Cuatro

by Dirty Bit

Capítulo Quince

The next morning, at Ponyville Library, Twilight stirred from her slumber with a quiet yawn as she stretched her limbs. She looked over to see that the guest bed had once again remained vacant ever since she retired last night. Twilight shook her head an amused smile 'Looks like I was right when Cuatro was nocturnal in origin...' She then nudged Spike out of his own sleep and left her bed to trot towards her mirror, where she brushed her mane.

Spike yawned and hopped out of his own bed as he scratched his back. He looked downstairs and rubbed his eyes "So, what should Cuatro learn about first today? Unless you're okay with him staying in the library to study magic?"

Twilight finished brushing her mane and smiled at Spike "I'm sure we'll think of something. Let's go downstairs and see what he's up to at the moment!" The two then went down into the main lobby to check on their houseguest. Cuatro was seen on the sofa while reading another book, with two more resting on the coffee table. Twilight trotted over and beamed at the strange alicorn "Good morning, Cuatro! You're doing good on the books, I see!"

Cuatro shifted his eyes to Twilight and Spike "Yes I am. Good morning to you, too..." He looked back at the book he was reading and flipped a page "So tell me...What is on the agenda for today?" He asked in his usual tone.

Twilight replied "We were just about to cover that when me and Spike woke up. Maybe we can talk over breakfast."

Cuatro gave a curt nod "Very well..."

Spike waddled into the kitchen "I'll make us some toast for today. We're a bit short on eggs at the moment."

Twilight watched Spike go into the kitchen, then decided to sit next to Cuatro on the sofa. She looked over and noticed the scroll from last night with three new additions to the list 'Las Noches...Cero...and Murciélago. Like last time, Cuatro shared only two of these three new terms with me. Maybe I should ask him if he's had any progress...' Twilight turned to Cuatro while he read his book "Say, Cuatro. Do you think you're doing well with piecing together your memories?"

Cuatro stopped reading and turned to Twilight "Not exactly...I was only so lucky to acquire more while we were at Canterlot. I feel it is best to wait until I find more effective points before I try and piece together my past, however...With my current leads, overthinking them only makes my findings seem moot..."

Twilight nodded "I see. A smart move on your part." She looked over at the scroll containing bits of Cuatro's memories "About your list...Do you think that maybe both Hueco Mundo and Las Noches are tied together somehow? Las Noches means 'The Nights' and Hueco Mundo means 'Hollow World'. Call it a guess, but could Las Noches be a place in Hueco Mundo?"

Cuatro stared at Twilight in silence before finally answering "Perhaps...I'm not entirely certain, but your guess seems nearly accurate."

Twilight smiled "Thanks." She then looked over the list again "But what makes me confused is that two of your terms are in Neighponese: Ichigo and Aizen. What could this mean?"

Cuatro replied "I'm-..." He looked away as he continued hesitantly "I'm not sure...The latter seems to be more familiar than the former..." The strange alicorn thought to himself about the one called Aizen.

"According to my memories, I was affiliated with him on a certain level, and addressed him as a ruler...and if I really was born in Hueco Mundo, was he the ruler of it?"

"Breakfast is ready, everypony!"

Cuatro snapped out of his thought and looked over at the kitchen. Twilight hopped up and trotted past him "Come on, Cuatro. You should eat before we begin this day!" The strange alicorn stared, but then followed in silence.

The trio gathered in the kitchen and ate their breakfast. Twilight chose to speak after swallowing her latest bite "So if we're going to teach you the Magic of Friendship, Cuatro, we'll have to start you off somewhere you feel well-versed in..."

Cuatro replied after finishing a bite of his own "What do you have in mind? What does this lesson session consist of exactly?"

Twilight held a hoof, as if a scholar lecturing her students "Learning the Magic of Friendship includes learning about what the Elements of Harmony make up of, along with other things. Each day, you could possibly learn new things that can add to your knowledge of the very concept. But for now, we'll just stick with the aspects of harmony to get you started."

Spike frowned "Now I'm confused...Are we trying to teach Cuatro friendship or get his memories back?" He looked away to think to himself, but when he looked out the window, he noticed some ponies murmuring in a crowd "Huh? What's going on outside?"

Twilight and Cuatro looked as well "I'm not sure...Unless..." She thought back to last night and gasped.

"A beam like his could possibly be seen all the way from Stalliongrad! His demonstration of magic could very well disturb the peace of thy fellow villagers!"

Twilight got up from her chair and trotted over towards the front door "Come on, everypony! We have to clear things up!"

Spike and Cuatro traded glances before they followed after Twilight as she went outside.
_____

The ponies outside in the snow conversed with one another with different expressions, most consisting of curiousity and anxiety.

"Do you think it could be some kind of sign for Equestria's future?" A mare asked.

"What if it's some kind of extraterrestrial being sending a message to us?" A stallion thought out loud.

"Don't be ridiculous! The thing came from the ground! Maybe there's some kind of ancient creature that sits under Equestria waiting to pounce at us!!" Another mare snapped irritably, though fearful of her own theory.

"Whatever it was, it was pretty big! I'm just glad that it didn't hit Ponyville!" Another stallion blurted out in relief.

Twilight galloped out the door and approached the crowd of ponies near her house "Everypony, please listen!" The crowd turned to Twilight, lending their ears as the lavender bookworm gathered their attention with her speech "If all of you are referring to that ominous green beam last night, do not be alarmed! That was only the work of Cuatro trying to study magic!" The mentioned alicorn trotted and stopped next to her, along with Spike while the crowd murmured in comprehension. Twilight continued "We apologize for the inconvenience as of last night and we inform you that you're not in any danger! Thank you all for listening!"

Cuatro stared at everypony relieving themselves on any inane theories involving his beam and trotted away back to their daily routines. He then noticed a familiar pink pony revealing herself in the breaking crowd and hopped up to Twilight and the others "Hi, everypony!"

Cuatro nodded in greeting "Pinkie..."

Pinkie smiled "So that giant green beam from last night was Cuaty the whole time? Pretty neat!! I almost thought somepony was trying to send a beacon to the stars so that they can fly from Equestria on a spaceship!! Anyways, I better get back to Sugarcube Corner so I can plan that party for Cuatro! See ya!" She then zipped away with manic fervor.

Cuatro sighed "Of course...Pinkie mentioned she was throwing a party when we came back from Canterlot....Is it really necessary, though?" He turned to Twilight and Spike for an answer.

Spike chuckled "This is Pinkie we're talking about here! She'll throw a party for anything if she felt up to it!"

Twilight nodded "She's very insistent on this, but she means well. All she's doing is expressing her joy for you choosing to stay with us in Ponyville. Besides, you wouldn't wanna miss a Pinkie party, especially since you're the guest of honor! Let's go back inside the library. You might want to study all the magic you can before the party starts!"

The strange alicorn sighed in defeat as he followed his two hosts back into the library.

"Perhaps I should have stayed in Canterlot..."
_____

Later in the afternoon, the trio trotted over to Sugarcube Corner and opened the door to see that everypony was gathered inside for yet another party. Cuatro counted himself lucky that Pinkie chose to spare the action of yelling 'Surprise' with the rest of the crowd. They were all enjoying themselves like any other get-together hosted by the party pony.

From out of the crowd, the other element bearers trotted up to the newest additions to the party. Pinkie grinned "Good! You're all here! Now we can get this party going!"

Twilight smiled "Cuatro wouldn't miss this for the world, Pinkie!" She was unaware that the strange alicorn shifted his eyes away at Twilight's statement.

Pinkie hopped up onto Cuatro's back and tussled his mane with a hoof "I'm glad you came here today, Cuaty! Because have I got a treat for you!!"

Cuatro looked up at Pinkie "I'm guessing it is one of your newest pastry designs?"

Pinkie giggled "No way, silly! We have enough cake for you to stuff your face with! I'm talking about a whole different treat!!" Cuatro remained silent to give Pinkie permission to continue "I'm gonna teach you how to laugh!!"

Applejack frowned "Um...Pinkie Pie? Ya think it'd be better iffin Cuatro jus' enjoys this party??" She asked, trying to defend the strange alicorn.

Pinkie scoffed "Duh! Of course I'm gonna let him enjoy the party! But this is me trying to make it a whole lot better for him! You see, I thought over our ride back from Canterlot last night and realized that while we're trying to get Cuaty's memory back, we're gonna teach him all about the Magic of Friendship! So I decided to make this into a 'Cuatro-chose-to-stay-with-us-in-Ponyville-and-learn-how-to-finally-smile' party! And since he's here now, maybe I could try and put a smile on his face to start him out in his lessons!! It's gonna be so much fun, I just know it!" She looked down at Cuatro with a grin "You'll be sure to bust a gut with what I have to teach you!"

Rainbow Dash fought a chuckle while watching Pinkie and Cuatro "He might wanna get in line for that one, Pinkie!" She ignored the look she received from Applejack for her remark.

Rarity rubbed her chin with a hoof "Well, Pinkie is quite the multitasker to try and teach dear Cuatro about Laughter on his first try during a party thrown for him..."

Fluttershy smiled "I'm sure Cuatro would have a great time with Pinkie..." She looked at the strange alicorn's emotionless face and passed it off as disinterest as she winced "I-I hope..."

Twilight turned to Cuatro "Well, if you're adamant about this Pinkie, I just hope you could at least go easy on him just this once." She fought a wince of her own 'Especially since he openly admitted he doesn't see the point in smiling...'

Pinkie made a mock salute "You got it, Twilight!" She then jumped off of Cuatro and waved him over, signaling him to follow "C'mon, Cuaty! The lesson begins now!!" The two then trotted away into the thick of the crowd.

The others watched the two leave, and Rainbow Dash spoke up "20 bits says that he's not gonna smile!"

Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash "Now Rainbow, just because he's melancholic in appearance doesn't mean you should make sport of him changing his demeanor!"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes "Just having fun is all! Wouldn't you be surprised if you saw him just crack one smile for Pinkie?"

Fluttershy frowned "But that's just mean, betting on him being happy. It's unsettling enough that he appears so sad around everypony he meets..." She looked down sympathetically "I hope we can do what we can for him, even getting back his memories..."

Rainbow Dash perked up "Oh yeah!" She turned to Twilight "How's that coming along with Cuatro anyway, Twi? Is he having any luck at all?"

Twilight replied "He only came across three new fragments of memories."

Spike crossed his arms "And the 'shocking' part is that it's more words you can hear from Mexicolt!" He quipped sarcastically.

Rainbow smirked "Really, huh? Let's hear them! What'd he dig up this time?"

Twilight repeated what she had seen from Cuatro's list of words "So far, his newest terms include Las Noches, Cero, and Murciélago. The first one could possibly be linked with Hueco Mundo somehow!"

Fluttershy shivered "You mean that scary place called Hollow World?"

Rarity looked down in thought "Not to sound rude, but Cuatro's memories can surely be the oddest set we've come across..."

Twilight shook her head "We don't know the full story. All we can do is gather all that we can while we teach him more about the Magic of Friendship. Now, I think we should enjoy this party, since Pinkie already set it up and all!" She smiled at her friends.

Spike smiled as well "No argument there!" The purple dragon then began to dance.
_____

Pinkie stood in front of Cuatro with a serious gaze before she smiled "Okay, Cuaty! Since I'm gonna be teaching you about laughter, it's only wise that we coach you in the basics!!"

Cuatro blinked "You mean how to laugh?"

Pinkie nodded "Yes indeedy! Smiling is one thing, but everypony loves a good laugh once in a while, and so should you! Now, let's get started! Show me..." She reared onto her hindlegs and pointed a forehoof at Cuatro "A smile!!"

Cuatro only stared back while Pinkie froze in her position. The party pony's bravado easily diminished as she went back on all fours "Okay, that'll take some work! Celestia only knows I tried everything else..." She gasped when an idea sprang into her head "Of course!!" Pinkie's nose touched Cuatro's when she got in his face "A good way to get you both smiling AND laughing is with a good joke!!" She drew her head back and smiled as she pointed to herself "Lucky for you, this mare knows a few good ones for your hearing pleasure!"

The strange alicorn fought the urge to heave a sigh at Pinkie's attempts at humor.

"This could be my most arduous task in learning about Friendship..."

Pinkie began her first joke "I used to have an ant farm, but I had to get rid of it! Wanna know why?" She paused before she continued "I couldn't find tractors THAT small!" Pinkie giggled at her own joke, while Cuatro only stared with no reaction other than a sweatdrop. The party pony noticed this and continued "No worries, Cuaty! That was just a warm-up! Here's another one!" She stood and told her next joke "What do you call a fish with no eye?"

Cuatro replied flatly "A one-eyed fish?"

Pinkie shook her head "Fsh!! Get it?" She giggled again, but stopped when she noticed no reaction. Pinkie then smirked "Okay, maybe a classic will help! Why'd the chicken cross the road?"

Cuatro replied "Because it chose to out of free will..."

Pinkie paused before she shook her head "Noooooo~! To get to the other side!" She grinned.

Behind Cuatro, Scootaloo was seen galloping from one crowd to another in search of her fellow crusaders "Applebloom? Sweetie Belle? Where are you?"

Cuatro sighed "My answer was more acceptable, Pinkie..."

Pinkie growled "I'm just not adding enough humor! I got another one! Why did the filly stare at the box of orange juice?"

Cuatro blinked "Because she was skeptical about drinking orange juice?"

Pinkie shook her head "No, no, no! Because it said 'Concentrate'!"

Cuatro stared "Juice boxes don't talk..."

Pinkie scowled "Alright, if this one won't work, then you have NO sense of humor!" She took a deep breath before she smiled and said "Knock knock!"

Cuatro stared before he answered "...Is that it?"

Pinkie was slackjawed at his response "You mean you don't know how knock-knock jokes work!? Time for a crash course so you'll know when to laugh! You see, Cuaty, the key to knock-knock jokes is to say 'Who's there' anytime anypony says knock-knock! From there, I'll say something else, then you'll say 'insert word here' who? Then that's when you'll hear the punchline! You got all that?"

Cuatro nodded "Yes..."

Pinkie grinned "Super! Let's try this again! Knock knock!"

Cuatro hesitated, but asked "Who's there?"

Pinkie's grin widened "Avacado!"

Cuatro blinked before replying with "Avacado who?"

Pinkie giggled, then blurted out "Avacado cold!" She then laughed for a moment before speaking again "Okay...Knock Knock!"

Cuatro sighed "Who's there?"

Pinkie grinned "Interrupting cow!"

Cuatro replied instantly "Interrupting co-"

Pinkie yelled out a "Mooooooo!!!" as she cut off Cuatro's question. The strange alicorn then caught on to the punchline, much to his hidden chagrin. Pinkie nodded and continued once more.

"Knock knock!"

"Who's there?"

"Banana!"

"Banana who?"

"Knock knock!"

"...Who's there?"

"Banana!"

"...Banana who?"

"Knock knock!"

"..."

"C'mon! Knock knock!"

"...Who's there..."

"Orange!"

"...?? Orange who?"

Pinkie giggled "Orange you glad I didn't say banana?"

Cuatro blinked "Technically you said it, so no..." The strange alicorn felt that he was almost being tortured by hearing several poorly-delivered jokes by one of his friends.

Pinkie stared blankly at Cuatro for a moment before she held up her forehooves with an irritated look on her face "Alright! No more jokes! Clearly this isn't working!" She spoke in an agitated tone.

Cuatro stared "Does that mean the lesson is over? Or did I fail?"

Pinkie shook her head "Uh-uh! The lesson's far from over! And Pinkie Pie never leaves another pony behind when teaching them how to laugh!! And that's what I'm gonna do! Cuaty..." She pointed a hoof at the strange alicorn "Laugh out loud!"

Cuatro fell silent before asking "...You're joking right? Is this another one of your jokes?"

Pinkie huffed "No jokes! When it comes to laughter, it's clear from your vacant expression that the lights are not all on upstairs! So I'm gonna teach you how to laugh the old-fashioned way! You're going to laugh for me like this! Watch and learn!" She stood and cleared her throat before she held her head up and bellowed in laughter "Haaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha!" The party pony paused before laughing again "Haaaaa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" She took a deep breath and smiled at Cuatro "Okay, you try!"

Cuatro remained silent as he stared at Pinkie for a moment, then looked away. It was obvious from his eye contact that the strange alicorn was more than reluctant. Pinkie tried to encourage him "Go on! There's no shame in laughing! It's a good feeling!" She flashed a reassuring smile Cuatro's way.

The strange alicorn took a deep breath and tried to laugh "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha..." While he did so, he did not smile to go with it. He sounded monotonous in his 'laughter'.

Pinkie nodded "Not bad for a first try, but give it more feeling!" She threw her head up and laughed again "Like so!"

Cuatro stared at Pinkie before trying again "Ha ha ha ha ha ha..." The strange alicorn did not bother to try, but he had to credit Pinkie for attempting to teach him how to laugh. The party pony was satisfied with his progress and proceeded to laugh with him, drawing more attention to other ponies. Some stared in confusion while others winced.

The element bearers soon noticed and winced at the scene themselves, except for Rainbow Dash, who fought a losing battle with holding back the urge to throw herself on the ground and roll in laughter.

Spike sighed "I don't mean to sound negative, but it's hopeless with him!"
_____

Later in the evening, The party was over, and everypony left back to their homes. Pinkie laid a hoof on Cuatro's shoulder and smiled "It probably wasn't the best way to teach you to laugh, but I'm sure we can cover it some other time! I hope you enjoyed the party and lessons, Cuaty!"

Cuatro nodded "Yes, thank you for the party..." He then looked away after his response.

"I believe I've shredded what was left of my dignity throughout that session..."

Twilight smiled "Thanks for another wonderful party, Pinkie! We should probably head home now, since it's getting late!"

Spike chuckled "Wouldn't want to cut into Cuatro's moongazing time, am I right?" He earned a stare from Twilight and Cuatro and grinned sheepishly "Hehe, sorry..."

Rainbow Dash shedded a tear before trotting up to Cuatro and patting his back "You did good today, C! But I think you should stick to magic before tackling laughter again!"

Cuatro nodded "I agree...Thank you for your compliment."

Rainbow Dash chuckled before she took flight "See ya tomorrow!" She went to fly, but stopped and looked back "Oh, and while I know you don't wanna race and stuff..." She flew up to Cuatro's face with a grin "You think maybe you could teach me that Sonido thingy you used before sometime? I wanna see how fast I can go before I can surpass you in speed!"

Cuatro nodded and replied "Maybe someday..."

Rainbow Dash distanced herself and smiled at the strange alicorn "Cool! See ya!" She then flew off, leaving her prismatic blur behind.

Fluttershy trotted up to Cuatro and gave him a small hug "Don't worry about today, Cuatro. I'm sure you'll learn how to smile and laugh like Pinkie some other time..." She smiled up at him "I have faith in you. We all do." Fluttershy turned and trotted away "I'll see you tomorrow..."

Cuatro watched Fluttershy leave and grunted in pain when he felt another migraine course through his head. He placed a hoof on his temple while another shaded scene played in his mind.

"Only two people for protection? Contrary to my expectations, Soul Society is no longer competent..."
"It seems that they are not aware, that danger is said to be at its highest during times of travel..."
"Who...What are you, you bastard!? An arrancar!?"
"Wait! You have something to say to me, right?"
"That's right, girl...I have business with you."
"Follow me...Don't speak. You will say 'yes'. Reply any other way, and I won't kill you...but I'll kill your friends..."

Cuatro's pain subsided, but his pupils dilated at his memory as he thought it over.

"Am-...Am I a murderer?"

Snapping out of his shock, he noticed he was staring directly at the face of a concerned Fluttershy. Cuatro sighed as he regained his composure "Don't fret, Fluttershy...You know how it is with me..."

Fluttershy whimpered "But I don't like seeing you or anypony get hurt...Will you promise me you'll be alright?"

Cuatro paused and mused about both Fluttershy's question and his latest memory. He felt that he should be straightforward to his friends if he were to maintain a clear conscience "I cannot say...But that doesn't mean that it is hopeless...Thank you for your concern."

Fluttershy gave a thin smile, satisfied with his response that there was not much to worry about. She bowed to Cuatro and left again.

Rarity held a sympathetic look on her face "Darling, while I can believe that the migraines are frequent, you should probably get that checked out sometime! It's troubling to see you in pain willy nilly!"

Applejack nodded "Ah'm with Rarity. Y'all should take care o' yerself 'fore they get worse, sugarcube!"

Twilight rested a comforting hoof on Cuatro's left shoulder "Come on. Let's get you home!" She then said her goodbyes to her friends and led the strange alicorn back to the library, Spike following close behind.
_____

Inside of the library, Cuatro levitated a quill and his parchment containing his fragments of memories while Twilight and Spike watched intently at what he was jotting down. After setting it down, Twilight trotted over and examined the new additions "Soul Society and Arrancar? Now this is just too odd!"

Spike stared "That's the first word we've seen in Equestrian, Soul Society. But what the hay's an arrancar?" He turned to see Cuatro looking down in silence "Cuatro?"

The strange alicorn thought to himself, unaware of Spike calling out to him.

"This can't be right at all...Do I honestly have a history of killing ponies or taking their souls? I need to take my mind off of this thought somehow...But who would-"

Cuatro perked up "Of course..." He uttered to himself, then noticed Twilight and Spike staring at him in confusion "I'm going outside for a moment. I shall return shortly..."

Twilight stared before she nodded "Okay, Cuatro. I suppose I can trust you to go out whenever you want to. But don't be too long, alright?"

Spike nodded with a playful smile "Yeah, just be back by bedtime, mister!" Twilight giggled at his joke.

Cuatro only nodded in reply and trotted out the front door, leaving behind his two hosts. When he was outside, he turned to the distant city of Canterlot.

"I know exactly who to turn to in a situation like this..."

The strange alicorn activated his Sonido and blurred out of existence, his destination set.