Cuatro

by Dirty Bit

Capítulo Nueve

Cuatro sat down at a table with Twilight Spike as his long tail slightly moved on the floor. Pinkie trotted to her friends while balancing a tray bearing three cupcakes on her nose with relative ease. She set it down on the table and grinned at her friends "There ya go! This oughta make you AND your belly happy, especially since these cupcakes are super special!" The others inspected the cupcakes and noticed that each one had brilliant yellow frosting with smiley faces consisting of toothy grins made of white frosting and eyes made of peppermint candies.

Twilight giggled before she levitated her own cupcake in front of her "Very creative, Pinkie! You never cease to amaze or disappoint in your baking!" She then took a bite of her cupcake and savored the taste of it. After chewing on it, she swallowed it and instantly grinned afterwards "These are amazing!"

Spike already chewed on his own bite and swallowed it to chime in "I'll say! Best cupcakes I've had so far!!"

Pinkie blushed and waved a hoof while pressing on her right cheek with another as she giggled "Oh, stop it, you!!" She then quickly turned to Cuatro with an expectant smile on her face "I made them with a special ingredient that'll make sure anypony enjoys a bright day!! Go on, Cuaty! Give it a try!"

Cuatro eyed his cupcake before he gingerly nibbled on a bite. It tasted as exquisite as they claimed, but he had his doubts in terms of Pinkie's explanation on the pastry.

"I get the feeling she dragged me in here to try and see her goal through..."

Pinkie leaned near Cuatro with a wider smile "Weeeeeeell~?"

the strange alicorn swallowed his bite with closed eyes, and only gave a curt nod in response "This cupcake is delicious. Your service is appreciated..."

Pinkie narrowed her eyes with a pout 'Horseapples! I was going easy on him this time!' She then quickly donned another grin "Well, there's more in the back if you want any! Gotta at least fill that tummy so you won't be so hungry when you're having dinner with the princess!"

Cuatro opened his eyes "Of course...I only wonder if Princess Celestia would even consider me a part of her own memory..." He ate more of his cupcake.

Spike cocked an eyebrow at Cuatro "You sound pretty skeptical about meeting the princess and trying to sort things out. Is this visit bugging you at all?"

The strange alicorn finished another bite and turned to Spike "Not exactly. What troubles me is thinking that I will not acheive what I am looking for the moment I reach your princess..." He looked away "I've yet to develop my own valid opinion on her once we meet face-to-face..."

Twilight frowned at this. She remembered how he responded to meeting with the princess back at the library, with his cold atmosphere visibly tinted in his words. Twilight cleared her throat before she spoke "I'm sure you'll think greatly of her when that time comes, Cuatro! All we need to do is wait!"

Cuatro looked at Twilight "I cannot be entirely certain, Twilight. For all we know, I could be considered a monster in the eyes of Canterlot as I was when I first arrived in Ponyville..."

Twilight blinked when this was said by Cuatro "First arrived? Well, where did you come from before?"

Cuatro replied "The Everfree Forest..." This caused Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie to look bewildered. The strange alicorn closed his eyes "It did sound strange to Applejack and Applebloom when they took me in during the snowstorm two nights ago..."

Pinkie gasped "You walked through a snowstorm!? What the hay where you thinking, mister!? No wonder you have to act so cold!! You've been spending too much time out in the snow!"

Cuatro blinked "...Was that an idea of a joke just now?"

Pinkie smiled "Yep! Did you like it?"

Cuatro shook his head "Not really..."

Pinkie narrowed her eyes and pointed a hoof at Cuatro "I'll find out what makes you tick sooner or later, Cuaty! Just you wait!" She then nonchalantly hopped into the kitchen "I better get those cupcakes for Dashie going!" She spoke in a chipper tone.

Twilight blurted out "You mean to tell us that you actually emerged from the Everfree forest as of two nights ago!? How did you manage to survive?"

Cuatro looked down "Perhaps as an alicorn, I was born with remarkable stamina. But to be more technical, I was lost and alone...I wanted to survive and realize what my purpose was here in this world. I never thought I would end up facing more trouble the moment I left the forest..."

Spike tilted his head "So that's where you first ended up, huh? Maybe we should go there one day and search for clues!"

Twilight glared at her assistant "Spike, this is the Everfree Forest we're talking about! Even during winter, it's very dangerous to even consider going there for answers to Cuatro's amnesia!"

Cuatro ate more of his cupcake and swallowed another bite as he spoke "I agree with Twilight...Besides, I cannot be certain to pinpoint the exact location of where I woke up...It is best to see if the Princess would be able to handle my problem."

Twilight was surprised "Wow. And here I thought you didn't really trust the princess!"

Cuatro shook his head "I mentioned nothing of trust...I only consider her as a means of regaining my memory and nothing more. Between her and going back into the Everfree Forest for clues, I see no other options to rid myself of amnesia. So for now, I'll only follow you on your faith in Princess Celestia and hope that she may help me with my problems..."

Spike frowned 'Man...he IS cold...One moment he's nice, but the next moment it's like he doesn't give a flying feather about anypony! I'll bet this has something to do with his amnesia...Maybe if he went to Canterlot, he could find-Hey! That's it!' He piped up when he had an idea "What say we leave early for Canterlot and show Cuatro around there? If it's not Ponyville, then there could be something in Canterlot that could get his memories back!"

Twilight looked at Spike "Leave early? Well, that is a good idea, Spike, but we gotta make sure Applejack and the others aren't still busy!" She turned to Cuatro "Unless you object to this notion. Who knows? Spike could be right about his words!"

Cuatro finished his cupcake before he nodded "It would save us the trouble of sitting around here...Where should we go first?"

Twilight smiled "We'll go look for Rarity first and see if she is finished with any designs she has going for her customers! Let's get going while it's still daytime!" She rose from her seat with Spike and Cuatro, then turned to the kitchen and called out "We're going to be heading out, Pinkie! We're gonna be leaving for Canterlot a little sooner than expected!"

Pinkie popped her head from the doors to the kitchen "Really? Well, I'll catch up with you all later then! I gotta get these cupckaes for Dashie ready!" She moved back into the kitchen, and the others decided to vacate Sugarcube Corner in search of their friends.
_____

Cuatro was directed to what appeared to be an ornate building that was more suited to the higher class, more luxurious in appearance than Ponyville's day spa. Twilight trotted up to the front door and rapped on it three times before standing patiently. The door then opened to reveal Sweetie Belle, who smiled up at the trio "Hello, Twilight and Spike!" She then noticed Cuatro and waved "Hi there, Cuatro!"

Cuatro nodded in greeting "Sweetie Belle." He replied calmly.

Sweetie Belle frowned "Looks like you're still not smiling, huh? Well, at least Rarity will be happy to see you! Come on in, you guys!" She moved back and allowed the group inside.

While she moved inside, Twilight looked down at Sweetie Belle "Is your sister busy right now, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle looked up the stairs "Just a little bit. She's almost done with her last piece of clothing before calling it a day since she's looking forward to going to Canterlot!" She then turned to Cuatro "Which reminds me, do you think maybe Cuatro could find something in Canterlot to help with his memory?"

Spike held up a claw "One step ahead of you! We can wait for Rarity to finish! So, what are you up to anyways?"

Sweetie Belle groaned "I wanted to help Rarity with her work, but she trusted me to watch Opal instead..." She pointed a hoof over to a white cat sleeping soundly on a rug.

Cuatro noticed this and grunted as he felt another migraine in his head. Soon, another scene played in his mind.

"In any case, Lord Aizen has trusted that girl to me. Hand her over."
"Fuck you."
"...What did you say?"
"What's the matter? You've got a lot to say, don't-...-iorra!"
"I can see it-...-ou're scared of fighting me!!"

The pain left as quick as it came as Cuatro came to his senses while rubbing his temples with a hoof. Spike looked up in a frown "You okay, Cuatro? These headaches of yours are getting pretty frequent lately!!"

Cuatro sighed in relief before he responded "I'll be fine...All I know is that I don't share a fondness for cats..." He looked away "I do not favor them at all..." He figured that the memory had something to do with when he first laid eyes on Rarity's cat, reminding him of someone he shared deep disdain for. But aside from that point, he could not shake off the voices he heard clearly in his mind.

"Something about that memory...The first voice...that was me, wasn't it? What is my connection with this...Lord Aizen?"

Sweetie Belle giggled "That makes two of us! Opal can be a bit of a jerk sometimes! It's a good thing Rarity wasn't there to hear that."

Twilight shook her head "I can only imagine which animals you actually favor. Well, unless you're not much of an animal lover like Fluttershy."

Cuatro shifted his eyes to Twilight "The timid one? She is an animal caretaker?"

Twilight nodded "That's right! She is very caring towards every animal she sees! Fluttershy even offers pets to those who even want one!"

Spike smiled "A while back, she gave Rainbow Dash a pet tortoise! Well, she eventually warmed up to him anyways...Can you believe that?"

Cuatro paused before he shook his head in disbelief.

"A mare that lives for intense speed, and she owns a very slow creature as a pet? Such an unbelievable display of irony..."

Spike laughed "Trust me, you should've been there! She had other pets to choose from and she ran them through a series of games to see who was the best!"

Cuatro hummed in intrigue "And the tortoise won?"

Spike shook his head "Uh-uh! In fact, Tank saved her from a rock at Ghastly Gorge! That's what she named him, by the way. Pretty fitting, what with his shell and all."

While they chatted, Rarity trotted out of her room with a relieved sigh "Finally! Finished with my last set of clothing..." She then noticed her friends and smiled "Why hello, everypony! What brings you to my humble abode?"

Twilight smiled "We were thinking about gathering the others and heading to Canterlot early and showing Cuatro around. Are you up for an early departure?"

Rarity nodded "Anything to help our alicorn friend! Let me just get some proper winter attire and see if I can get Sweetie Belle to stay with her friends."

Sweetie Belle frowned "Why can't I just come with you to Canterlot?"

Rarity looked down at Sweetie Belle with a sad smile "You have to understand that we've been invited to a formal meeting in a matter of helping out Cuatro! It's only going to be a minor visit, if anything!"

Twilight piped up "In that case, what say we go find Applejack next and sort things out? Unless you feel like making plans with your parents."

Rarity shook her head "Nonono, Twilight. We're only to meet with our parents come Hearth's Warming, and that isn't for another month! Besides, what with the constant snow days, I'd rather have my little sister find comfort with her friends!" She then winced "So long as they don't crusade..."

Sweetie Belle scowled at Rarity "You make it sound as if it's a bad thing!"

Rarity rolled her eyes "Regardless, let us make for Applejack's! I'm sure they could keep you for the time being!" With that, the trio waited for Rarity and Sweetie Belle to prepare themselves before going out in the snow.
_____

The group, now numbering five, trotted along the trail leading to Sweet Apple Acres. Cuatro looked ahead to see the familiar homestead that he had reached before falling into a minor coma.

"I wonder how they've fared while I was away..."

When they reached the front yard, Twilight once again took point and knocked on the front door to the farmhouse. Applejack was there to answer it with a smile "Howdy, Twilight!" She looked behind to see the rest of the group and waved over to Cuatro "Hey there, Cuatro! Y'all doin' fine today?"

Cuatro nodded "I am...And you?"

Applejack chuckled "Good as ever!" She opened the door and stepped out "Ah gotta ask though..." She looked curious "Earlier, Ah was outside fer a bit an' noticed Rainbow Dash flying out int' Whitetail Woods! Any o' y'all know why?"

Twilight shook her head "Nothing major, Applejack. Rainbow just challenged Cuatro to a race is all." She then turned to Cuatro with a surprised expression "Believe it or not, Cuatro won!"

Rarity blinked "A race you say? And Cuatro won?" She looked up at the strange alicorn "A part of me would agree on account of his well-framed wings, but that is very puzzling!"

Applejack craned her head back with an incredulous expression on her face "Are ya serious? RD's th' fastest pony we know!!"

Spike nodded "Yeah, and we just found out that Cuatro's faster! WAY faster, actually! He beat her with something called..." He looked down in thought "What was it? Sonic boom? No...Sunny day? Darn it! I was too focused on watching them race that I forgot!"

Cuatro turned to Spike "It is called Sonido..." The group looked at him "Somehow, the term is linked to my memories...One of many small fragments that I've acquired so far."

Applejack tilted her head "Mind talkin' 'bout it so we know yer progress?"

Cuatro shook his head "I'm afraid not. These terms sound strange to you all, and I would not want to put you all in a rut over such a thing..."

Spike nodded "You're telling me. I still don't even know what an Ichigo is, but it sounds pretty cool!"

Twilight then perked up "While we've explained what happened earlier, we'd like to ask two things! Are you free to join us so we can go to Canterlot a little earlier?"

Rarity, who was seen with a tall wool winter hat with a sapphire adorned in the middle, stepped forward and chimed in "And could you perhaps have your family watch Sweetie Belle while we're gone, please?"

"Sweetie Belle's here?"

From inside the house, Applebloom galloped out and noticed the group outside "Howdy, everypony!" She looked up and smiled at Cuatro "Howdy, Cuatro!"

Cuatro nodded "Hello, Applebloom..."

Applejack chuckled "Well shucks! Of course she can stay here! As fer th' other thing, Ah'm gonna have t' take care o' some indoor chores 'fore Ah can catch up with ya! Could we all meet up at th' station maybe?"

Twilight nodded with a smile "Sure thing! We'll see you then, Applejack!" She turned to leave.

After Sweetie Belle made her way inside, Rarity donned a grateful smile "We'll see you at the station then! And thank you for watching my sister!"

Applejack nodded "My pleasure! See y'all then!" She then went back inside her home while the group departed.

Cuatro turned to Twilight "Where to next? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Pinkie be occupied with Rainbow Dash at the moment?"

Twilight looked back "Exactly. Which is why we're heading for Fluttershy next! Knowing how she's warmed up to you since last night, I'm sure she'll be easier to approach!"

While they trotted, Cuatro looked to his right to see Rarity examining him "Is there something on me, Rarity?"

Rarity shook her head "Nothing at all, darling! I'm only getting a better look at you to see what I could apply for fashion!" She kept silent before she sighed sadly "You're amazingly handsome, but your figure...It's as if you were born solely for night!"

Twilight smiled "Well, he does enjoy the night, actually! Just last night, he was up on the library gazing at the moon!"

Rarity blinked in intrigue "Did he now?" She paused for a moment, and a smile crept onto her face "Perhaps my affection isn't needed after all!"

Cuatro replied in his usual tone, though tinted with curiousity "What are you getting at?"

Rarity looked ahead with an amused smile "Never you mind, Cuatro! I'm sure the answer will come to you when we reach the castle!"

Spike was confused at this, and he whispered to Twilight "Do you think the moon might be-"

Twilight interrupted with another whisper "We can't be too certain, Spike. Let's just wait until then..."
_____

Later on, after gaining Fluttershy's approval, the group waited at the train station for Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. After a short while, Applejack was the first to arrive as she tipped her hat "Howdy, folks! Thanks fer waitin' on me!"

Twilight smiled "No trouble at all! That just leaves Rainbow and Pinkie! Knowing how fast they are, I'd figure they would arrive here first!"

Spike arched an eyebrow "You don't think she's still bitter about losing her race, is she?"

Fluttershy frowned "I hope not. I'm sure Pinkie's cheered her up somehow if she made Rainbow Dash her favorite cupcakes..."

On cue, the group noticed a cyan pegasus gliding towards them while Pinkie was hopping on a shoveled trail towards the station. When they both arrived, Rainbow Dash landed and looked away with a regretful look on her face, whereas Pinkie was as happy as ever "Hey, everypony! We're here! The best part is Dashie has something to say!" She looked over at the cyan pegasus and lightly nudged her "Go on~!"

Rainbow Dash sighed while she looked away, and then turned to face Cuatro as she trotted up and looked him in the eye with the same regretful look "Hey..." She muttered in a despondant tone "Sorry if I was a bit saddlesore back there when we raced. It's just...I hate losing sometimes, you know? It's just so frustrating! But then I realized that it was my fault then, and even moreso with how I acted." She lifted up a hoof to Cuatro with a thin smile "So...are we cool?"

Cuatro stared at the hoof before he made contact with it using one of his own "Apology accepted..." He then retracted his hoof and looked away "And technically it is winter, so in a way, we're cool..."

Rainbow Dash snickered "Was that an idea of a joke just now?"

Cuatro looked back at Rainbow Dash "Not really..."

Pinkie Pie blurted out "Well it's funny to me!" Soon, the group of mares and Spike broke out into hearty laughter, while Cuatro only stared at them with invisible confusion.

"They definitely are an odd bunch...But at least they're helpful to me..."