Chapter Eighty Six
Chapter Eighty Six
Ulquiorra could do little more than simply stare at what he was seeing. The fully Hollowfied form of Ichigo Kurosaki was standing before him, and slowly making its way towards him, lumbering along as if victory had already been ensured, and it was simply going through the motions of reaching its predetermined destination; just like the last time they had met.
As if that weren't bad enough in and of itself, its zanpakutō, Tensa Zangetsu, was clutched firmly in its right hand. A desire for conflict with him was quite evident in its approach. Not that the Zanpakutō was actually necessary, considering how things had gone the last time around.
All of that, added directly on top of the fact that he couldn't sense a damn thing in this fog, apart from the reiatsu that permeated the entire area; just as it had done all across Ponyville. He wasn't getting a single detectable reading from it. But then again it was entirely possible he wouldn't even if his pesquisa was working in this mess; if the reiryoku level of the target was greater than the scope of comprehension to the one trying to feel it, they would ultimately read nothing at all, and it would come off as the target not being there. Considering how he had been taken to task the last time around, he couldn't rule it out as being a possibility.
In light of all of these facts culminating together, he did the only thing he could think of in this situation. He set the lantern down on the ground, and clapped his hands together, slowly, three times.
"To whoever is listening, and responsible for all of this, I must commend you," he stated to no one in particular. "How you went about gathering your information, I don't know, nor do I particularly care, as it's none of my concern. But conjuring the image of the one that killed me the first time around, that's a fairly creative strategy to engage in. All things said, it was a reasonable assumption to conclude that the one responsible for my death would be adequate for inducing sufficient terror in me, and motivate me to abandon my mission here, in locating the missing foals."
As he spoke, he noticed that the form of Ichigo Kurosaki's Hollowfied state ceased its advancement on him; almost as if it were waiting for something to happen. Whether that something was him making the next move, or instructions to be delivered, he didn't know. Nor did he really care.
"That fact aside, your information is considerably lacking. Unlike the ponies you've been dealing with up to this point, I have no fear that can actually be triggered, regardless of what illusions you might attempt to conjure, and put into my path. Nor do I have time to be dealing with an intangible illusion that ultimately poses no threat to me."
With nothing left to say on the matter, he retrieved the lantern by the bale handle, and turned to leave.
"The effect would've been more convincing, had the shihakushō not been shredded to the exact same extent it was when we last crossed paths," he added offhandedly.
The firm grip on his right shoulder, however, made him stop in his tracks, and slowly turn his head to regard who or what had just grabbed him from behind. And it was the bony white hand that was firmly squeezing his shoulder, that told him the illusion was not of the intangible variety.
The lantern fell from his grip, landing upright on the ground with a clatter, as he found himself roughly flung backwards, his body leaving the ground as he traveled through the air, before finally coming to a stop as he crashed against a tree, and falling against the ground.
It was more a matter of stunned disbelief, rather than actual pain that had him laying face down on the forest floor during the immediate aftermath of what just happened. He hadn't anticipated anything like this happening, and it took his mind a few seconds to actually process everything that was taking place, before he climbed back to his feet again.
He was dealing with a physical construct, rather than an intangible illusion. A physical construct with sufficient strength to go about tossing him around with apparent ease. It stood to reason that its purpose here was to impede his process, and prevent him from finding -and thereby rescuing- the missing foals, for whatever reason.
"Unimpressive," he replied as he faced the construct again. "Am I truly supposed to be intimidated, simply because you're tangible, and have a modicum of physical strength about you?"
He didn't even bother waiting for a response. If the best the construct could do was throw him around like it had, then it was more of a nuisance than anything he truly had to concern himself with. The real Ichigo Kurosaki had put up a better fight than this, even without his Hollow mask coming into play. This was nothing but a pale imitation of the real thing.
In a flash of sonido he appeared directly in front of the Kurosaki construct -the Kurostruct perhaps?- standing toe to toe with it, his left arm drawn back, before driving it forward at an upward angle, slamming his fist right into the Hollow mask it wore as he fully extended his arm.
Just as had occurred in his case, the construct left the ground as it was sent flying backwards.
Unlike what had occurred in his case, however, the tree it crashed against shattered on impact as it was plowed through, sending wood fragments flying as the canopy toppled over and fell to the ground with a loud crash.
"I have no time to waste on the likes of you. There are more important matters to be tending to right now."
The lantern was picked up once again as Ulquiorra departed the area, there being no further reason to remain present. The fog presented no credible threat to him that would warrant his attention. At the best it was nothing more than a hindrance that would slow him down; nothing more.
But enough about that. Finding some physical trace of the foals in this mess was going to be the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. And neither a magnet, nor fire were viable options for achieving that goal in this case. He needed a way to go about removing the fog from the equation in order to clear his senses. With his pesquisa being unable to pierce the veil of the fog, it was like not having it at all. It was... disorienting to experience one of his senses suddenly unavailable to him, and there being nothing that he could do about it. Not being able to reach out and feel his surroundings for miles as he was accustomed to was... claustrophobic perhaps? It was something that he hadn't experienced since his time in the void. And truth be told, he didn't care for it either.
He suddenly felt himself grabbed from behind by his neck, and lifted right off the ground with little effort, before suddenly being slammed face first against the forest floor. He then found himself being lifted back up by his neck, at least as far as his upper body was concerned, before being slammed against the ground again, and again, and again.
Before he could be slammed against the ground a fifth time, he reached around behind him with his free hand, and latched onto what currently had a hold of him, before proceeding to forcefully wrench it loose, and then fling it forward, whatever it was.
As he was free to get back to his feet again, whatever it was turned out to be the Kurostruct, currently laying face down from being thrown, but in the process of climbing back to its feet as well.
He had to reevaluate the facts surrounding the matter. The physical construct that he faced not only had physical strength for throwing him about, it also possessed notable durability, as it apparently survived the same degree of force that had successfully brought down the dragon he'd encountered on his second outing from Canterlot.
This whole situation was actually managing to become more and more interesting with each passing minute. But interesting or not, he didn't have time to be fucking around like this.
"You're nothing more than an annoyance that I don't need right now; no different than a nail jutting its way through a shoe."
In response to his evaluation, the Kurostruct growled, before breaking into a full-fledged roar, a wild and uncontrolled aura of blood red flaring out from its body in the process.
Ulquiorra's response was far more to the point; that being him sonidoing right in front of it, and punching it straight in the exposed throat. That immediately broke its bolstering posture as it choked. He then followed up by sweeping its legs out from under it with his left leg, bringing it crashing against the ground on its back, before raising his outstretched leg, and then bringing it back down as he stomped on its face.
The force behind the stomp was enough to disturb the ground beneath them, causing cracks to form in the tough soil that split apart the sod. He stomped down again, furthering the cracks as the Kurostruct's head was being forced through the ground like an oversized tent stake. He stomped down a third time, this time with enough force for its head to be completely buried, with only its angular horns remaining visible above ground.
"The resemblance really is amazing," Ulquiorra commented idly, before delivering a fourth stomp to the head, driving even the horns completely underground now, before stepping out of the hole he'd made in the process. Whatever was the driving force behind all of this had certainly captured the most notorious aspects of Ichigo Kurosaki in its recreation of his Hollowfied form. All brute force, no intelligent thought whatsoever, and a tendency to yell without coherent thought.
Even the stubborn refusal to relinquish its hold of its zanpakutō was present. That simply wouldn't do.
He stepped down on the Kurostruct's forearm, applying all of his weight as he grasped it by the wrist, and pulled upward. If his enemy refused to give up of their own volition, then it wouldn't have any choice about being disarmed... one way or another.
Before he could successfully break whatever was serving as bones in the construct's body, and potentially tear the arm off entirely, he felt his right ankle being firmly grasped. Apparently there was still a great deal of fight that had to be taken out of this one. He'd just have to tend to that. He quickly relinquished his hold on the right arm, and grabbed the left arm by the wrist to pry it loose from his ankle, preventing any counterattack that might involve throwing him about yet again.
"How much of a beating can you take, before whatever form of cohesion that's keeping your frame together becomes insufficient for doing such?" he asked rhetorically, before thrusting his right hand down into the hole to grab the kurostruct by its neck, and lift it up off the ground, and off its feet as well. "I'm rather curious. If I break your spine in half, will you die? If I tear your head off your neck, will your body dissolve away? If I shatter your skull, will I see a brain?"
Some of it was merely rhetorical, some was genuine interest in the physical limits of this construct. How exactly had this thing come to exist? How had it found him so soon after his arrival? Was this the work of the terror fog, or perhaps something else entirely? And if that was the case, how was the information gained?
"Perhaps I'll just bisect you instead, and find out the answers to my questions while I'm scooping out your innards. Let's find out, shall we?"
The immediate response on the part of the Kurostruct was to spring to new life and new vigor, gripping his arm tightly, and bringing its zanpakutō around to try and decapitate him.
Ulquiorra quickly responded by blocking with his forearm, a sharp thud sounding from where the edge met his skin and musculature.
Much to his surprise, he actually felt the edge of the blade successfully pierce his skin. However that was all it had succeeded in doing, as the underlying tissue remained undisturbed.
"Was that actually supposed to harm me?" he asked. But he didn't bother waiting for a response, as he knew that none would actually come. Instead he simply tightened his hold on the throat, before shrugging the blade away, and proceeded to steadily deliver blow after blow to the Kurostruct's face, the force of each successive impact causing its limbs to spasm helplessly as it relinquished its hold on him. And unlike last time, there was no ground to be pounded into, leaving nowhere to go to escape the full force of the beating.
"I don't expect surrender this time, as I know none will be given," Ulquiorra calmly stated, all the while never missing a punch. "Instead I'm simply going to grind your body into dust, and continue with my duties unopposed."
With the degree of durability he had witnessed so far, it was safe to conclude that said goal was going to take quite some time to complete. Wearing the construct down to the point its form could no longer maintain its cohesion was going to require both time and effort to accomplish.
This was one of the few areas in which the Quinto Espada might actually have a slight advantage over him. With the ability to sprout multiple arms in his released state, Nnoitra Gilga could easily restrain the Kurostruct with one hand, and pound away with five fists. Or restrain with two hands, and pound with four.
If the Quinto Espada were particularly inclined to engage in multi-tasking, he could choke with two hands, pound away with two fists, and play poker with his two remaining hands. He could see that being a possible course of action that might be engaged in.
All thoughts pertaining to how to best utilize additional body parts became immediately irrelevant when the next blow failed to meet its mark, and was instead stopped mere inches away from the point of contact when his wrist was tightly gripped by the Kurostruct's left hand. And much to his disbelief, it was actually demonstrating that it could pull his arm to the side, and prevent him from pulling it loose.
The next thing he knew, the Kurostruct swung its body up, and planted its foot right against his face in order to shove him away; a feat it accomplished with apparent ease, as he was sent skidding along the forest floor, before swinging his legs upward and flipping himself back upright, and grinding himself to a halt as he dug his feet in.
Where had that sudden increase in strength come from? Had it been that strong from the very beginning, and had simply been toying with him? Or had it somehow grown stronger in response to his own strength becoming known?
It was a question that he didn't have time to formulate an answer to, as the assault was now being pushed against him. Along with incredible strength, the Kurostruct apparently had incredible speed, and was on him in an instant, bringing its zanpakutō to bear in an effort to cut him in half right down the middle.
As fast as it was, however, he was simply much faster, and easily sidestepped the attack, leaving it to strike nothing but air. It made a second attempt from a different angle, to which he replied in much the same manner.
Whatever the controlling force behind the Kurostruct was, it was one that lacked any true physical combat experience, makings its effectiveness utterly pitiful. Wide, sweeping arcs that completely overshot the target, yet still continued in a nearly one hundred and eighty degree swing, before finally being righted and tried again in an effort of succeeding where the last had failed, were utterly useless. As well as being easy enough to avoid by ducking, dodging, sidestepping, leaning back, or even just pulling your leg out of the way of the swing.
He observed the movements, looking for an exploitable opening to take advantage of; a moment of being overextended that made preventing a counterattack unlikely, or a portion of the body that had more visible tension present than another that made it a prime candidate for targeting. Something that was apparent, without being obvious to the point that it had to be a trap meant to lure him in.
What he didn't expect to encounter, however, was an excess of openings in not only the stance, but also the attack. There was no finesse, present, no skill, no conscious thought; it was nothing but pure dumb brute force. Even the real Ichigo Kurosaki was more skilled than this. If he were in a sporting mood, he would point out that its zanpakutō could be used for stabbing thrusts, which would be infinitely more likely to be accurate, and require far less exertion, and far less leaving oneself exposed to a counterattack.
But he wasn't in a sporting mood, and simply opted for grasping the Kurostruct's wrist in his right hand on the next swing, effectively trapping the zanpakutō between them, and leaving it no way of moving.
"Are you trying to kill me? Or are you merely swatting at mosquitoes?" he asked.
His response came in the form of the Kurostruct snarling, and punching him right in the face with its left fist, momentarily blurring his vision, and nearly staggering him, but not enough to actually make him relinquish his grip. He responded in turn, in much the same fashion, only his punch proved to be much harder, and delivered a great deal more force at the point of impact.
This proved to be merely the start, as each of them began trading blows to each other's faces with their free arms, each of them trying to overcome the other. It was little more than a test of whose/what's constitution was superior to that of the other, and who could take the most abuse before having to give up. All the while, all around them, the sounds of their struggles echoed on with a concussive force all its own, to the point it would prove painful to listen to.
It was a clash of two wills of exceptional stubbornness, with bodies perfectly capable of standing up to whatever was dished out against them. On one side was the Espada, intent on carrying out his duties, and finding the missing foals before they could be utilized against them in any way. On the other side, was the one that had been dispatched to oppose him in any way necessary. One of them wielded considerable experience in the art of combat, their knowledge honed from countless years of struggling to survive in an environment far harsher than most could possibly imagine. The other wielded an uncanny ability to tolerate insane levels of abuse, and a determination at amounting to an insurmountable object that inhibited all advancement.
The struggle could've continued on for quite some time, with no clear answer as to who would win or not. If not for the interruption of one of Ulquiorra's punches being intercepted, as the Kurostruct actually bit down on his hand, and now kept it held firmly in its teeth, preventing him from pulling back for another blow.
"This isn't satire," he muttered, before relinquishing his hold on the Kurostruct's wrist, and quickly moving behind it to wrap his right arm around its head. "Say ahhh."
The Kurostruct growled as it quickly found its mouth being forcefully pried open, its lower jaw being pulled dangerously far as Ulquiorra freed his hand. But rather than withdrawing, he gripped the jaw and pulled harder. The sound of flesh, bone, and tendons being strained could easily be heard, suggesting that the breaking point was quickly being approached, and it was only a matter of time before the lower jaw was forcefully ripped off the face.
Ulquiorra, however, had a different idea in mind, and took a two-handed grip on the Kurostruct's head, one in the front and the other in the back, before forcefully wrenching the head around a full one hundred and eighty degrees, a muffled snapping sound accompanying the gesture as he came face to face with it once again.
As was to be expected, the Kurostruct's body went limp, and fell to the ground with a thud upon being relinquished.
With that obstacle cleared out of his way, Ulquiorra took the opportunity to catch his breath. He didn't care to admit to it, but having not had to test his physical capabilities in such a long time here in Equestria had done little to actually preserve his skills. The fight never should've lasted that long, and yet it had regardless. But as unacceptable as it was, there really wasn't much that he could do about it; it was all over now, and he was free to proceed.
Before he did proceed with his mission, something caught his attention; something that was wet and running on his face. Running the back of his left hand under his nose, he discovered what was wet was his own blood. As best he could figure, when they'd been trading blows with one another, one of those he'd taken to the nose had apparently been enough to do some actual damage.
"This night is just full of surprises," he idly commented. But it was unimportant right now, as he still had a mission to accomplish. Those foals weren't going to find themselves, and he wasn't accomplishing anything just standing around here.
Looking around, he eventually spotted where the lantern currently rested, laying extinguished but unbroken. The same couldn't really be said for the few remaining matches he had in his pocket. But so long as even a few inches of shaft remained attached to the head, it would be sufficient. The more troubling aspect was going to be the lack of physical signs that would indicate where to look; the ground out here was so hard, it was hardly conductive of good hoof prints from ones so small. He had been able to pick up on a physical trail up to the edge of the Everfree Forest, but after that it had become more inconsistent, until finally tapering off to nothing as the ground firmed up. After that he'd more or less been following reiatsu trails, until his pesquisa could no longer differentiate between them and the fog. Now it was more or less just guesswork on his part.
The number of questions being faced just seemed to increase as time went on. Why had this particular spot of the forest been selected? How had every foal in Ponyville disappeared without anyone noticing anything? How had they made it this far out without being attacked by the predators that made the Everfree Forest their home? What was the ultimate purpose of their abduction? What was the significance of the timing of all the events that had happened on this night. Where the fuck had the Kurostruct's crumpled body gone in the brief moment his back had been turned to it?
The answer to the last question was presented to him as he turned around to observe and survey his surroundings, just in time to observe the Kurostruct standing behind him, and thrusting its zanpakutō towards him with incredible speed. He didn't even have time to react before the tip of the sword managed to successfully gouge out his right eye before grinding to a halt against the bone of his eye socket, much to his utter shock.
Instincts and reflexes kicked in as he leaped back out of striking range and landed on his feet, putting several paces of distance between them. All the while wondering just how that had happened. His field of vision was restored as his eye regenerated -as did the damaged tissue in his nose- but it did nothing to help him understand the bigger issue at hand. He had heard the Kurostruct's neck snap, felt it snap in his hold. So how was it up and walking around, with its head facing forward again, like nothing had happened?
He knew that he didn't have to do this. He didn't have to stay here and fight the Kurostruct to defeat. He was under no obligation to kill it. He could simply sonido away, and continue on with his original intention that brought him here. But doing so was a hazardous course of action to engage in. He had no idea just what capabilities the Kurostruct had just yet, meaning it was a gamble to simply leave it alone. For all he knew, it had the same cero capabilities of its counterpart, and they might be used if he disappeared. The entire forest could potentially be leveled by such, putting everyone at risk.
All things considered, he honestly couldn't see any way out of this. He was going to need to stay until there was no longer a threat presented.
"Have it your way then," he said as he set the lantern back down on the ground in preparation of what would come next. "I'm sufficiently warmed up at this point. Let's get this over with, and see what you're really capable of."
Rainbow Dash huffed as she paced about the room impatiently, her wings twitching with each step she took. Despite all of the recent activity serving to help loosen up the muscles in her wings and back, it was still no substitute for a proper workout; something she hadn't had the luxury of doing since this whole ordeal had started. A few minutes of stretching per day wasn't anywhere near enough to keep her as limber as she liked.
But it wasn't her forced inactivity that had her upset right now. Rather it was Celestia's current condition.
"It's been way over twenty minutes, it should've worked by now. Why isn't it working?" she asked frantically, her pace quickening as she did. She was practically bristling with unease right now, and desperately fighting the urge to go flying off in search of some way of venting her frustrations.
"I do not know, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied as she sat on the bed and tried to maintain her composure, all the while hugging her sister, as much for Celestia's benefit as it was her own. Much like her young friend, she had pinned a great deal of hope on the antidote working as it was supposed to, and Celestia becoming right again afterward. But with every passing minute, and no signs of improvement, that hope was growing fainter and fainter. "Until just recently, I did not even know there was an antidote for terror fog. I have no experience with what should and should not occur."
"Fuck," Rainbow Dash groaned as she paused her pacing for about a second, before starting right up again.
"I'm sorry," Celestia mumbled, her gaze all but permanently affixed to the floor.
Rainbow Dash growled in response. She understood what Celestia was going through, she really did. But her empathy tank was running on empty right about now, leaving her very testy in response to to the alicorn's whimpering and apologies for an act that simply couldn't have been committed. She wanted to snap at her, and simply tell her to shut up already. But she didn't do that. Instead she held her tongue, and flew over to where the two sisters currently perched, before landing in front of them.
"Celestia, listen to me," she implored as she gently cradled the alicorn's face, bringing her line of sight up so she could look her in the eyes. "I get what you're going through, I really do. But I've been there, and you have to listen to me. It didn't happen, alright? I know that you thought it did, I know you believe it, but that's not the case. You've gotta try and remember that. Cadance is alive and well. I was with you when you got a message from her two days ago, remember? She was asking for help with a crossword puzzle; seven down, third letter was an F. Remember?" she asked.
Celestia shook her head in response, breaking Rainbow Dash's contact with her. "Not Cadance. Dawn."
"Dawn?" Rainbow Dash asked, blinking in confusion. She looked to Luna for clarification, but saw her looking equally perplexed. "Who's Dawn?"
"I do not know," Luna replied, before turning to Celestia for further inquiry. "I know that I have been away for a long time, sister, but I have dutifully researched the genealogy scrolls since my return. I do not remember any relatives who have ever gone by that name."
"She was your daughter, Luna. How can you not even remember your own daughter?" Celestia asked her in disbelief of what she was hearing.
Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide at hearing this. "Daughter? Wait, you're a mother?"
Luna quickly shook her head. "That would be an impossibility, I have never been pregnant. That is not to say that I have not entertained the thought of such before, but I have not even been approached by any potential suitors as of yet," she explained.
"Then what's all this "Dawn" business?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"I must admit, I do not know. A long time ago, I did think to myself that if I were to ever have a daughter, I would name her Dawn, but I never told anypony of that; not even Celestia. There is no way that she would know of... such..."
Luna grew silent, not even finishing her sentence before stopping. Rainbow Dash looked for clues as to what might be going through her mind, as whatever gears were in place worked to turn. The look on the younger alicorn's face was one of confusion. But confusion soon gave way to surprise, and surprise soon gave way to absolute fury, and it scared her.
Luna howled, her voice deep and eyes glowing bright white in the process. Rainbow Dash nearly fell off the bed, shielding her ears in the process, sure that she was about to break out yelling in the Royal Canterlot Voice. And being in such close proximity, she feared for her ability to hear.
"There is only one being in all of Equestria that could know of such an intimate detail of mine. Not only know about it, but have the gall to actually weaponize it in such a disgusting manner!" she stated angrily, although nowhere near as loud as she could have if she truly wished to.
"Who?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up for clarification.
"One who has no business even being alive. One whose existence should have ended long ago, but apparently has not. A blight of existence that even Tartarus would curse!" Luna stated furiously.
"You mean Sombra?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Luna shook her head, the small gesture doing much to convey that she was filled with a rage she was just barely managing to restrain.
"For all of Sombra's evil, he was but a minor hiccup in the history of Equestria. The one who I am referring to, is none other than Nightmare Moon..." Luna growled.
Rainbow Dash's eyes had been wide before, but found a way to go even wider now at hearing Luna's statement.
Before she could even get a word out edgewise in question, Luna had already summoned a stack of paperwork before them as she hopped off the bed, and began pacing herself, she documents following in front of her as they were gripped in her magic.
"It all makes sense now; everything fits. Oh I am such an ignorant foal for not seeing any of this before! It should have been obvious to me!" she yelled and angrily stomped her hoof against the ground, a spiderweb crack forming from the impact.
All Rainbow Dash could do was scratch her head in response as she watched Luna pace for a change. "Maybe it makes sense to you, but I'm hopelessly lost. How could it possibly be Nightmare Moon? Didn't we take her out with the Elements of Harmony? I mean you? Er, I mean, weren't you her? Didn't we purify you and turn you back to normal? I mean... fuckit I don't know what I mean! What the fuck's going on around here!?"
Luna shook her head before finally turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash.
"It is true, the Elements of Harmony did vanquish Nightmare Moon years ago. But the matter is not as simple as all that, Rainbow Dash. Nightmare Moon was not an aspect of my individuality; it is true that she was made possible by my jealousy for my sister so many centuries ago, but she was not me. What you knew as Nightmare Moon was a demonic entity that possessed by body, and used it as her puppet to do as she pleased," Luna explained. "I had hoped that on that faithful day when our exile ended, the Elements of Harmony succeeded in ending the rein of terror she was intent on ushering forth. But now it appears that was not the case. It now appears that she has returned once more, and is up to her old tricks again."
"But... but how!? How could the Elements of Harmony not stop her for good? They turned Discord to stone, twice! They could stop pure chaos, how could they not do anything to her?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying desperately to find something to grasp onto that would suggest Luna was wrong in her evaluation. She had to be wrong about this... right? It couldn't be Nightmare Moon, that had to be an impossibility.
"I do not know, Rainbow Dash, I simply do not know. We know so very little about the Elements of Harmony, they remain as mysterious now as they were more than one thousand years ago," Luna explained and huffed wearily. "The only theory I can come to, is that they are simply incapable of ending a life, no matter how wicked that life may be; that would certainly explain why Discord remains alive and well. I can only guess that, as Nightmare Moon was her own entity, the Elements of Harmony simply separated us from one another, freeing me from her subjugation."
"Alright, I guess I could buy that as being it," Rainbow Dash replied and absently nodded. It would make sense that harmony couldn't kill. "But if that's the case, where's she been this whole time? Why would she just be emerging now?"
"Again, I simply do not know. Perhaps... perhaps the Elements of Harmony weakened her when she was forced out of my body? The process was certainly taxing to me; I can only speculate as to what it might have done to her when she lacked a physical form of her own. Perhaps she has been too weak to do anything until now. That would certainly explain a number of occurrences that have happened recently," Luna stated.
"Like the terror fog?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"The terror fog is only one aspect of it all. As a demon, Nightmare Moon possesses the ability to possess and manipulate the bodies of others as she saw fit. That would explain the dragon being present in the caves but possessing no horde of treasure. That would also explain why Chrysalis reemerged recently after extracting herself from the badlands, but could not tell of her motivations for another attack. The manticore, Ready Stance... they all must have been puppets of hers to try and further her goals. Goals that would have succeeded, were it not for Ulquiorra Cifer being present, and able to intervene on our behalf," Luna stated.
"Whoa," Rainbow Dash replied almost breathlessly. "So all that stuff he was talking about when we beat Chrysalis, he was right? Discord saved us by bringing him to our world?" she asked.
"It is quite possible that is the case," Luna said as she nodded, loathe to think that they actually owed the spirit of chaos a debt of gratitude, and perhaps so much more than that. If they truly owed their current existence to him, they'd never hear the end of it...
"Ugh. I really didn't need another reason to puke," Rainbow Dash stated. "So why's she emerging just recently? What's she been doing all this time anyway?"
"I can only assume that she has been working to gather her strength in preparation of launching another assault, in her bid to enact eternal night once again. With neither my body, nor access to my alicorn magic, she would be at a severe disadvantage," Luna stated
So much of it seemed to make sense, now that she was looking at it from this particular perspective. The sudden onset of nightmares in the aftermath of the changeling incident, which had been attributed to the Espada demonstrating what he was capable of, could easily have been the work of Nightmare Moon instead if she'd regained enough of her strength to once again pierce the world of dreams, and go about defiling as she saw fit.
Or...more disturbingly, perhaps it was a matter of the law of unintended consequences being at play, and the fear Ulquiorra Cifer had generated during his demonstration of power to everypony, had been more than sufficient for Nightmare Moon to regain the strength needed to carry out her plans. Just as changelings fed on love, and windigoes fed on strife, the demon known as Nightmare Moon fed on fear. And with so many thousands of ponies witnessing the eclipse, and having no way of understanding what it was, she had most likely gorged herself. Perhaps not having access to her alicorn magic no longer presented a tactical disadvantage. She shivered at the implications present regarding just such a possibility.
Made even worse was how Ulquiorra Cifer had, in his own way, simply been going along with Celestia's plan when he did what he had. That would ultimately mean that they were responsible for this mess they were currently in.
"Is that what the terror fog was about? To soften us up so we couldn't fight back?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It is quite possible. Just as it is possible that she has been employing the terror fog to produce a bigger yield of fear for her to use as fuel for her own strength," Luna explained.
"So she's only strong if we're afraid of her? If we stop being scared she gets weak again?" Rainbow Dash asked, her wheels in her mind already turning with possibilities over this.
Luna shook her head in response. "It could certainly keep her from getting stronger than she may be already. But it would do nothing to take away what she has already claimed for herself."
"Just great," Rainbow Dash mumbled. But then another thought crossed her mind, and now that it had it struck her as incredibly obvious. "Hey, maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't this a lot of speculation when the only real evidence is the fact that Celestia knew the name you were gonna give your daughter if you had one?" she asked.
"Indeed it is. Or at least it would be, if not for these," Luna stated as she flipped the documents around to let Rainbow Dash see what she'd been looking at. "At first I did not recognize it. But in light of this new information, a specific pattern emerged, and now I am unable to not see it," she explained.
Rainbow Dash scanned the documents, eyes twitching back and forth rapidly as she attempted to speed read through all the mumbo jumbo to try and see what Luna was referring to. But whatever it was, she simply wasn't seeing it.
"These are the medical records for all the victims of the manticore attack. I don't get it, what's the pattern you're seeing?" she asked.
"The patterns lays with those who did not survive; a total of thirty four innocent ponies who needlessly lost their lives. Of them, eighteen were foals. But of those eighteen, only one of them lived long enough to make it to the hospital before ultimately dying," Luna explained.
"Cupid."
Luna nodded. "Seventeen foals were dead before Ulquiorra Cifer ever made it to Ponyville. Six of them were earth ponies, six of them unicorns, and the other five were pegasi."
"Yeah? And this means... what exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked as she looked up for clarification.
"Those... are the same number of foals that were killed by Nightmare Moon the first time she appeared," Luna admitted.
"WHAT!?" Rainbow Dash yelled in disbelief. "But... but... they were foals! They didn't pose any danger to her, why would she kill them?"
"For their souls, I am afraid. Nightmare Moon may draw her strength from fear, but it was souls that allowed her to sustain her existence, and maintain her dominance over my body. She forced me to watch as she killed each of them, even the ones that were quite near and dear to me," she explained, doing her best to maintain her composure as she talked. "From the very beginning, she has been mocking us. She was letting us know that she had returned, and all of us were too blind to see it. The numbers were suspicious to me, but I did not think to put it in the proper context. Had I, perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps we could have avoided this entire mess..."
"So she killed them, just to send a message that she's back?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Luna shook her head in response. "It is doubtful that even Nightmare Moon would truly go quite that far. If for no other reason, than the simple fact that such would be a waste of resources that would otherwise benefit her. More likely she devoured their souls as she killed them while using the manticore as a vessel, until such time its primitive instincts became too much for her to control upon encountering Ulquiorra Cifer; a superior predator if ever there were one."
Rainbow Dash nodded, able to see that as being the case. As far as their food chain went, Ulquiorra was at the very top of the heap, having beaten up a dragon and killed a manticore. If there was something tougher than him around in Equestria, then she really didn't want to know about it.
"So what's she need all the other foals for if she's already got what she needs? Dessert?" she asked.
"At this point it would just be speculation. I know of what she needed to do, not necessarily how it worked. If she does not yet have a physical body to call her own, perhaps it is a matter of needing far more souls to compensate for such. Or maybe they really are just hostages. I simply do not know," Luna stated. There was just so, so much that she didn't know, and couldn't give an answer to. It was a fact that was starting to drive her nuts.
"But how can you not know? You and she were joined for a thousand years, how could you not get some idea of how she operates in that time?"
Luna winced at the question. But regardless of the fact that it was a sore spot to her, it was still a fair question in need of an answer.
"In truth I remember very little of the details pertaining to our exile to the moon for a millennium. Trapped in suspended animation, the awareness of the passage of time becomes an abstract concept. What would seem like hours could actually be centuries going by, just as a thousand years could seem like a few days. It was... it was like being trapped in a restless dream that conveyed only discomfort and unpleasantness. Nightmare Moon was present, but our minds did not interact with one another. Whatever secrets she possessed, I was never made aware of them," she explained.
"Oh," Rainbow Dash replied. And then her eyes widened immediately afterward. "Oh shit!"
"What? What is it?" Luna asked.
"I just realized something. If Nightmare Moon is back, and she's really behind all of this, that means Ulquiorra might've walked right into a trap! She might've gone foalnapping, knowing that he'd be the only one who could actually go after them!"
"Great Faust!" Luna replied in surprise. If that was truly the case, then Celestia had been attacked not because of the threat she posed, but because of how important she was to their plans progressing, all the while knowing that her being down would warrant an immediate response. A response that would lead to their absence being noticed, and warrant a rescue effort being undertaken, by the only one who was immune to the terror fog, and thus actually able to respond.
A rescue mission that had actually been a trap all along...
"If that is the case, and Nightmare Moon truly has regained her physical form, then Ulquiorra Cifer..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
"Well then what're we waiting for!? Let's move!" Rainbow Dash yelled and made for the doorway, only for Luna to stand in her way.
"Rainbow Dash, I understand that you are upset, but rushing off in such a manner will do no one any favors," Luna pointed out. "We must figure a plan of action before we proceed; not charge head on like this."
"We don't have time to be sitting around and thinking about this, we've gotta do something!" Rainbow Dash stated in response.
"Of that I am well aware. But I cannot sanction what you are attempting to do, Rainbow Dash, it is far too risky," Luna said as she stood firm, unwilling to move from the spot. And if Rainbow Dash didn't listen, she would have little choice but to make her listen.
"I'm only gonna say this once, Sis'," Rainbow Dash stated in an aggressive tone, her right hoof scratching at the ground as her wings flared outward. "Get out of my way!"
Right cross. Left cross. Right jab. Left jab. Right hook. Left hook. Liver shot. Uppercut. And finally a haymaker that sent the Kurostruct flying backwards, before it slammed against the ground on its right shoulder and began tumbling as it rolled, before it slammed sideways into a tree with its back, producing a sickening crack in the process as bits of bark were knocked loose by the impact.
Boxing wasn't a field that Ulquiorra was particularly skilled in. It was never something he ever had any need for, as he had never encountered an opponent who could withstand the assault he was capable of delivering from just strength alone. Or at least not until he had gone up against Ichigo Kurosaki.
And now this pale imitation of him as well.
But regardless of those facts, the moves themselves were known to him on at least some rudimentary level. And so far they were serving their purpose of delivering as effective a beat down as could be expected.
Or at least they were, until he heard the Kurostruct groaning, as it began to stand back up again.
Pounding away at this opponent was like trying to tenderize beef jerky; an exercise in futility. Whatever laid just beneath the surface of its structure, simply refused to fall to the mercy of his fists, and even his feet.
Making matters worse was that it was apparently just as capable as he was when it came to fighting. Despite its awkward movements, inconsistent gait, and total lack of critical thinking skills, it had proven itself quite competent as an opponent, and had managed to get in more than its fair share of blows against him in return. It was almost like it was learning as they went on, as its repertoire of attacks and responses seemed to be growing the more they continued. Perhaps most telling was the fact that it had come to demonstrate a firm understanding of the concept of blocking, which it had been doing with greater regularity.
As it currently stood, beyond his durability, his greatest advantage laid in his speed. As fast as the Kurostruct was, his sonido still remained superior. Being able to block was one thing, but one couldn't block what they couldn't see coming because it was moving too fast to actually be seen. Were it not for that fact, he probably would've been on the losing end of this fight, rather than simply holding his own against an opponent that could apparently match him. But even that had its limits; there were only so many sucker punches that could actually be delivered successfully.
The tree the Kurostruct had been leaning against as it climbed back to its feet, soon became the recipient of one of its punches that served to shatter its trunk, adding it to the list of collateral damage that had been caused by their struggles. For everything they'd done, neither of them were showing any signs of being worse for wear. The forest around them, however, was another matter entirely. Countless trees had been utterly destroyed in the course of their clashes, either from being crashed into at high speeds, or one of countless other methods that had been utilized. There was also a great deal of ground that had been torn up.
For all of the damage and destruction that had been done, however, there wasn't a lot of ground that had been covered. At best only several hundred feet had really been traversed in any particular direction.
He was starting to wonder if it had been a bad idea on his part to taunt the Kurostruct by asking to see what it could really do, as it had readily been demonstrating such. He was fairly certain that by morning -provided this battle was over by then- he was going to be experiencing a great deal of physical soreness. He was also certain that Rarity wouldn't be able to salvage his shirt after the amount of damage that had been inflicted upon it in the course of said battle.
Perhaps it was time to stop treading so lightly, and go right for the kill, by twisting its head around until he succeeded in ripping its head right off of its neck. Perhaps the time had come for external decapitation to be considered, rather than internal decapitation. This was by far the densest head he'd ever encountered, and his efforts in compromising the integrity of the skull simply weren't paying off for him. Neither overwhelming force, nor searching for structural weak points to target and exploit had done any good as of yet.
Dodging the initial strike that would've come from its zanpakutō, he maneuvered behind it, grabbing it by the head as he took a firm two-handed grip in preparation of doing such.
Before he could apply the necessary lateral force, he found himself grabbed, and flung forward before being slammed on his back against the ground. The next thing he knew, he had a foot stomping down on his face, and leaving him pinned against the forest floor. Adding insult to... lack of injury, it started grinding its heel against his face.
Time to reevaluate the present course of action, and come up with a new strategy.
He moved to reciprocate the spirit of the gesture by grabbing the foot to twist it at the ankle, but stopped when he managed to catch sight of the zanpakutō being stabbed downward towards his skull, and opted to strike it with his palm so it impaled the ground instead. Before following up by flipping his body upward, and slamming the heel of his right foot into its abdomen to try and kick it away from him. Unfortunately the move did little good to actually budge it, as his face remained stepped on.
Perhaps the time had finally come for him to go all out, and actually utilize his resurrección. Up until now he had refused to believe that such would actually be necessary for dealing with such trash, but now he had to reevaluate such a stance. Everything he'd thrown against it had done no good, and continuing to pummel away as he was would produce no benefits.
He grasped Murciélago's hilt, but his arm was quickly pinned against his body as the Kurostruct took its foot from his face, and stomped down on his wrist, hindering his movements. Now it stood over him glaring down as it changed its position to actually look him in the face, staring into his eyes; like a predator that had its prey right where it wanted it, and was moving in for the kill.
Since he first arrived in this fog to locate the missing foals, he hadn't been able to detect anything with his pesquisa, other than the all-encompassing reiatsu pattern that the area had been saturated with. It was the spiritual equivalent of being surrounded by static from a radio that wasn't tuned to an actual station, and had effectively left him all but blind to everything that either wasn't in front of him, or was out of earshot. It was disturbing, it was claustrophobic, it was a major hindrance, and a serious pain in the ass to put up with.
And now that all-encompassing veil had suddenly and violently been pierced, as something new was making itself known to him. It was subtle at first, to the point it would have been quite easy to miss in all this haze. But that was rapidly changing as it grew in intensity, to the point it could be neither missed nor ignored.
However it was something that, by all rights, simply shouldn't have been a possibility under these circumstances. There was simply no way that his pesquisa should be detecting what it currently was. It must have been an error; perhaps he really wasn't immune to the terror fog, and it was starting to affect the rest of his senses. Perhaps he was well on his way to not knowing what end was up, and talking to walls that he thought were ponies because his mind had become completely compromised during his extended time here.
But the speed behind the approach... that couldn't be ignored. In just the few seconds that had passed since he'd first been able to sense it, the intensity had exploded in magnitude as it drew closer to his current position. It was coming in fast, and it was coming in hard-
"HEY ASSHOLE!"
-and it was coming in very loud. He recognized that voice, and the arrogance it carried, all too well.
Much to his disbelief, the Kurostruct reacted as if it were being addressed directly by name, and looked up in the direction of the incoming call.
"FUCK OFF!"
The yell happened approximately one second before a shod hoof connected directly with the Kurostruct's face, the haymaker delivering enough force to actually send it flying backwards, before gravity finally reasserted itself and it crashed against the ground, before proceeding to roll and tumble its way to a complete stop.
"I gotcha."
Despite it being entirely unnecessary, he found himself being pulled back up onto his feet by the now-present Rainbow Dash.
But this wasn't Rainbow Dash as he remembered leaving her back in Canterlot to look after Princess Celestia. This Rainbow Dash that hovered before him just off the ground, was decked out in a suit of armor that looked like it had been stolen from one of Princess Luna's night guards. All except for the helmet which was presently absent, leaving the golden shimmer of her irises completely unobstructed.
"You alright, dude?" she asked.
"Adequate," Ulquiorra replied, seeing no point to delve deeper into an answer under present circumstances. Right now there were far too many questions. "What're you doing here?"
"Saving your ass. And not a minute too soon from the looks of it. What's Scratchy doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Ulquiorra didn't even need to question who she was referring to. Almost from the moment she'd come to be aware of him, Rainbow Dash had referred to Ichigo Kurosaki in the rather derisive manner of nicknaming him Itchy. It only stood to reason that she was referring to the Kurostruct presently.
"If it were the real Ichigo Kurosaki present, we'd both be dead right now. What you witnessed just now was nothing but an inferior imitation; most likely dispatched by the party responsible for taking all the foals hostage, and bringing them out here where they wouldn't be found," Ulquiorra replied.
"Yeah, that'd be Nightmare Moon," Rainbow Dash stated. "Luna finally managed to piece it all together and figure it out. Something about the pattern of dead foals and Celestia knowing the name of a daughter she never had. Or something like that," she replied and shrugged, the sound of her armor shifting following the gesture made.
"... And you concluded the best course of action was to steal a set of royal guard armor, and like an idiot, charge into a situation you knew nothing about," he stated, summarizing things as he saw them.
He could ask a great deal of questions right now pertaining to the notion of Nightmare Moon having returned, or speculate about how this was possible, and how it was just recently realized. He could even comment on how the track record of the Elements of Harmony was shaping up to be less and less impressive as time went on. But rather than do any of that, he simply chose to run with the information he had been presented. If it was accurate, then they would deal with it as necessary. If it wasn't accurate, then they would deal with it as necessary.
"Please, like I'd ever do something stupid like that," Rainbow Dash replied dismissively. "When she realized she couldn't stop me from leaving, Luna gave me the armor; said it'd help keep me safe in case I ran into trouble. Granted, it's not as awesome as Ironhorse's MagiTech armor, but it's still pretty sweet gear."
Ulquiorra decided to refrain from commenting. It simply wasn't worth his time. The fact that Rainbow Dash was stupid enough to come out here as she had, just wasn't all that surprising to him. The fact that Princess Luna had simply stepped aside and let her do so, that was another matter. A matter that wasn't worth getting into right now.
"And the matter pertaining to your eyes?"
"Thestral vision, also from Luna. I can see like it's daytime out here. How awesome is that?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It's certainly practical," Ulquiorra commented, it being the best of the available responses he had at the moment. "How did you know where to find me?"
"Well truth be told I didn't. But the fog was pretty hard to miss since it was sticking out through the treetops. So I just headed for the densest part of it and hoped for the best. Looks like I got lucky," she stated proudly.
"All that you were "lucky" enough to get was exposed to the terror fog once again, making you a liability. I can't fight the Kurostruct, and look after you at the same time," Ulquiorra retorted, his mind already taking into consideration the number of complications that Rainbow Dash's untimely arrival was going to cause.
"The what?" she asked, before shaking her head. "Never mind. Look, I'm not expecting you to thank me, but don't tell me I'm gonna be useless. I've got a better idea of what's going on around here than before, I can take care of myself!" she stated.
Ulquiorra said nothing in response, seeing no point in getting involved in petty bickering over whether or not her high assessment of herself was accurate. There were more important matters to tend to, such as the Kurostruct once again being up, and making its way back over to them, walking in a slow manner. Every footstep taken was very deliberate in how it was carried out.
"See? I hit the fucker so hard, he can't even walk right!" Rainbow Dash stated as she gestured to it, pointing out its awkward -and even wobbly- approach.
"It's been walking that way since it first appeared," Ulquiorra replied. "If Nightmare Moon is truly behind this, then it's a matter of the puppeteer not yet knowing how to operate the marionette."
Rainbow Dash was about to ask just what he meant by that, but she was cut off as Scratchy suddenly went on the offensive, and charged at them with a sudden burst of speed she hadn't expected from something that had been moving so awkwardly just a few seconds ago. She didn't even have time to respond before it was right on top of them, only for Ulquiorra to deliver a hard right cross to its jaw that sent it flying backwards yet again, and slamming into -and through- a tree.
"Whoa! Dude, even I felt that one!" she stated in disbelief. She'd been what must've been four feet away from the point of impact, but she still felt it radiating outward. And if she'd felt it like she had from here, she couldn't imagine what it was like to be on the receiving end of it. "You've been hitting him like that this whole time, and he's still alive? Tell me how he's still alive!?"
"Assuming it was alive to begin with. It's demonstrated a number of strange properties since the very beginning. The harder I hit it, the stronger it seems to become; almost as if giving it credence through a beating serves to empower it, and increase its tangibility," Ulquiorra explained. He agreed with Rainbow Dash's assessment, as the amount of force he was using should've been more than enough to kill the Kurostruct. And yet that wasn't happening.
"Wonderful," Rainbow Dash groaned, not liking that news at all. "Maybe if we double team him?"
"You'll just prove to be a liability," Ulquiorra stated, "if you wish to help, locate the missing foals. So long as they remain an unaccounted for variable, I have to refrain from using my full strength, in order to keep them from becoming collateral damage," he explained.
Rainbow Dash nodded in response. "Makes sense. That'd explain why we didn't see any ceros being fired off. Alright, I'll find them, and get them to safety. You just keep Scratchy off my back."
Before Rainbow Dash could actually go ahead with the search and rescue effort, a loud cracking pop sounded as it tore through the air, startling her. Followed by a burning ache erupting in her left hind leg where the armor didn't protect her.
"Yeowch!" she yelped, her voice rising several octaves as she shrieked and cradled her leg, unable to keep tears from forming in the corners of her eyes in response to the amount of pain she'd just experienced. Making it all the worse was that she couldn't even touch her leg without making it worse. "Who da fuck did dat!?"
Even Ulquiorra was curious as to the question. There was a long, red welt showing through her blue fur, as it began to bleed and stain the surrounding fur. It almost looked like... had she just been whipped? Was the noise they just heard the sonic boom that went along with a whip being successfully cracked?
The Kurostruct temporarily ignored, they both looked behind them to identify the source of what had just happened.
What they saw made Rainbow Dash feel physically ill. Stepping out of the fog with all the poise and arrogance of a high society pony, was the visage that had come to be known as Mistress Do Well, a bullwhip in her magical tow.
"You've been a very bad little pet..." it stated in a perfect imitation of Rarity's voice, its face in a frown just behind its mask. "That simply won't do at all. You'll be made to learn your place, no matter how hard I have to break you..."
Rainbow Dash growled, bristling with anger inside her armor. She wanted to slam this thing into the ground, and start pounding away at it until nothing was left but a bloody paste garnished with bone bits and eyeballs. She knew that she could do it; she was in the perfect position to do just that. She'd kicked the crap out of it once before in her nightmare, and she could do it again in the real world, even if she couldn't Hollowfy.
She could, and she would. If not for the fact that Scratchy was also present, and making himself known again. Now they had two to focus on. So not good.
"Change of plans," she said as she turned to face Ulquiorra, an idea forming in her mind. "You take her. I'll take him..."
Before Ulquiorra even had the chance to state just how bad of an idea that was, he'd found Rainbow Dash had already taken off, flying head long at the Kurostruct, and slamming into it full force, her forelegs wrapped tightly around it, pinning its lower arms against its body in the process, and preventing it from fighting back.
The force of the blow skidded the Kurostruct across the forest floor, its heels scraping against the soil and grass as two channels were cut, before it somehow managed to grind itself to a halt, and demonstrating that it could overcome Rainbow Dash's forward momentum, and thus leaving her to push against what had quickly become an immovable object. And all the while it worked to fight its way loose from her hold. It all should've been physically impossible. But considering the number of physically impossible things that he'd witnessed occurring tonight, he wasn't about to spend too much time pondering it.
In response to the opposition, Rainbow Dash fought harder, and started flapping her wings even harder before.
"Come on you bastard, we're going flying whether you like it or not!" she yelled as she put everything she had into it. If it wasn't for all the armor, she probably would've been able to take off by now, but that was neither here nor there. She wasn't about to let this thing, fake or otherwise, beat her.
She was soon rewarded for all her efforts, as she finally managed to overcome Scratchy's opposition, and continue shoving him forward, before finally pulling him clean off the ground and high into the air, what could only be interpreted as a panicked roar following in their wake.
That left Ulquiorra behind to deal with the Mistress Do Well illusion, which had also been looking up at Rainbow Dash's departure in what could only be assumed as stunned bewilderment; as if this development hadn't been scripted, and it had no response for such an unexpected development occurring. It was certainly something he could understand. But whether he understood it or not, there was still work that needed to be done.
"So then," he said as he addressed it directly, ready to get down to whatever business lay ahead of him. "Heads or tails?"
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Holy shit!
Ok so we finally know whose behind it all. I suspected it might be Nightmare moon. Out of all the MLP villains, her demonic status and her use of illusions made her fit best with the attacks happening the story.
So now Ulquirra is going after the nightmare Mare DO Well while Rainbow goes after demonic Kurosaki.
This is going to be epic
....Fuck...Shit 'bout to go down.
This chapter. This chapter right here made my god damn night. It was the definition of fantastic and I eagerly wait for more.
No words to properly express my excitement... well... almost no words. There's one that comes to mind right now. *draws reverse-bladed katana* And that word is...
Wait a moment, Lad. I know tha' look in yer eyes!
BANKAI!!!
*facehoofs hard enough to draw blood* Faust damnit, Lad...
Don't you mean love?
HOW MANY CHAPTERS AGO DID I SAY THAT, BETWEEN EITHER SOMBRA OR NIGHTMARE MOON, I BET IT'S NIGHTMARE MOON!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Honestly, Everything would be dead if the real fully Hollowfied Ichigo were there, even Nightmare Moon.
so...if NMM ate the souls...if they tear her open, would the souls be freed, like what happens to normal hollows?
if so, what would happen if the remainders of her soul was eaten?
Wait, what is this a crossover of?
7112103 bleach
I think I know where this is going (Skip to 5:20)
Loved the fight scenes in the chapter, even if I think Ulquiorra would have just stabbed it with his hand in an effort to dispatch it.
Think you meant Luna instead of Rainbow there.
7112107 Oh, right. Might want to watch it first before I read this then
I suspect you meant "love"
Urgh
I did thought about Nightmare Moon, but I immediately discarded her. Not because she was claim dead, I knew she wasn't dead, weakened yes, dead no. I discarded her because I deemed the level of sadism focus on Rainbow Dash above what ponies could commonly thought about malevolent acts, but mainly because I don't see her being a foe that would warrant Discord staying out of scene.
For the longest time I thought the unknown enemy was another Draconesquus of more diabolical nature, they had been stories about them running for a while. And recently when the ability to possess other was mentioned, my thought process went "Wait if it can possess other ponies. Why cannot it make them suicide on sight? Unless by doing that while possessing them it will inflict harm to itself... !" that's when I thought what enemy X might be Bill Cipher. How convenient for that demented twisted mind of his to be culprit. *sigh* Oh well.
Anyway, kudos for Ulquiorra for staying calm against the, not so, illusion of Vastro Lorde Ichigo and first try to ignore it. The fight between them was boring. Not in the sense it was badly written, no. It was necessarily boring to keep in mind the sense of wasting time. The fight was like one of those video game bosses who's nothing more than a bag of HP with nothing to baking up or like facing whose cheaters using infinite HP cheat codes on online in PVP but them being total noobs.
Also nice to see Dash back into action.
Or Ulquiorra is getting weak, or the construct is learning and getting more powerfull... Maybe it's not a good idea to fight the construct, is stalling until he get enough power
USE YOUR FUCKING SWORD
7111818
That's what I was aiming for.
7111824
And up. And sideways. And everywhere in between.
7111856
Hopefully I don't disappoint.
7111897
Yeah, with the right music, you get that result.
7111909
Yeah. Good catch.
7111954
Well I couldn't just say it was, now could I?
7111961
Don't they know it.
7112014
That... is a very good question. Would her essence be so overwhelming that Ulquiorra would become hew new vessel? Would she be subjugated by his will? Or would her consumption serve to infect him with certain pony mannerisms?
7112119
Wouldn't be surprised if it did. But if you can't beat the manifestation of yours fears, can a friend really do what you can't?
7112155 7112250
Good catch.
7112302
Well the fight between Ulquiorra and the Kurostruct was written for the purpose of fanservice for those who were pissed with how Kubo did their final fight. This was meant to be as much of a curbstomp battle as possible, while still showing that Ulquiorra is mindful of his surroundings. It couldn't be anymore curbstomp without Ulquiorra forcing his foe to bite down on a rock while stomping on its skull.
As to why no suicide? Because you can't harvest fear from dead ponies.
7112402
Perhaps it isn't. But if Ulquiorra flees, he's sure it's going to follow after him and cause more trouble. It already proved capable of gouging out one of its eyes, so he has to be mindful of that if he's around others. So he really doesn't have much choice.
7112480
He was about to, until Rainbow Dash did her whole Avengers intro thing.
7112610 Yeah, too bad he don't have time, he could very well lure him to a trap or away
7112402 While he was strong he was never the most physically strong espada at least till he started transforming. You have to remember he didn't give up his regeneration for strenght. Once he releases to his Resurrection OR if he decideds he is really Done and uses his Segunda Etapa then we can say this is over in a few seconds... namely because there won't be a giant section of the forest if he does.
Awesome update, cant wait for more.(looking forward to either five specific mares joining the fight or Ulquirra showing Equestria true terror)
7112677 The problem is the "control". Yes, he could destroy all the forest releasing Murcielago but he need to find the foals, if he release Murcielago, the foals have more fear and also could be hurt.
7113108
He even pointed out to Rainbow Dash how they had to be found so they didn't become collateral damage. Right now they're the only things really keeping the Kurostruct from being obliterated.
Whether or not Ulquiorra really cares about them is up to reader interpretation.
7112610
*shrugs* Hey, if it worked for a bunch of teenagers...
Fucking Awesome.
7112610
Sorry, I....I just really needed to get that out.
And thus all is revealed (Or is it?). Luna's breakdown from her heart-to-heart with Ulquiorra from the earlier chapters of this story is now more relevant than before.
Such a hilarious mental image worthy of Shinigami Golden Cup/Arrancar Encyclopedia
Not to mention that equally hilarious and badass Pre-Mortem one-liner at the end...
Well-done
Discord hid away because he didn't want to risk being possessed by NMM, and he knew that because Ulquiorra is a spiritual construct, NMM can't possess him! That explains the fear mongering and why Ulquiorra couldn't sense her! NMM technically doesn't have a reiatsu signature, being an almost intangible construct. Anything he did sense would resemble Luna, so he wouldn't suspect anything.
Well, shit-nuggets. I really, really should've accounted for this. My tactical database is clearly in dire need of an upgrade. Direct combat is more my style.
Now, for direct analysis: Ulquiorra's lack of fear will completely demolish the Mare Do Well image, ad RD's brash idiocy will prevent her from feeling fear of the Hollowfied Kurosaki. Thus, completely canceling out the constructs.
So the Nightmare is causing nightmares? The irony is painful.
I'll be eager to see just what the outcome of the fights will be. If Ulquiorra's theory on it escalating its strength based on how hard he was fighting it is true, switching targets like they did could work out quite well for them.
Below are the edits for this chapter.
*making its was towards - making its way towards
*itself, its zanpakutō, - itself, its Zanpakutō,
*was taking to take - was going to take
*And must to his - And much to his
*obvious to the point that - obvious to the point that (Remove a space)
*soften us up to we - soften us up so we
*questions. "Wat're you - questions. "What're you
*the responsible party for taking - the party responsible for taking
*"Who da fuck did dat!?" - were those d's supposed to be there? Wouldn't she only slur her words like that if she was struck in the nose?
Not bad. I think I know what fic Celestia's dream reflects. Man do I ever dislike tragedy-porn.
All the dream and sleep stuff made NMM the most likely, although I was hoping for Azuhotl since he is by far the most likely villain to destroy Equestrian due to the fact he seeks insanely powerful artifacts while opposed by only a single Pegasus mare and is only ever defeated by the tropes and clichés he wallows in.
7114939
Actually she's slurring her words because the pain from experiencing the business end of an actual whip hurt too much for her to practice proper enunciation. It was too much work for her to sound out both D's and T's.
7115357
Actually it was based on a picture I found.
http://mysteriouskaos.deviantart.com/art/Rainbow-Dash-Enter-Sandman-310110156
Hmm... interesting.
7115732
Oh. Well not sure then. The fic I saw basically said that Luna/NMM was pregnant when she was banished to the surface of the moon for 1000 years. So she gave birth and the foal died immediately.
7117634
That would be the one. It just seemed like the perfect idea for Nightmare Moon to use against Celestia.
Two things. One; I fricking love Ulquiorra in this. Two, finished reading the chapter just as the song ended. Also? Prepare for pain, Mare Do Lame!
7119065
Ooooo-kayyyyyy... so, the question I had at the very beginning of all this comes into play: how the heck is NMM this powerful still after being blasted out of Luna by the EoH?
That's like saying Freeza should become more powerful after being cut in half.
If the EoH didn't even weaken or imprison the demon, then they're pretty worthless ultimate weapons, overall.
7112302 This being Nightmare Moon also begs the obvious question of why the hell the Mane 6 were able to SURVIVE an encounter with it at all.
The NMM in this story murders without hesitation when required. The Mane 6 were headed toward the only things in Equestria that could stop her in Episode 1.
Why didn't this NMM just flat out kill them all? It doesn't make sense. There is nothing to account for this severe behavioral discrepancy.
This plot hole exists in every single murderous Nightmare Moon fanfic which takes place after the series premier. If Nightmare Moon has no problem murdering ponies, then the Mane 6 would have lost INSTANTLY. They had zero training or preparation in combat. She could have killed them all with a single pointy stick flung at sufficient velocity and they'd have been too traumatized by seeing murder right before their eyes to react.
7120536
Luna's theory is that she feasted on the fear of the ponies in Ponyville, and then gorged herself on the resulting fear that came when Ulquiorra did his whole resurrection thing and blotted out the sun.
7120555
Oh but there is good reason for Nightmare Moon to not kill them. So long as Rainbow Dash and the others remain alive, the Elements of Harmony remain bound to them, even if they've lost their respective elements from the trauma they've experienced, leaving nothing for the artifacts to resonate with. They can't be reassigned to another potential candidate, so they're rendered useless.
Beyond that fact, leaving them alive leaves her with six more ponies to harvest fear from. It's all about managing available resources properly.
7120626
Illogical. NMM had thought to destroy them when they were first recovered by Twilight and Company in Episode 2. Therefore, at that time NMM DID NOT KNOW that the Elements could be bound to living ponies in such as way as evident by the fact that she believed successful a method that she would have known would be futile has she previously possessed the knowledge.
Therefore, there is no reason for this story's NMM not to have killed the Mane 6 in this world's version of episode 2 the instant she learned they were going after the Elements. Also, it is shown that NMM can pick up the stones and teleport with them, therefore she could also have flung them into a place where nopony would even know where to look for them. Assuming she had in fact defeated Celestia, no other pony would have even known they existed and killing the Mane 6 at that time, then hiding the Elements (say, flinging them far out into the ocean in a scattered pattern) would have granted her absolute victory.
There are additional questions:
1. Why did Discord not so much as leave a note "PS: The Nightmare's Behind it All!" before he fled from a creature demonstrably weaker than himself even currently, and certainly much MUCH weaker when he tossed Ulquiorra into Equestria without explanation?
2. If the Nightmare requires a host body, why is she so powerful presently?
3. is the Nightmare merely a 'Hollow', since it can clearly just devour souls by murdering? If so, why did not the Elements destroy it, since it would, by definition, be non-living already?
4. In either case of the Nightmare's existence, why did the Elements not imprison it this time? The first time it appeared, it was sealed in the Moon with its host for 1,000 years. Why did the Elements merely fling this exceedingly dangerous entity out into the world when they saw fit to even imprison the likes of Discord, whom we must assume has not killed ponies lest there would be no way in hell anyone would attempt to redeem him for the pathetic 'reason' given in "Keep Calm and Flutter On". Only a true idiot would randomly release a god-tier psychopath because 'We might be able to use his magic for something... one day... eventually... whatever.'
Illogical. Given the myriad ponies present in Equestria from which to 'feed' on fear (so now there's ANOTHER emotion-eating demon class in addition to the Windigoes and Changelings?), leaving the only 6 with the knowledge of your weakness alive is the utmost level of cliché Evil Overlord stupidity. Not to mention, this Nightmare demon is apparently so instantly powerful that even Discord at the height of his power fears it the moment it emerges.
I cannot fathom a single logical reason that this is the Nightmare, and I can only hope that Luna and the others have made a false assumption. All actual reason and analysis suggests it CANNOT be the Nightmare, if I am to take this story's events as plausible.
I also would question how Discord expects to be forgiven for withholding the single most critical piece of information from everyone, which has cost dozens of innocent ponies their lives.
For all this story's long-winded analyses of the characters' psychological states, there has not been much thought put into any of the important actions and backstory being treated with the same level of rationality.
7119065 Oh, and one of the sound effects in the chapter where Luna gets whoopie cushioned is also kaput'.
I wonder if Uliquiorra could eat nmm based on that you've essencially described her as a hollow.
7120655
Nightmare Moon has demonstrated on every one of her appearance that she's quite illogical, and what she lacks in logic she makes up for in ego. If she were logical, the first time she returned she would've destroyed the Elements of Harmony, or scattered them to the far reaches of the globe, rather than trying to scare six ponies away from where they were being stored, in a location that she knew about.
The second time we see here, in Twilight's flashback, she actually allowed Celestia to get back up, and retrieve the Elements of Harmony. As if she was expecting something different to happen than what did. If she were logical, she would've banished Celestia on the spot when she was down.
And then there's her third appearance in the alternate timeline where Nightmare Moon ruled. If she were logical, she would've at the very least questioned the existence of another alicorn. She would've also taken steps to prevent Twilight from using her magic, but she didn't do that either.
Firstly, Discord has shown that he plays by his own sets of rules, and has his own roundabout way of doing things. He does what he wants because it amuses him; not because he's a nice guy.
How powerful does she appear to be presently? Because inducing terrifying hallucinations, and hypnosis, doesn't seem like something only a powerful unicorn or alicorn can do.
Why did the Elements of Harmony fail to purify Luna in the beginning, and instead could only exile her to the moon for a thousand years? Why did it take two hits to do such, and was only doable by a new generation of heroes?
If she survived two consecutive hits by the Elements of Harmony, and was simply weakened and had to start over again, how much of a weakness can it really be for her? "Curse those Elements of Harmony, all my save data is corrupted! My trophies are gone and my profile has been deleted!"
So then tell me. What does reason and analysis suggest as being the villain if Nightmare Moon isn't the real one?
Discord also put everyone at the grand galloping gala at possible risk of death by bringing the smooze with him. Somehow Celestia saw fit to forgive him for that.
I'll admit, there are weak points to the story. But I do have a plan for where I'm going with everything. It's just going to take time to hammer out all the kinks.
7121102
He'd have to tenderize her first, she's as tough as an old shoe.
7121327 Heh. That's funny! I don't know about leather shoes, but I find that my old shoes are softer than when they were new, because I wore the soles out.
Now that I think about it, NmM is only hollow-ish. She eats souls, but as far as I know, hollows don't possess anyone in the manga or anime.
7121325 If NMM is this illogical... then how is she managing to craft a competent plan than would be succeeding if not for Ulquiorra?
One cannot be both a master planner and an idiot at the same time.
Hitler, for instance, was basically an idiot who relied on much cleverer conspirators. When he fully took command on all decisions, he was a disaster to his own cause.
Irrational people are their own worst enemy.
Also, ahem, since you weren't listening previously: THIS IS SUPPOSEDLY THE REFORMED DISCORD.
If this is NOT the reformed Discord... why is he running free at all? Why did they let this callous Discord loose? And it still does not even address the issue that next arises: There is no way in hell he can be forgiven for withholding such critical information which has cost so many lives and destroyed so many mental states.
Discord may play by his own rules, but he's not anywhere near as stupid as the Tirek episode made him out to be. The Discord before that point would never have trusted another villain's promises, especially not a villain he already knew of, and would also not take the risk of alienating himself to such a degree from the ponies who hold his leash, unless he's planning on betraying them to the Nightmare... which then makes no sense as why he would bother sending any help at all.
The Smooze of the G4 show has NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO with the Smooze of G1. The new Smooze was a generic gem-eating slime monster, not the misery-inducing mass-multiplying monster made by witches. It wasn't really a danger.
As previously mentioned, there are so few villains in either show with this level of ability. Aizen is practically the only one remaining possibility that fits this level of guile and sadism perfectly and makes a logical choice for Discord to have chosen Ulquiorra to combat him. Otherwise, there are countless other superheroes to choose from.
There is also the possibility of one or more of the rebel Substitute Shinigami, as more than one had reality and mind-bending abilities. And if the Nightmare can miraculously make a comeback, why not?
As for why Celestia couldn't drive the Nightmare out, the answer is quite simple and I've repeated it ad nauseum ever I saw the episode and was stunned so few could comprehend the blatantly obvious: Celestia was forcefully using all the Elements, including those 3 held by Luna, therefore her ability to wield them was incomplete and broke immediately as evidenced by the fact that the EoH became useless stones afterward. Note that the Mane 6 can use them repeatedly without losing their connections. This is because they have a proper bond to each Element. Celestia did not, and it was likely either only her raw power or some unexplained connection to the Tree of Harmony that allowed her to use all 6 on her own in the first place.
This is a simple and reasonable explanation based on what the show itself has thus far revealed.
7124038
Well as far as Nightmare Moon goes, I've got something planned for the next chapter to address the matter properly.
As to Discord and the other matters, just gonna have to wait and see.
7137899 Meh, that or he just wouldn't see the point of going through the trouble when he's the only one that can do that, thus making her seek him out if she ever wanted to experience it again.
Maybe if you include her again in later chapters, 'canon' or otherwise, the possibility could be brought up(and summarily shot down through the magic of logical reasoning) as a plot point or something with the ponies trying to convince him to do it because it would be 'nice'. It would at least be another good substitute for the lesson Fluttershy learned in 'it ain't easy being breezy', showing the ponies that sometimes, what may seem like kind actions in the here & now, if done without taking the future consequences into account, have the potential to be cruel in nat... damnit' now you've got me saying it!
7138577
Actually the cruelty was in Ulquiorra letting Shady know what it's like to experience sights, only to take it away from her and leaving her in the dark once again, and knowing that she'll never get to experience it on her own. Giving her a taste of something she can't ever have is just plain mean.
Ulquiorra is many things, but he's not needlessly cruel.
Also: