//------------------------------// // Capitulo Veintinueve // Story: Kick about! Los Lobos! // by Dirty Bit //------------------------------// Capitulo Veintinueve Keeping the Peace "There they are!" Twilight said as she noticed Starrk and Sparkler trotting into view. More cheers rang into Starrk's ears - much to his chagrin - as the two ponies neared the crowd. They then found themselves in a group hug courtesy of Derpy, Dinky, and Pinkie Pie. Lilynette merely trotted up and joined in unenthusiastically. "Thank you so much, Starrky." Derpy said with a tear rolling down her face as she smiled up at the former espada "Whether or not you do find your own home, you're always welcome in ours!" Starrk merely stared before nodding back. 'I've never seen this much compassion in my life.' Starrk thought to himself as he looked over at Luna, who approached him with a neutral expression. "Coyote Starrk, let it be said that I've never expected such a feat with my own eyes. You have mine and all of Ponyville's gratitude for protecting their town from disaster." Luna stated regally before a thin smile graced her lips "It is nice to know that Ponyville is safe under capable hooves." "That poor Ursa Major..." Fluttershy murmured sadly with her head hung down. "My pleasure." Starrk replied curtly before looking back at the forest "It's too bad that the forest is messed up along with Zecora's home. Not to mention we still have a situation to deal with regarding this whole 'dark magic' thing." "Indeed." Luna nodded "Which is why I shall have my guards scour all of Ponyville in search of the fiend responsible for all of this turmoil. From this point on, they shall be stationed as sentries." "My thoughts exactly! Where should we start?" Rainbow Dash asked vigorously as he hovered in the air. She looked back at the rest of Ponyville's citizens murmuring amongst themselves, frowning at their unease "Guess everypony else isn't as happy about this." "Considerin' we're dealin' with some type o' evil wizard, Ah wouldn't put it past 'em. But what bugs me is that it could be anypony here, since it all started with th' spa sisters." Applejack said. "An interrogation with everypony present would be in bad taste..." Twilight said before she groaned in frustration "What could we do about this whole thing?" Zecora shook her head as she closed her eyes. "Surely, this isn't our finest hour, Being played with by an evil power." "Mom..." Sparkler said as she neared Derpy with a troubled expression "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm scared." She found herself embraced by her mother. "It's okay, sweetie. It'll all work out in the end with everypony on the case." Derpy comforted in a soothing tone. She thought for a moment that she had felt something on Sparkler's neck while she was hugging her, but she merely passed it off as the scarf she was wearing. Meanwhile, Starrk was looking at Sparkler and contemplated over the time he escorted Sparkler out of the Everfree Forest. When the timberwolf growled at her, he was quick to silence it before making it retreat in the woods. A part of him wondered if the wolf was onto something as he looked back in the forest. "Maybe it's in our best interest to leave it to the Night Guard for now while we hurry along Ponyville's reconstruction." Twilight said after she regained her composure "It wouldn't do much good to get in their way. If we're lucky, either them or us will come across the mastermind at work if the town's security remains tight." "Then I leave this town in your hooves whilst I return to my sister." Luna said as she gave a disappointed frown "Were I not too bothered by my status as princess, I, too, would lend more assistance than this." "You've done plenty for us, princess." Rarity said with a smile "If anything, we appreciate your help in all of this." "I would gladly lay down my life for the sake of Equestria." Luna said proudly with a hoof on her chest before she noticed a intimidating black chariot being drawn her way by two night guards. When it stopped near her, she stepped onto it and looked down at the group "We shall meet again soon enough. With the help of my sister, we shall lend further aid to your cause." She said gallantly. "Thanks for the guards, Princess Luna!" Derpy thanked heartily as she waved. The crowd of ponies gave Luna and her chariot some room to take off as it soared into the sky and back towards Canterlot. The citizens, feeling safe with the guards Luna had left them with, decided to go back to their own activities, although they carried mild anxiety over when the next attack may occur. Twilight watched the princess of the night leave before turning to her friends, consisting of her fellow element bearers, the Hooves family, and Zecora. "Then it's settled with the guards. It may seem lackluster, but it's better than rushing in headfirst into trouble." Twilight explained. "I dunno, Twilight." Rainbow Dash said skeptically with her forehooves folded "The Night Guard's good and all, but do we even know how smart the guy we're looking for is? We gotta be as vigilant as them, you know." "I couldn't agree more." Twilight said confidently "Which is why we're going to make it an effort to keep tabs on everypony and be on the lookout for any suspicious behavior or activity in Ponyville while going about our business." She frowned "It's going to be tough having to rely on ourselves to figure out who the real culprit is, but we can't just trust everypony else at the drop of a hat right now." "At least we have the princesses' support. It's too bad they're busy with problems of their own, though." Fluttershy said. "What could they possibly be busy with?" Lilynette asked with an arched eyebrow "Shouldn't they be here with us and finding the jerk?" "Lilynette, dear, you don't realize how hard it is to be a princess." Rarity said "They have royal duties that require their attention and theirs alone; most of which depend on Equestria's stability." "That's stupid! Their home's in danger, and royal duties matter more?" Lilynette complained. "I know it's hard, Lilynette, especially for us, but that's how it is." Twilight said with a frown "We'll have to accept their help in small portions in order to see this through." "Whatever the case, I'm satisfied with what we have." Starrk said as he looked at the town "At least we won't have to put up with any more monsters coming this way. All we have to deal with is being on high alert, as much of a drag as it is." Applejack chuckled. "At least ya ain't that lazy, sugarcube." Applejack said before turning to her friends "Guess that about wraps up this conversation. Let's do what we can with Ponyville!" With a chorus of agreement, the group dispersed into Ponyville, the exception being Zecora retreating into the forest to tend to her home. Starrk trotted along until he noticed Rainbow Dash floating above him, and Pinkie on his right, feeling uncomfortable with both mares so close to him. Pinkie was justified, but he had a strange feeling about Rainbow Dash until he remembered something. "Hey, Rainbow Dash." Starrk said as he looked up at the cyan pegasus "You still have that opening for weather duty, right?" "Yeah, why? You wanna join already?" Rainbow Dash said. "I'll do it tomorrow. Thanks for the offer." Starrk said. "Awwww, you're not gonna be a mailpony anymore?" Derpy moaned pitifully, to which Starrk sighed. "It's nothing personal. I don't find much enjoyment in the job anyways, and this weather duty seems to be more tempting." Starrk responded indifferently. "And you won't be wrong neither!" Starrk stopped in his tracks to see Rainbow Dash hanging upside down in front of his face with a chipper grin "There's some boring stuff, like sitting through meetings, but the job's a cinch. Just move some clouds here and there, and you can have all the breaks you want since you're so fast!" She said encouragingly. "That easy, huh?" Starrk said as he tilted his head before shrugging "Can't argue with that." He noticed how Rainbow Dash's features brightened after his answer. "Well, I guess whatever makes you happy, Starrky." Derpy said with a renewed smile "I'll let Crafty Crate know about your two weeks notice." "Alright! Starrk saved Ponyvillle again and got a new job! This is a good day so far!" Pinkie chirped proudly before the group resumed their pace into Ponyville. 'Indeed it is, my little pony...' Sparkler thought with a smile that hid malice 'Indeed it is...' _____ Luna had just arrived back to the castle, where her chariot had been taken towards the balcony outside of her room. She hopped off of the chariot and trotted inside while her guards had swooped down to land and park it themselves. Her mind was wandering back to when Starrk had fused with Lilynette. She never thought it would be possible for two ponies to fuse together, let alone becoming an alicorn. 'I must inform this to my sister at once.' She thought to herself as she trotted out of her room and into the halls, in search of Celestia. While the topic of Starrk's transformation was one thing, the news about dark magic being used in Ponyville was another pressing matter. Looking inside the throne room, Luna was lucky to find Celestia on her throne with two guards at her side. She made her way inside with a serious expression, earning the attention of her sister and the guards. "Luna, is something the matter?" Celestia asked in concern. "More than you know, sister. As it turns out, Ponyville is in more peril than we've realized." Luna said as she stopped in front of Celestia "From what I've witnessed with my own eyes, there is a mysterious being at work who was tapping into dark magic. I've noticed some bats under a spell antagonize an Ursa Major into attacking us before Coyote Starrk had subdued it. My guards are currently searching around for any suspicious activity." "I see..." Celestia said with a solemn frown "This could be very troublesome if it were ignored. It's good that you've left Ponyville in the hooves of your guards." She then donned a warm smile "I'd say Starrk might need more help despite his power." "About that..." Luna interrupted "During my time in Ponyville, I've beheld a grand spectacle in the form of both Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerback fusing into one pony of incredible strength; an alicorn!" Celestia's eyes widened. "You're certain?" The solar princess asked before looking down "So it's true then..." She murmured to herself. "Quite so." Luna replied evenly "However, while I do place Coyote Starrk's power in high regard, I decided to take the liberty of leaving my Night Guard under Ponyville's protection. We'll be certain to find ways to assist the citizens further." "A good move on your part. We could be in for something big if we're ill prepared." Celestia rose from her throne and trotted down the carpet at her sister's side "This is most unexpected...Dark magic in Ponyville is highly abnormal. And that's not to say the fact that Cerberus had attacked Ponyville twice was an understatement." The two sisters trotted out of the throne room and into the halls. "But the first time Cerberus had strayed from their duty, it was merely out of inconceivable boredom. It was wise for Twilight Sparkle to give them a ball." Luna stated. "And from what I've seen, Cerberus had reeked havoc on Ponyville and had placed them in a state of reconstruction, all while Tartarus was left unattended. If both situations we've witnessed recently are probably connected with one another..." Celestia trailed off with mild dread. "You don't think...?" Luna asked anxiously. "We may just have to invite Cadence and Shining Armor for a conference and discuss how to approach the situation carefully. I'll dispatch a courier en route to the Crystal Empire in order to reach them." Celestia replied. "A wise decision, sister. We may need all the help we can get out of this sudden predicament." Luna said as she turned to head downstairs while Celestia made for her study. "Oh, and Luna?" Luna looked back at Celestia, who had a thin smile on her face "I'll need you to do me a favor later on tonight, if you don't mind." "What is it you desire, Tia?" Luna asked with her head cocked to the side. Celestia looked away and stared off into space. "I'll let you know eventually. Until then, we'll need to act upon this accordingly." The solar princess replied before trotting away, leaving a confused Luna behind. _____ Later in the evening, Ponyville was seen with several night guards patrolling the town with glowing yellow eyes, scanning their surroundings as they even stretched as far as the town's limits. While they remained vigilant, Ponyville was able to be nearly finished with their reparations, being able to undo the damage by tomorrow afternoon. In the Hooves household, Derpy held up a mug of root beer with a bright grin towards the rest of her family. "A toast to Starrky and Lily!" Derpy cheered "They really made an impact on Ponyville! " She paused before smiling sheepishly "In a good way." "Yay!" Dinky cheered as she raised her own mug. Sparkler raised her own as well, although cheered with less enthusiasm than her family. Starrk and Lilynette simply sat in their seats while staring at the Hooves family before looking at their own respective mugs sitting on the table. "So you mean you usually celebrate with root beer in this house?" Starrk asked inquisitively. "Of course, silly. I thought it'd be appropriate and all, since you were so adamant about not wanting Pinkie Pie to plan a party. Give it a try!" Derpy said before drinking from her mug. Dinky happily sipped from her own while Sparkler sipped hers calmly. Lilynette inspected her mug before taking an experimental sip before recoiling. It was cold and fizzy, and the flavor was unusual to her. She tried another drink before she felt that she had acquired a taste for it. "Not bad. I guess I can see why you guys drink this on special occasions." Lilynette said as she stared at her drink before looking at her family "But I'm still angry that we're doing nothing while some creep is mucking about around here. Why can't we just sniff them out and be done with it?" "You heard Twilight, Lilynette." Starrk said as he sipped his own glass "We can't go in blind unless we're asking for trouble. Wouldn't want to be held responsible for any more unnecessary damages on our part..." "Oh, Starrky, don't be like that." Derpy said with a comforting smile "Take it from somepony who's made mistakes of her own: it's never easy. But we have each other to make things better." "Yeah, like our song!" Dinky chimed in encouragingly. "If you ask me, you should probably focus less on the damge done and more on what's to come." Sparkler stated pointedly before she took another drink "There's no way we're gonna be walking out of this without any problems." "Good point..." Starrk said as he looked at Sparkler "But I want to make sure none of you are harmed when that time comes..." He looked at his half-empty mug before pushing it near Lilynette and raising from his seat "I'm gonna go sleep now. There's not much else for me to do at this point." "Are you that tired, Mr. Starrk?" Dinky asked "Why not spend more time with us?" "I'd love to, but I should probably be ready for that new job Rainbow Dash offered me." Starrk replied before he trotted to the front door and opened it as he went outside 'Besides, I have some thinking to do...' After Starrk had shut the front door behind him, Lilynette regarded the front door with a calculating stare while the Hooves family accepted the fact that Starrk wanted to sleep early. Outside, Starrk was on a cloud above the house he had exited, laying back and staring into the night sky with his stoic expression. He looked down to see the Night Guard remaining awake and alert as they looked around. The former espada had to commend their dedication; it was almost nostalgic to him. Sadly, his mind was in other places. 'This whole thing's starting to become a real drag. But that time with Sparkler's starting to bug me more than usual...' Starrk remembered back when he escorted Sparkler out of the Everfree Forest. _____ "The timberwolf sniffed at Starrk and let of a small bark, then wagged its tail when the former espada patted its head. The timberwolf then looked over at Sparkler and sniffed at her. However, instead of barking, it growled threateningly and got into a stance, to which Sparkler felt wary. " _____ 'They weren't as hostile the first time, and yet the one I saw was hostile around Sparkler...What could this mean?' As relevant as it was, Starrk really hated overthinking the situation involving dark magic and how Sparkler may or may not be connected to it. It was then he had an idea. 'Maybe that Twilight girl knows something. I should remember to talk to her sometime tomorrow.' With his future objective set, he felt he deserved his rest as he shifted into a more comfortable position on his cloud and slept contentedly. _____ The pitch black sky. The pale moon. The white sands. Everything was as he remembered, much like the body that was currently sitting in the environment. Primera Espada Coyote Starrk sat down comfortably in the desert while the sand around him was being carried by whistling winds. His white hakama was able to keep him warm along with the gloves he wore on his hands. Sadly, while he was sitting comfortably, he was all alone in what he would consider the best memory of his previous life, or lack thereof; not even Lilynette was around him. "So this is what dreaming feels like...Can't say I enjoy it too much." Starrk droned as he stared at the endless horizon with his bored, but wistless eyes. He was much more content with dreamless slumber, but he couldn't for the life of him fathom how he was capable of doing so just now, and in his old hollow form. Starrk looked down at the zanpaktou resting in the sand along his waist and felt the scabbard with a gloved hand. After silently registering the feeling, he sighed lazily. "I don't really see the point of this if I'm just gonna sit here and revel in this little dream rather than just sleep..." Starrk said dryly as he looked back at the endless horizon. "Looks like you could use some company. Mind if I join you?" Starrk perked up at the voice that came from behind, and shifted his head to look at what appeared to be a female wearing a white dress similar to that of that orange-haired girl he brought back into Las Noches. Only this one didn't have orange hair; she had three colors instead of one, and she appeared to be smiling at Starrk as her hair flowed beneath her golden tiara. "Wait a minute...Princess Celestia?" Starrk said in a moment of realization "How did you-..." Celestia chuckled in amusement at the espada's surprise. "Don't be alarmed, I should be lucky to see you like this. Luna merely tapped into her magic so that we were capable of seeing one another in the dreamscape." She pointed to him "Hence your current form. I take it this is what you looked like before your arrival in Equestria?" "Yeah..." Starrk said as he looked at his gloved hand before staring back at Celestia "But I'm also surprised you assumed that form of yours. I figured you'd still be a pony." The solar princess shrugged innocently. "I suppose I adapted to your dream's atmosphere somehow; not that it matters. I merely wished to speak with you, and I felt this was an appropriate approach, since we were both busy at the time." Celestia stated. Starrk stared before he shrugged himself. "You came this far, so why not? Feel free to sit down." Starrk said, to which Celestia gave a friendly smile before joining the espada down on the white sands next to him. She sat on her knees, which were covered by her flowing skirt. Starrk stared out into the blackened horizon with a stoic gaze tinged with a hint of wistfulness. Celestia looked over at him and recognized the loneliness portrayed in his eyes. 'You poor thing...' Celestia thought to herself with a frown before she gently laid a hand on his shoulder "Coyote, before I begin, let me tell you that I empathize with your pain..." Starrk shifted his head to Celestia with a raised eyebrow. "How so?" He asked curiously "The way I see it, you're surrounded by all those ponies and you practically lead them alongside your sister." "Luna and I have been around longer than you realize...We've had our own periods of isolation, of course." Celestia explained briefly, wanting to leave something out. Starrk caught onto the solar princess' explanation and nodded to her. "I see..." Starrk said as he looked over at the hand that rested on his shoulder. He felt a warmth that was not only foreign to his background, but was also soothing to him. Remembering that Celestia wanted to talk, he faced her again "So, what is it you wish to talk about?" "I've heard word of your recent act of heroism, and I wanted to thank you personally, although that was part of the reason for this meeting." Celestia said as she drew back her hand as Starrk felt the warmth fade away "I wanted to talk to you about how you handled the Ursa Major with Lilynette." "Ah, Luna brought that to your attention? Yeah, it turns out we're able to fuse again. Don't worry about Ponyville; we only damaged part of the Everfree Forest pushing it back. That, and we can separate at will. But I'm still bothered by the fact that we're dealing with something that can't be seen. This is a real pain..." "Remember, Coyote Starrk, that you're not alone anymore. You have many friends who not only share your concern, but are ready to stand at your side in the face of adversity." Celestia said as she looked at Starrk with hope in her eyes "I want you to be ready as well. It may be a lot to ask, given your laidback nature, but I must know that we can trust you not only as a friend, but as a protector. You may have arrived here for something other than mere coincidence..." Starrk stared into Celestia's eyes before he closed his own. "Well, I was lucky enough to be welcomed by you ponies without any problems, and I should be willing to protect my pack at all costs. You don't need to tell me twice." He opened his eyes to see a warm smile on Celestia's face. He then felt both of her hands on his shoulders as she stared, feeling more warmth than usual. "I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully, you'll learn more about friendship once this is over." Celestia said, then noticed that her right hand was being covered by Starrk's left. His head was hung, his gaze hidden beneath his hair "Is something wrong, Coyote?" "Nothing. It's just..." He raised his head to face Celestia with a soft gaze "This might sound weird coming from me...but you're pretty warm. It feels nice." Celestia stared at Starrk for a moment before she smiled again. "I take it you want me to give you more warmth?" She asked expectantly, to which Starrk nodded. "Yeah. I didn't like this dreaming at first, but somehow, you're making the experience more worthwhile. I've never felt this kind of warmth in my life." Starrk explained. Celestia gently wrapped her arms around the espada, who hesitantly did the same as they enjoyed their embrace. "Then I shall keep you warm through the night, if it makes you happy..." Celestia said softly while Starrk rested his head against her shoulder, feeling more relaxed than usual. The crescent moon above them somehow turned into a full moon that cast a shadowy silhouette of a familiar pony, who was seen smiling down at the pair that sat in the chilling sands, embracing each other with the feeling of loneliness as a fleeting afterthought. _____ Later that night, while everypony was sleeping, quiet chuckling was heard in the Hooves household, namely from Sparkler's room. Inside of her room, Sparkler's scarf laid on the end of her bed as she stood triumphantly, her horn glowing with a powerful red aura that continuously seeped into her body with the help of a silver trinket that was locked onto her neck. The front part of it was an emblem resembling a unicorn's head with wings, with a glowing ruby at the center. 'At last...The Alicorn Amulet returns to its true master. These fools saved me the trouble of actually having to resort through time-consuming tactics to get my revenge. With this, I shall be invincible! It won't be long now...Not even that indolent oaf Coyote Starrk will be enough to stop me!' Sparkler thought with a wide and evil grin as more magic worked its way inside of her. End of Chapter 29