//------------------------------//
// Capitulo Veinticuatro 
// Story: Cuatro 
// by Dirty Bit 
//------------------------------//


Capítulo Veinticuatro


Pranks


At the park, Rainbow decided to go into the air after feeling that she had graced the ground with her presence for too long. She hovered in front of Cuatro and looked down at him "Okay, Cuatro! The first thing you should know about loyalty is that you should always stick with your friends or anypony you choose no matter what! Not just for obligation, but out of your own commitment!" She looked around "Now who would be a good candidate for you to hang with for the time being..."

Rainbow Dash perked up when she noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders laughing and playing in the snow, having a snowball fight of their own. She grinned "That's it! Your lesson on loyalty for the day will be keeping an eye on the crusaders until I consider you've actually done your part! Keep 'em safe and out of trouble if something comes up! Think you can handle it?" She looked upon Cuatro with an expectant glance.

Her expectations were met when Cuatro nodded in confirmation "I shall do as instructed...It would be nice to spend time with Applebloom and make sure she and her friends are not doing anything drastic."

Rainbow Dash smirked "Right on! Get to it now, I'll be watching you in the clouds and see how you'll hold up! Good luck, Cuatro!" She flew up and perched herself on a cloud, watching the strange alicorn approach the crusaders as they gathered around him and chatted.

Applebloom smiled up at Cuatro "Howdy, Cuatro! How're ya today?"

Scootaloo chimed in "Are you here to join in on our snowball fight?"

Sweetie Belle tilted her head "Where were you today? We heard you weren't at the library!"

Cuatro turned to Sweetie Belle "You are correct. As for why I'm here, I only wish to act as a guardian for your safety. This is a test of loyalty given to me by Rainbow Dash..."

Scootaloo perked up "You're learning from Rainbow Dash!? Cool! Then you're on your way to becoming the most coolest pony in Equestria! Er, under Rainbow Dash, of course! She's the greatest!" She gushed to herself. Cuatro blinked at Scootaloo's adoration towards the cyan pegasus.

"I suppose it is because of Rainbow Dash's speed and the fact that she is a famed hero that she is considered a role model for Scootaloo..."

Applebloom shook her head at Scootaloo's words and looked up at Cuatro "So yer sayin' yer gonna be our guardian? Well, there ain't much danger t' worry 'bout now, but Ah suppose if Rainbow Dash is teachin' ya loyalty, then it wouldn't hurt!"

Sweetie Belle grinned up at Cuatro "Hey, Cuatro! Did you manage to get a memory involving how you got your cutie mark by any chance?"

Cuatro shook his head, much to Sweetie Belle's disappointment "I haven't been successful with my memories at the moment. As for my cutie mark..." He looked down at his flank and examined the 4 resting on it "I am just as curious as you are...At the moment, it seems irrelevant being a simple number unless I was a part of a group of sorts..."

The fillies pondered at this thought until they each had their own awed gazes as they chorused a 'Wow...' under their breaths. Scootaloo grinned at her friends "Imagine how cool that would be! A group of alicorns with their own numbers!"

Sweetie Belle smiled "And they could be super strong, too!"

Applebloom frowned "But wait...Where would that leave Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?"

While they talked, Pinkie was found in her spy suit holding a can as she snuck up and hid behind a tree near the group. Rainbow Dash noticed the scene from above and covered the giddy grin on her face with both her forelegs as Pinkie approached them.

When Pinkie got close behind Cuatro, she reeled back her foreleg with the can in a menacing position with a glare to match. She then quickly launched her hoof forward...

To tap on his shoulder harmlessly with the can.

Cuatro turned to see Pinkie hold the can and a wide grin behind her covered face "Peanuts?" She asked, offering the can in her hoof.

The strange alicorn stared at the can and shook his head "No thank you, Pinkie. I am not hungry right now..."

Pinkie shook the can "Oh, but they're really super yummy! They're a special blend that's just ready to be eaten! You gotta try it!"

Sweetie Belle looked at the can and smiled "I'd like a few peanuts!"

Applebloom took a step forward "Me too! Haven't had peanuts in a while!"

Pinkie flinched and drew back the can, much to the group's confusion "Umm, sorry, girls! This is for Cuatro only!" She said in an insistant tone laced with faint anxiety.

Cuatro stared at Pinkie "I would not mind sharing them with the crusaders...May I have the can?"

Pinkie grinned and held out the can "Sure you can!"

Cuatro proceeded to activate his horn and levitate the can to him. When he opened it, several paper snakes flew out and startled the crusaders. Cuatro remained unphased by the prank as he looked at Pinkie "Why did you-..." He stopped himself and thought back to the other day.

"Boy, Cuaty, you're making this too easy for me! You're more of a challenge when it comes to smiling and laughing, but I'd hate to be you when me and Dashie choose to go pranking again!"

Cuatro remained silent, then looked up at the skies to see Rainbow Dash looking down at him and the others. He turned back to a dumbfounded Pinkie and levitated the can to her hooves "I was under the impression there were peanuts in this can. I see now I was wrong..."

Pinkie stared before she took the can and gave an awkward giggle "Whoops! Wrong can! Gotta go!" She zipped away without a word, leaving Cuatro and the crusaders behind.

The fillies watched her go before they looked up at Cuatro with a smile. He shifted his eyes down at them, curious about their reactions "Are you in on this?"

Applebloom lost her smile and shook her head "Uh-uh! We're not a part o' this!"

Sweetie Belle explained herself "Pinkie and Rainbow Dash usually go out into Ponyville and play some-"

"Pranks?" Cuatro interrupted "So I suppose that Rainbow Dash chose to not only teach me loyalty, but to have her own fun in the mix?"

Scootaloo gave an awkward smile "I guess so. It's not so bad once you get used to it! It's all in good fun!"

Applebloom waved a hoof "My advice is t' look around ya wherever ya choose t' go! They can be anywhere!"

Sweetie Belle hopped onto Cuatro's back "Since you're going to be watching us, we could possibly get hit with pranks as well!"

Cuatro kept silent while he stared at the small filly on his back. He looked back up in the clouds to see that Rainbow Dash wasn't there.

"It is very unethical to mix childish mischief with education, Rainbow Dash...But I shall play your game for the sake of protecting these fillies..."

Cuatro looked back at Sweetie Belle "In that case, I'll be sure to keep you all out of harm's way...Is there anything you would like to do?"

Sweetie Belle thought to herself before grinning at Cuatro "We could show you our clubhouse!"

Scootaloo grinned as well "Yeah! Maybe you can help us come up with some ideas to get our cutie marks!!"

Applebloom trotted past Cuatro, eager to show the strange alicorn the crusaders' base of operations "Jus' follow us an' we'll be there in a few shakes of a lamb's tail!" The rest of the group followed after Applebloom, Sweetie Belle choosing to stay on Cuatro's back.

When they were away, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash peered their heads out at the departing group from a distant tree; Rainbow Dash's head being above Pinkie's. The cyan pegasus scowled "I can't believe it! He didn't even flinch when he opened up that can! It never fails!!"

Pinkie Pie looked up at Rainbow Dash "Does that mean we'll have to step it up next time?"

Rainbow Dash nodded to her cohort in mischief "You know it! There's gotta be something that'll get Cuatro going. We just need to figure out what it is..." She rubbed her chin in thought.

Pinkie took off the mask covering her muzzle and smiled up at Rainbow Dash "Good thing we have plenty of tools for pranking! Let's dig through some more of our stuff!" The two pranksters zipped off to plot their next move.
_____

The crusaders led Cuatro all the way towards a treehouse just outside of Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom waved a hoof towards it and grinned "Do ya like it? This here's our clubhouse! We plan our crusades an' go out int' Ponyville t' see what our talents are!"

Cuatro examined the features of the clubhouse "I see..." Upon further inspection, he noticed that the clubhouse appeared to be too small for him to take refuge in while sticking to his test of protecting the fillies. Dismissing the concept, he replied to the crusaders "Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Rarity spoken ill of your crusades according to Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle looked away and rubbed the back of her neck "Well, there ARE times when we get carried away, but we haven't really done much in the winter!"

Scootaloo held up a hoof "Except for that one time where we tried to make the biggest snowpony!"

Applebloom groaned "Don't bring that up again, Scoots! It took us forever t' clean all that up around my house!"

Cuatro blinked at their responses, but quickly turned to look at a nearby bush after hearing a sudden rustle.

"...They approach..."

The strange alicorn looked back down at the crusaders "Can I trust you all to make your plans post haste while I remain outside here?"

Applebloom frowned "Aren't ya gonna come inside with us?"

Cuatro shifted his eyes "I'm being targetted..."

The fillies gave an 'Oooooh' in unison before they complied with a nod and made their way inside their clubhouse, looking back at the strange alicorn standing by as they closed the door.

Cuatro turned away from the treehouse and took a deep breath and spoke "I'm ready..." The wind around him blew lightly along with the bushes and the trees. His mane was carried in the wind as he stood stalk still.

"To the left."

The strange alicorn shifted his eyes left the exact moment he noticed a bush rustle in his sights. He focused on it until he noticed a batch of yellow flowers pop out of it. He blinked at the boquet poking out of the snow-covered bush and trotted towards it to examine it up close.

"Flowers such as these can only be found in the spring...Seeing as how it's the middle of winter, it's impossible for them to survive in this weather..."

He then realized it was a trap as his pupils shrank and hopped away from the flowers. Cuatro was lucky to avoid a stream of water that shot out of one of the flowers. He lightly grunted to himself.

"I was careless...This should not happen again..."

He turned to the clubhouse to see that the crusaders were still inside, then back at the bush to see that the flowers quickly sunk back into the brush of leaves. Cuatro then went back to standing still and awaiting the next move. His ears flickered as he looked up and noticed a faint rainbow blur shoot horizontally across the sky.

"What are they planning now?"

He awaited whatever trick they were about to pull, until he heard a door open. Cuatro turned to the clubhouse and saw the crusaders trot out with a scroll resting on Scootaloo's back. He approached and looked down at them "I see you're prepared..."

Scootaloo nodded "Yep! We forgot we had a list of ideas the last time we held a meeting at our clubhouse! Let's get this crusade started!"

Sweetie Belle smiled at Cuatro "Don't worry, Cuatro! We'll be sure to be on our best behavior while your busy protecting us!"

Cuatro gave a curt nod "I shall hold you to it...What is first on your list?"

Scootaloo grinned "We decided to go with ice sculpting!"

Applebloom trotted in place happily "An' we know th' best place t' start, too!"

Sweetie Belle lightly yanked on one of Cuatro's forelegs "Follow us, Cuatro! We'll show you where once we grab some tools!" She said as the group trotted off to their ideal sculpting spot.
_____

Cuatro, after helping the crusaders gather scuplting tools, was lead at the base of a hill in front of a short cliff containing several stalactites of ice hanging at the edge. He looked up at the icicles, and was skeptical with how some of them gleamed at the sharp ends "Is this really necessary?"

Scootaloo waved a hoof "It's no problem! Just bring down a couple of the big ones and we'll get to work!"

Cuatro stared at Scootaloo before he focused his attention back to the icicles. After spotting the desired sizes, he closed his eyes and activated his horn, grasping the three larger icicles and carefully snapping them off of the cliff, bringing them down to the crusaders as they grinned at their frosted splendor.

Sweetie Belle piped up cheerfully "Let's start with the middle one!" She grabbed a chisel with her teeth while Applebloom grabbed a hammer with her teeth.

Cuatro looked up at the icicles "I recommend we perform your sculpting at a safe distance..."

Scootaloo huffed "C'mon, Cuatro! It's not like they're going anywhere! It's super cold outside, so you know they won't even move!"

Cuatro stared back "Be that as it may, your safety is important...We must move."

Scootaloo groaned "Fine..." She said as she and the crusaders trotted a distance away while Cuatro trailed behind with the icicles.

On top of the cliff, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash stealthfully peered down at the group with their bag of tricks in tow. As the crusaders started scuplting, Pinkie pulled out a can with a mischievous grin. Rainbow Dash arched a curious eyebrow "Say, Pinkie, what are those?"

Pinkie turned to Rainbow Dash with a smirk "This, my little Dashie, is a can of my extra-special pinkified jumping beans!" She pulled out a can opener in her mane and opened the can, popping out two pink beans and showing them to the cyan pegasus "See? They're pink! Aren't they great?"

Rainbow Dash tilted her head "So what's your plan?"

Pinkie narrowed her eyes with a smile "It's simple! I go up to Cuatro, offer him the beans, and he'll eat them like this!" As a demonstration, she gulped down the two beans in her hoof and smacked her lips "And then the beans will do the work!"

Rainbow Dash stared in disbelief "...Did you just-?"

The realization dawned on Pinkie as well as held a look of shock "Uh oh..." There was a pause, and the party pony began to shake before she jumped up and down against her will "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! They! Definitely! Work! Alright!" She said in between her jumps.

The force of her landings shook the foundation of the hill as the icicles hanging on the cliff began to shake. The continuous tremor was strong enough for the icicles to break and fall down like a wall of launched arrows, even piercing into the snow when they reached the ground.

Cuatro and the crusaders noticed this, and the fillies went pale as the strange alicorn's coat at the sight. Cuatro only stared before looking down at the crusaders, namely Scootaloo "That could have been you if we stayed there..." He stated calmly.

Sweetie Belle stared before she dropped her chisel "Suddenly, I don't feel like sculpting! Let's do something else!" She blurted out in a quick tone.

Applebloom shifted her eyes "Ummm..." She turned to the list "What should we do next?"

Cuatro decided to aid the crusaders' decision by levitating the scroll in front of him and unraveling it to reveal a long list of random ideas.

"...They are very ambitious for children..."

The strange alicorn read through some of them until his eyes rested on one in particular "Shall we try your hoof at ping pong?"

Applebloom turned to Cuatro "There's an idea! Let's head back t' my house and set up a table!" The group traveled back to Sweet Apple Acres, oblivious to Rainbow Dash trying to stop Pinkie's uncontrollable jumping.
_____

Inside of the barn in Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo readied a paddle with her teeth while Sweetie Belle did the same. Cuatro and Applebloom watched on the sidelines as the two fillies stared each other down.

Scootaloo held a ping pong ball in her hoof, then tossed it up before she opened the game with a good smack. It bounced over the net onto Sweetie Belle's side and prompted the filly to do the same; the process repeated itself with gradually increasing speed.

Applebloom turned to look up at Cuatro while she sat on a bale of hay "Who do ya think's gonna win, Cuatro?" She asked in an inquisitve tone.

Cuatro examined the game "Given Scootaloo's athletic background, she may have the first point..."

Applebloom looked back at the progressing speed of the game, and was surprised to see that Sweetie Belle missed the ball and fell, while Scootaloo gave a muffled cheer "Wow! Not bad!" Applebloom voiced in an impressed tone.

Outside of the barn, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie peered through a window and watched Scootaloo serve another ball. Digging into the bag, Rainbow Dash pulled out a container of itching powder with a mischievous smile on her face "Alright, Pinkie! Knock on the door and I'll take care of the rest!"

Pinkie gave a mock salute and zipped in front of the barn door while Rainbow Dash flew over it. With a quick three knocks, Pinkie moved away from the door into the orchard and awaited the group's response.

Applebloom blinked "Who's knockin' on th' barn door? Couldn't they come inside?"

Cuatro rose from his sitting position "I'll go see who's outside..." He said as he trotted past the crusaders and approached the door, opening it with his magic. He blinked when he noticed no one was around, then proceeded to look around.

Before he could look up, Rainbow Dash grinned evilly as she began to shake the itching powder over the strange alicorn. Sadly, the moment she poured the powder, a gale swept in from the west, blowing the batch of powder across the air into the apple orchard. The cyan pegasus watched as it was carried by the wind before it descended into a patch of trees. There was a pause before a scream was heard.

Pinkie leaped out of the orchard and began rapidly scratching herself in random motions "Itch itch! Itch itch itch! Ow! Itchy itchy itchy! Ow ow ow ow!! Itch!" She backed herself on one of the trees and rubbed her back furiously against its rough bark.

Cuatro and Rainbow Dash watched Pinkie scratch herself, then Rainbow Dash flew by and snatched Pinkie away as the two ran off. Cuatro stared at the pranking duo leaving.

"Perhaps Pinkie forgot to bathe?"

Cuatro then went back inside of the barn to see the fillies cease their game of ping pong with looks of disappointment on their faces "Is something wrong, children?"

Applebloom sighed "We didn't get no cutie mark..."

Scootaloo puffed her cheeks "Even with all my wins, we're still far from knowing our talent!"

Cuatro trotted up to the crusaders and spoke "You do realize you have several more ideas on your list..."

Sweetie Belle looked up at Cuatro before she smiled "You're right! Thanks for reminding us, Cuatro!" The other crusaders followed suit with their spirits lifted by the strange alicorn's words.

Applebloom pulled out and unraveled the list as it rolled on the hay. She scanned the list of ideas before she found one with a grin "C'mon, y'all! Ah know what we can do next before we go back t' crusadin'!"
_____

After Applebloom grabbed a saddlebag containing bits from her room, the group trotted back into Ponyville and went up to a snow cone stand being ran by an ice blue pegasus with a white mane and tail; her cutie mark was also a snow cone. She smiled at them "Hello, girls!" The mare then looked up at Cuatro and flinched before flashing an awkward smile "H-Hello, Cuatro..."

Applebloom smiled "Howdy, Snow Bank! Is Lickety Split doin' any better?"

Snow Bank nodded "He's recovering smoothly! To think that he almost did not last in that snowstorm last night..." She frowned "I was so worried!"

Cuatro nodded "I can sympathize with your child..."

Snow Bank blinked at Cuatro "Huh?"

Applebloom gave a sheepish grin "We sorta found Cuatro in front o' our house when a snowstorm was a brewin'! He got better, though!"

Snow Bank gasped "Oh my! Well, it's a good thing there are ponies around here to help each other out..." She then sighed in relief, then smiled "But I'm just rambling on! What will you be having today?"

Sweetie Belle grinned "I'll have a lemonade snow cone, please!"

Scootaloo chimed in "I want cherry!"

Applebloom waved a hoof "Th' usual fer me, Ms. Snow Bank!"

Snow Bank looked up at Cuatro "And for you?"

Cuatro wondered if there was a flavor in particular suitable for him.

"Those strawberry donuts from Canterlot were delicious..."

Cuatro gave a curt nod "I would like to have a strawberry snow cone, if you please..."

Snow Bank smiled "Okay, so that will be 8 bits altogether!"

Applebloom turned to her friends "Don't worry, everypony! Ah got us th' bits before we left!" She dug her head into her saddlebags and fished for the money

While Snow Bank was staring at the group, a cyan hoof swiped the strawberry juice bottle, and replaced it with a different bottle containing hot sauce. Two blurs - one rainbow and one pink - zipped away into the nearest tree shortly after the switch.

Applebloom pulled out the money and placed it on the stand "There ya are! 8 bits!"

Snow Bank gathered the bits with a satisfied smile "Alright then! Four snow cones coming up!" She trotted to her shaved ice compartment and grabbed four cones, scooping each one up with a large amount of ice. She then placed them on a rack so she could pour each one with the desired flavor of juice. The ice blue pegasus went over her inventory, then stopped on the one crudely labeled 'Strawberry', raising in eyebrow in confusion "Huh? Well that's wierd..." She muttered to herself as she reluctantly took it and poured some onto one of the cones. After, she gave the three remaining cones their own flavors, then handed them out to each of the group "There you are, everypony! Enjoy!"

Sweetie Belle beamed at her treat "Thank you, Snow Bank!" She began lapping her snow cone contently.

Cuatro examined his snow cone as it was levitated in front of him. He expected a salmon, if not pink hue in the ice, but it seemed to be almost similar to cherry. He decided to give it a taste test as the treat neared his lips.

"Hey, Cuatro?"

Cuatro stopped and looked down at Scootaloo, the orange filly smiling "Is it alright if I tried a lick of your snow cone? I'll let you try mine!"

The strange alicorn stared before he replied "I suppose there is no harm..." The two traded their snow cones for a brief moment and Cuatro gave a small taste "This cherry snow cone is adequate...How is the strawberry, Scootaloo?"

An agonizing scream was the only response Cuatro got as he noticed Scootaloo breathing actual fire out of her mouth with a look of terror while flailing her forelegs. All but Cuatro were startled at Scootaloo's action as she inadvertently tossed the strange alicorn's snow cone into the air.

Snow Bank watched in shock "I don't get it! I never serve any spicy snow cones! That's just obscene!"

Cuatro saw this and grasped the cone with his magic. He brought it down in front of him and examined it while Scootaloo was busy scarfing down the snow on the ground with watering eyes. He tilted his head before he gave the snow cone a small lick. Cuatro paused before he gave a light grunt, followed by small trails of steam escaping the corners of his lips while he kept a straight face.

"This is not strawberry..."

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom helped Scootaloo up after she had her fill "What was that just now!?" Sweetie Belle asked in confusion.

"Hot sauce..."

The crusaders looked up at Cuatro, who broke into a light sweat as more steam escaped the corners of his lips. They were all surprised to see he did not show any reaction to him tasting the cone "This snow cone is full of hot sauce rather than strawberry-flavored juice..."

Scootaloo caressed her tongue with a sullen look in her eyes "Tha ethlains why it ath tho hot..."

Applebloom tilted her head "Who in the hay ever heard of a hot snow cone? That's jus' plum stupid!" She turned to a shocked and confused Snow Bank "Unless y'all wanted t' pull a fast one on us!"

Snow Bank was taken aback as she stepped away with a frown "But I would never do such a thing to anypony while I run my stand!"

Cuatro examined his snow cone long enough before tossing it into the nearest rubbish bin "But I know somepony who does..." He said as he levitated the cherry snow cone back to Scootaloo and began to look around. When he noticed a trail of pink behind a tree, he winked out with his Sonido.
_____

Rainbow Dash frowned to herself with a groan "I heard the squirt scream back there...That's another failed prank!"

Pinkie smiled at her friend "Look on the bright side, Dashie! There's plenty more pranks for us to choose from!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes with a smile "I suppose you're right! Hopefully we'll find out what makes him tick and get him good soon, though! We're burning daylight with all of these attempts!"

Pinkie waved a dismissive hoof "Oh, pshaw! We never fail when it comes to pranks, and the possibilities are endless! Besides, it's not like he hasn't noticed us yet, right?"

On cue, the sound of booming static was heard as a shadow loomed over the tree Rainbow Dash and Pinkie hid under. They froze and slowly turned to what casted the shadow before their pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

Towering over them was Cuatro, who still had his light sweat and steam from his mouth as he stared down at the pranking duo with his soulless eyes. It did not show on his face, but he was clearly unamused by what has happened "...You've taken this joke too far..."


To be continued...