might be able to serve as motivation to make others strive for improvement, but that could only go so far. If others had no desire to learn, or to improve themselves, then there was nothing they could do about that. That was just the nature of it all. "Last one to Sugarcube Corner pays for both."
"Diamond Tiara!"
She'd been fully prepared to race Silver Spoon, but stopped in her tracks at the sound of the voice calling her name. It was a voice that she didn't recognize at all. And it was an unnaturally deep tone that left her feeling disturbed to hear, as it just seemed to echo freely.
"Who... who's there?" she asked, her voice shaky.
"Diamond Tiara!"
She nearly felt herself jumping out of her skin the second time around. It wasn't just simply disturbing to hear, it was utterly terrifying. And worse than that, it sounded like it was right behind her. She really, really didn't want to, but something left her feeling utterly compelled to look behind her, and see just what it was.
And when she did, she screamed at what she actually saw.
Just two paces behind her, mounted on a wooden stake that had been rammed into the ground, was the severed head of some random pony, its skin dried, dessicated, and severely discolored, with its mane -what was left of it- being limp and stringy. Its eyes were gouged out, leaving nothing but two vacant sockets behind to stare back at her. Its dried lips were drawn back, bearing its grungy, uneven teeth in a long-dead snarl aimed directly at her.
She immediately turned around to bolt as fast as her legs would carry her. But as she turned around she screamed again. All around her were dozens, no, hundreds, of severed heads, each of then impaled on wooden stakes . Stallions, mares, and foals. She was utterly surrounded by a sea of dead faces, their expressions ones of utter terror, and unbelievable agony, and in varying stages of decay. There were ponies she recognized, and ponies she didn't recognize. It was like the entire town was present.
And as she turned around again, unable to stop herself from looking upon their faces in terrified, morbid curiosity, were the severed heads of not only the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but also her best friend Silver Spoon.
"You're on!" Silver Spoon stated, preparing to pound the ground all the way to Sugarcube Corner for a free treat.
But she'd just barely started, when Diamond Tiara let out an ear-piercing scream from behind her, causing her to stop in her tracks. Now she knew that her friend wasn't above cheating to win, but never before did she just scream to do that. This was something else. Even with a free float on the line, she turned back around to look, and saw Diamond Tiara laying on the ground, rolled up in a ball, and shaking like a leaf.
"Hey, DT, what's wrong?" she asked as she approached and shrugged her friend, trying to get a response out of her.
Seconds seemed to tick by agonizingly slow as she stood over her fallen friend, trying to get some sort of response out of her. For all she knew, she could've been standing there for over an hour, before she finally broke out of whatever trance had power over her, and she looked up at her. The next thing she was actually aware of, Diamond Tiara had pounced on her, knocking her to the ground in the process, and was trying to pry her necklace off with her hoof.
"You're... you're okay..." Diamond Tiara wheezed shakily.
"Hey, DT, what gives?" Silver Spoon asked, confused by all of it.
"Spoons... where... where're the others?"
Silver Spoon didn't know what struck her as stranger at the moment; the choice of nickname used in addressing her, or the hoarse whispering that it was used in.
"What others?" she asked. What was Diamond Tiara talking about? What had caused her to scream? Was she actually going to get any straight answers here?
"The Crusaders. W-where are they?" Diamond Tiara asked her shakily.
Now Silver Spoon went from being confused, to being concerned. She wasn't getting any answers, and the sudden change in her friend's demeanor was doing nothing to help her out. And that lack of clarity was starting to aggravate her as well. She was getting to the point where she really, really wanted to press Diamond Tiara for answers, and not let up until she actually got them.
That's what she really wanted to do. But she highly doubted that such an approach would yield anything beneficial. At the moment there was only one thought coming to her mind that might actually be of any use.
"If I help you find them, do you promise you'll start answering my questions?" she asked. It was only fair as far as she was concerned. One hoof washes the other and all that. "You're seriously starting to scare me..."
"I promise," Diamond Tiara replied and nodded quickly.
"Good. Now get off me," Silver Spoon told her. She couldn't be of much use from her position down here on the ground. And truth be told, she was really tired of being down on the ground in the first place.
"You know what? I just thought of something," Scootaloo announced as they stepped foot onto Sweet Apple Acres. "Just what exactly are we supposed to be looking for? And how're we gonna know what to look for? We didn't really have any luck when we tried getting our detective cutie marks..." she pointed out, remembering that particular flop in their long line of failures.
Setting out with gusto was fine and all. But stopping to actually think over the practicalities of everything could really bring that gusto down to nothing in a hurry. And when it did, it tended to leave a lot of uncertainty in its wake.
"Ah dunno, Scoots. Big Macintosh said Mr. Cifer spent the whole night lookin' fer clues an' couldn' find any," Apple Bloom replied. Now that she stopped to think about it, she couldn't help but wonder just what could they do, that the Espada himself couldn't do? He was the most capable one, and yet he'd come up empty handed. That wasn't exactly a comforting thought to entertain right now. "Do ya think we might be in over our heads?"
"We could be. But at least we have the daytime to be searching in. That might be an advantage," Sweetie Belle replied. If Ulquiorra really had searched all night, that meant diminished light. And not knowing how good his eyesight was at night, there was no telling how things had gone. "Plus we've still got the magnifying glasses in our detective kits. And unlike him, we've had years to learn about the terrain, he's had less than a month to get familiar with it. Maybe we'll be able to notice something that he overlooked," she pointed out, doing her best to keep their little group optimistic about success. If they could find out something about what Applejack went through, maybe they could do the same for Rarity and Rainbow Dash.
She didn't want to admit to it, but she seriously doubted that they'd be getting their cutie marks for this. But family took precedent over cutie marks any day, so it really wasn't a big deal.
"Crusaders! Hey, Crusaders, where are you three?!"
The sudden yell from behind them gave reason for pause; especially once they recognized the voice. That was enough reason to be gripped by curiosity, and turn around to observe as both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were running up the road at a frantic pace; and with Diamond Tiara being out in front, despite easily being the fatter of the two.
There were no words available to explain just how weird this whole situation was to watch. They had no idea just what to say, as they observed the pink filly tripping and falling to the ground, before getting back up to her hooves, and continuing to run as if she didn't care in the least.
"Jus' wha's goin' on here?" Apple Bloom asked out loud as Diamond Tiara came to a stop in front of them, panting and gasping for breath, and barely able to stand up on her own four legs at this point.
"You're," Diamond Tiara panted, "you're alright. You're alright..."
"Yeah, Diamond, they're alright," Silver Spoon replied, but with much less enthusiasm about it. "Now what's this all about? Why'd we have to run all the way here? What was the big deal?" she asked. Diamond Tiara had promised her answers if she assisted in finding their quarry, and if it proved necessary, she fully intended to hold her to that promise.
Diamond Tiara looked around her at everyone assembled, trying to slow her breathing down to a more manageable degree. And once that was achieved, she nodded somewhat, and prepared to speak.
"Shortly after you three left, I heard somepony calling my name. But when I turned around, all I saw was somepony's cut off head on a stick. Then when I turned around again, it was like everypony in the whole town had their heads cut off, and put on sticks all around me. And I mean everypony, even you three. A-and it was just so real! All around me, all I could smell was blood and rot! I-it was terrifying!"
The Crusaders looked at each other in confusion, and then back at the other two, observing Diamond Tiara's currently hysterical state as she told her tale of what gruesome things she witnessed. And they also observed the disgusted reaction coming from Silver Spoon, suggesting that if this really was a prank, then it was one she wasn't in on. And that was a serious breech of the recognized and observed protocol witnessed between these two; they were always working together, never apart.
That fact served as sufficient evidence to them that something was very, very wrong here.
"What... what should we do?" Scootaloo asked as she looked at Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, hoping that they'd have answers she didn't. She had no idea how they were supposed to respond to this. What exactly was the proper response when your nemesis sought you out to warn you that they had the vision of you having your head cut off?
And warning seemed like the only way of accurately explaining it. This wasn't mean-spirited bragging, as there were too many tears involved for that. It was... almost like she cared or something...
"Ah think we should take 'er ta see Twilight. If anypony knows wha's goin' on 'round 'ere, it'll be her," Apple Bloom pointed out. Right now it was the only thing coming to mind that actually made sense. Without waiting for a response, she turned her attention back to the shaking pink filly before them. "C'mon, Diamon', le's get ya back ta Ponyville an' see wha' we can figure out."
Sweetie Belle and -much to each of their surprises- Silver Spoon watched as Diamond Tiara climbed back to her hooves, muttering incomprehensible matters to herself, as she stood next to Apple Bloom as they all waked off back to Ponyville. And much to her surprise, Scootaloo had taken up her opposite side.
"This is just getting weirder and weirder," she stated as she turned to Silver Spoon. "Do you think that maybe this is all connected? We decided to look for clues about our sisters, and five minutes later, Diamond Tiara has... this going on?" she asked.
"I don't know. I wish I knew. Right now your guess is as good as mine," Silver Spoon replied, before walking after the others, with Sweetie Belle following alongside. "One second we were getting ready to race to Sugarcuge Corner, the next we're making our way out here, and she wouldn't tell me anything about why or what. It really freaked me out," she stated. But that wasn't to say that actually knowing what had gotten her friend so upset, had put her anymore at ease. If anything it'd only freaked her out more than before.
"Hey... Silver Spoon..." Sweetie Belle spoke up, "I was just thinking. Until we get this whole mess sorted out... maybe we should have a truce or something?" she asked.
"What? A truce? With you three?" Silver Spoon asked incredulously. Sweetie Belle simply nodded in reply. "Yeah. I guess I could see that being a good idea," she replied and sighed. With no way of telling just what was wrong with her friend, right now she could use some extra help.
Sweetie Belle smiled at the news, trying not to burst into excited squeals in the process. This was very good news for them.
And for her, it was already helping solve an earlier dilemma that had been driving her nuts.
Tuesday, June 25, 0002 ANM
Today we experienced what's quite possibly the weirdest thing we've ever experienced, since the time Ulquiorra informed us that he has the ability to fly even without wings.
Twilight winced as she stepped through the library, each little muscle movement that she made as she moved, caused her ribs to burn as they were pulled against. But the pain was greatly subdued, compared to when she'd gotten kicked. She could actually be ambulatory without wanting to scream at each little movement made. She could actually take a step without having to bite her lip, to avoid unleashing a string of curses. And for that fact, she was infinitely thankful.
Granted, getting down the stairs had been a tedious challenge all in itself. But the payoff of being back in the library, surrounded by her books and research notes, was well worth the pain and effort.
"Maybe now I can get something done," she said to herself as she looked around the room, trying to decide where to start. Being down as long as she had, had really left her uncertain of just what she wanted to start on, as there was just so much to do.
And then there was a knock at the door. With a silent sigh to herself, she turned around and approached, before opening to whoever had decided to visit.
Much to her surprise, it was Ditzy Doo.
"Hello, Ditzy, what brings you by today?" she asked curiously.
"Um... Twilight? Do you... do you know anything about canterian demons?" Ditzy asked, fidgeting as she spoke.
Twilight blinked in confusion at the question. She knew that Ditzy was... unique... when it came to her outlook on things. But this was weird even for her. Why was she asking about something from an old, mediocre-grade horror story, that written over thirty years ago?
"Not particularly. Why?" she asked. And as she did, she observed how Ditzy seemed to grow more fidgety in response.
"Uh... could I come in? It's kind of a long story," she replied.
"Of course," Twilight replied and moved aside to let the gray pegasus step inside. Whatever was going on, it obviously had her disturbed. And whatever the connection was to the fictional canterian demons, she was likely about to find out. "So what's this about?"
"Well..." Ditzy started as she tried to steel her nerves, "it all started about five days ago, when I was making breakfast..."
Congrats on the feature today!
5353424 Tirek and Aizen did the Fusion Dance and became Aizrek!
from the last chapter when the mention of strange chemicals in RDs system made me think of Szayelaporro Granz
... I don't... I can't...
...
...
WHAT! You're telling me that Ditzy ( Derpy Hooves) Doo, made a reference to a demon that may- or may not exist- who is capable of creating high powered hallucinations and not Ulqiorra?!
Charlie_K, say it ain't so!
Huh. First the Elements now foals, and quite possibly Ditzy. The plot thickens . . . of course its thickened so much by now you could use it to hammer in nails.
And now things are finally falling into place. This is going to be very interesting indeed...
5353775 Now I look forward to the next chapter even more.
5353798 Dude, at this point the plot's thick enough I could forge into armour, sword, and shield. And I would be unstoppable, and unable to move under the weight, This is denser than lead, and thicker than the entire solar system, with no signs of thinning, which is why this is easily my favourite story on FimFiction.
Seriously, this story... No, story doesn't do this justice, this book, has even beaten out Diaries of a Madman and Man of War. That is no easy feat. Charlie K, you have my respect, and admiration. You continue to do what I cannot, churn out chapters on even intervals, that are of a quality nearly unseen outside the writing legends. May all your endeavors be blessed by whatever deity or power you hold dear.
… intriguing… Enemy X is going for the youth now… it appears its targets are without meaning… sporadic… first an element, that would make sense… but then a mailmare… and then ANOTHER element… now a filly? There's a sort of 'target, no-target' pattern… but WHY? Why go after side targets? Especially those who aren't directly related to the Elements? I mean, it doesn't psychologically impact- oh, shit. I see what they're doing, and it is clever. Strike at a small group of people, you just hit that alone. But if you get a few from everyone, there's nowhere to go. Enemy X's hallucinations aren't just to get the Elements. They're to spread wide paranoia and panic across Ponyville. Something tells me this enemy may have experience in this kind of stuff...
Dude, another great chapter. As the ones above stated, the plot for this is just getting better and better. It's so enjoyable to have a story with a plot that makes you think, and that isn't spelled out for us.
Oh. My. Luna. Didn't find a single typo... young padawan you have indeed come far.
Interesting characterization. I find it agreeable.
Couple boo-boos I noted:
"steak" should be "stake" and "that written" seems to be missing a word.
Ah, so we either have a general idea of what the Big Bad/ possibly just The Dragon is.
Or this is fauxshadowing and the demon has nothing to do with this.
Edit: Clarification added.
5354443 I get that you mean the "The Dragon" trope. But as this world has dragons it would cause a bit less confusion if you made it a hyperlink to the trope's page, as I have instead of just stating the dragon.
5353713
What, again? Really? This is getting to be amazing.
5353737
Now don't be ridiculous.
There's no way Tirek could squat down enough for a proper fusion.
5353761
Granz would've probably gone for something more extreme than just chemicals though.
5353775 5354443 5353898
As much as I'd love to keep you three -and all the others- in suspense about a demon's possible involvement, I simply can't. Ditzy's experience was a reference to the Evil Dead trilogy. That's why I went with things like a deformed monster yelling "I'll swallow your soul!" and mention of Canterian (Kandarian) demons, and the story about them being around 30 years old.
All I can guess is that the reference, and the reference to Lord of the Rings a few chapters back, was too obscure.
5353798
Thickens indeed.
5354011
I've actually beaten out those two stories? How exactly?
5354161
There are evil bastards all over the place.
5354227
I try my best.
5354761
Yeah with the whole featured thing, it gets to a point where every time you upload a new chapter you will get a feature, since everyone who has it on a bookshelf and sees it goes to it at the relatively same time.
5354761 Quality, interest, and characterization. Those three things, coupled with regular updates, has made this story great. I'll admit, Diaries of a Madman is fairly close, but neither it nor Man of War quite bring as much interest as this. Diaries of a Madman and Man of War have obvious enemies, whom aren't really hiding. HiE, however, has a sense of mystery and intrigue. Your villain isn't spelled out, there is no clear plan of action that the characters can take, and you just keep piling on more hints without really revealing anything, but also without that feeling of smugness I usually get from mystery books. Altogether, you've really made this literary gold.
Sorry if I don't make sense, I literally just got up not ten minutes ago.
And things keep on getting interesting with now more ponies getting affected, it seems like it is heading towards the entire town getting affected. It is rather amusing to see that the children tend to be more perceptive then the adults at times. At least Twilight can talk now, probably will not need to be wheeled around anymore either. Great chapter.
5354761 Makes sense. No trouble at all, dude
Good
5354761 Maybe they stole the Kai's fusion earings?
5357485
Well then they're permanently fucked from experiencing two entirely different centers of gravity, and simultaneously. Ulquiorra wouldn't even have to kick their asses, he could just stand back and watch at they continue to fall down flat, unable to even stand up, much less present a credible threat to Equestria.
5357546 i like how all you need to do anymore is put out a new chapter and you are instantly on the front of the site. how does it feel to be such a boss?
5357652
In a way it feels good, but at the same time it's very humbling once you understand how getting featured works. It's not possible without a lot of fans backing you in your endeavors, meaning that I've set the bar pretty high, and I need to keep up with it. So it's pretty much equal parts "Hell yes!" and "Oh fuck!"
5357911
Yeah that was probably one of the thoughts going through his head at the time, but he simply refused to pay it any attention.
5357546 Aizen doesn't need such silly things like gravity!
And Tirek beat gravity up and stole its lunch money!
5361247
Not a clue about the purple thing.
You raise some good points about the structure of the chapter. And I've often considered whether to go back and revise it to reflect the modern standards of what I've learned over my time writing, or to leave it as is, so others can study the evolution of writing for themselves.
As to the language issue. Oh if I only knew then what I knew now. I would've been doing some things that were far different. But I didn't take minotaurs and such into account. And if I go back and revise them, it's going to ruin some of the cute/funny moments in the future chapters. So I'm kinda stuck with old cliche about how hoof meets hand and such.
5361973
it's not necessarily that the Elements are weaker in terms of power, they're just more vulnerable than they were.
5362018
Read on. It's bound to happen sooner or later.
Finally caught up. By the way, ya, that's what I was implying for the elements. They are stronger now, but more vulnerable. We agree.
Now whoever is messing with the ponies of Ponyville is just having fun (the sick bastard). Unless he/she is trying to cause confusion and terror by attacking random ponies in such a way that nopony knows they are under attack. What a mind fuck.
My guess?
Whoever's doing this is dropping them clues.
Now they have an eye-witness to the actual event itself, and can compare Spoon's and Diamond's accounts for further hints.
But why would they want to be found?
5367824
Arrogance? Believing themselves to be so far beyond the comprehension skills of the victims, that even with clues they'll never figure it out in time? Or perhaps, much like the Riddler, they're psychologically incapable of not leaving clues to be picked up by others? Perhaps the guilty party is someone who wants to be caught and discovered, but only by someone worthy enough to picking up on the hidden details.
5361995
That assumes humanity WILL wipe itself out.
Despite 60 years of nukes, we have somehow managed to avoid turning Earth into a radioactive desert.
The human-triggered nuclear apocalypse stuff is getting reaaaaaally old. Seriously, it's been used since the 50's... thousands of times in books, movies, tv, comics, etc...
That's why they had to invent global warming! The nuke stuff was growing stale.
5368010 Scootaloo should totally so SSJ-50 bajillion and kick everyone's ass.
That would be totally metal.
(Like this?)
5367709 And I was making an observation about how similar Ulquiorra's opinion on life was to Scrooge's, as well as the timing of making that observation of mine. :P
5379072
theflatearthsociety.org
Doesn't matter how clear something may seem, someone can come up with something insane or mathematical to make it seem wrong.
And oh, you're just going to love a rant that happens way later.
5379486
My senior year history teacher handed out a packet with a pretty convincing argument for that one.
Diamond Tiara is being afflicted now? Alright, that seals it, this outside source of hallucinogenic substances HAS to be coming through something used by the general public, and I am blaming the water system. On the bright side, perhaps this development will help DT and SS form a friendship with the CMC.
...And 007 is actually part of the KGB and was fooling MI6 the whole time until he could get sent on a mission to help the CIA in the USA.
Not really, I actually firmly believe DT and SS will at least grow a little closer with the crusaders over this, I just wanted to use more abbreviations.
Its cthulhu
5458442
It would be awesome if that were the case, wouldn't it? One Eldritch Abomination (Cthulhu) against another Eldritch Abomination (Ulquiorra) in a battle to the death.
It would also be awesome, as only an Eldritch Abomination, which drives mortal men to insanity, would be enough to even get a chuckle out of Ulquiorra.
I assume canterian is a play on candarian?
Also, interesting idea of bring diamond tiara into this. I wonder where it will lead...
6208943
Yep. Story needed an Evil Dead reference.
...Oh no...
No, no no no no...
edit:
Something is starting to come together here. D.T. and Ditzy had no reason to be specifically targeted, yet they were victims... I might be out of line with this, but it sounds like somebody is testing a magically enhanced drug which automatically targets a victims fear center for their brain, then formulates hallucinations based off those fears, almost like a type of A.I. spell in the drug.
You know, there is this theory I have. I mean literally everything about applejack and DT's cases screams of kyoka suigetsu. There is obviously the issue of them never seeing the sword But that's where my theory Kicks in. You know, Aizen's acual Bankai has never been revealed. What if his bankai has Not only the ability to construct and overrite Memories,.But also increases the abilites of his shikai? That would certainly explain a Lot, and if Aizen's no longer has the hogyoku it would explain,.why He was so cautious But also why the mystery villian has Shown Sinns of arrogance, malice and sadism
I feel that hard...