Cuatro

by Dirty Bit


Capitulo Veintiseis

Capítulo Veintiséis

Kindness

The sun rose over the horizons outside of Ponyville, signalling the dawn of a new day. In Ponyville library, Twilight stirred from her slumber with a quiet yawn as she began to stretch herself after hopping out of bed. Spike followed suit while Twilight made for her dresser and began brushing her mane.

Spike decided to waddle down the stairs and expectedly noticed Cuatro on the sofa in the main lobby, looking at his list of collected memories. He waved to him as he passed by "Morning, Cuatro." He continued on, but stopped when he heard no reply. Normally, he would be quick to return the greeting to both him and Twilight, but the strange alicorn remained both silent and enraptured in his scroll, as if nothing else in Equestria mattered. He waddled over with an arched eyebrow "Uhhh...Cuatro? Are you alright?" No response. Spike scratched his head at this, then decided to hop up next to Cuatro and look at his list as well.

Twilight finally made her way down and smiled down at Cuatro "Good morning, Cuatro!" Her smile wavered when she had no response "Cuatro?"

Spike looked up at Twilight "I tried talking to him as well! He's completely spaced out or something!"

Twilight approached Cuatro next to Spike after descending from the stairs to get a better look at him up close. She winced when she noticed some bags under the strange alicorn's eyes 'He didn't get enough sleep...' She spoke again "Cuatro? Are you alright? Say something!" She grew worried when she received no response from Cuatro. Feeling as if he actually was spaced out, she went to give him a light nudge at his shoulder.

Before Twilight hoof was centimeters away from Cuatro's shoulder, the strange alicorn instantly turned his head to face her and Spike. The two yelped and hopped away from him. They eyed him cautiously while they shivered, Spike holding onto Twilight's foreleg "C-Cuatro?" Twilight asked, tensed up from Cuatro's reaction.

Cuatro stared before he murmured and rubbed his eyes "Forgive me...I was busy...thinking..."

Twilight and Spike calmed down, and the purple dragon approached him with a tilted head "What was that all about? You were like a statue a moment ago!"

Cuatro focused back on his list of memories "As I said, I was busy...I wanted to see if I could piece together my current set of information, seeing as how I have not been gaining more memories as of late..."

Twilight frowned and approached Cuatro again "You didn't get enough sleep last night, did you? You chose to stay up all night trying to figure out your past?"

Cuatro nodded in response "I feel you are correct about Las Noches..."

Twilight blinked "You mean how it's a location in Hueco Mundo? Why is that? Have you figured something out?"

Cuatro replied "I cannot say for certain...But I'm close to believing that it may actually be where I once lived..."

Spike crossed his arms "But that doesn't make any sense! Where would a place like Hueco Mundo even exist in Equestria? That's making it sound like you came from another world!"

Twilight placed a hoof on her chin as she looked down in thought "But that cannot be possible at all...Could it?"

Cuatro looked around the library "There's more...I am not entirely sure, but I believe that there could exist a-" From the corner of one of the library's front windows, he thought he had seen a skeletal beast with curved horns and black lines on its face staring back at him from the outside. His pupils shrank as he felt both his voice and breath vanish.

Twilight noticed this and looked back at the strange alicorn "Cuatro? Cuatro, what's wrong!?"

Cuatro shook his head, and looked back at the window to see nothing there. He stared before he hung his head with a small sigh "I must have really neglected sleep with how this has bothered my mind..."

Twilight placed a hoof on the strange alicorn's shoulder with a compassionate frown "Why don't you just go back to bed and rest again?"

Cuatro shook his head "No...this was a mistake I need to learn from. Besides, there is still the matter of visiting Fluttershy today. All I need is to wash my face and have proper nourishment so that I might forget about this..."

Twilight looked into Cuatro's eyes to know that not only was he sleep-deprived, but that he was also serious "If you really think that's best..." She spoke in a concerned tone.
_____

Later, after breakfast, Cuatro left the library and decided to make for Fluttershy's cottage. He easily winked out with his Sonido and appeared in front of her porch, then knocked on the door as he waited for it to answer. While he waited for the timid mare, Cuatro decided to look around.

"Spike was right to send me here...Fluttershy is the only mare that I barely converse with..."

He examined how elegant and pure the yard around Fluttershy's cottage looked despite it being covered in snow. It was as if she took good care of the trees along with her many animals. When he turned right to look at a patch of trees, he noticed a bipedal creature wearing a tattered cloth with the same skeletal head from before standing beside a tree and staring at him.

Cuatro's eyes widened slightly upon noticing this and prepared to fire a cero as his horn began to glow green.

"Umm...Cuatro?"

The strange alicorn faced the door with his horn's glow instantly fading to see a nervous Fluttershy looking up at him "Are you alright? What were you looking at just now?"

Reminded of his earlier sight, he quickly looked back at the patch of trees to see no figure standing there at all. Cuatro remained silent out of confusion, having to deal with the same problem twice.

"Could this possibly be an illusion? A hallucination of sorts?"

He looked back at Fluttershy and bowed in apology "I was waiting for you to answer...I thought I saw something of interest, but there was nothing..."

Fluttershy tilted her head "Is there something you wish to talk about?"

Cuatro replied as he looked down at the timid mare "Is it alright if you can teach me the ways of kindness as part of my lessons on friendship? I believe we haven't really communicated with each other during my stay in Ponyville..."

Fluttershy smiled "Of course you can. I can let you inside and we'll get started after I finish feeding my animal friends. Or maybe you could help me...I-If you don't mind, that is..." She backed further into her cottage to allow Cuatro inside. The strange alicorn looked back outside one last time to see that nothing was out of place.

"...It cannot be real...Otherwise I would know when it would attack..."

Once he was inside of the cottage, Cuatro was guided towards the kitchen while the many animals in the living room distanced themselves from the strange alicorn and cowered at his presence. He observed Fluttershy grabbing a box of feed from the cupboards and bringing some of them back into the living room to her animal friends, pouring different contents in a bowl where the animals gathered.

Fluttershy gasped when she noticed her animals easily devouring what was in the bowl "Oh my! You're all pretty hungry today!" The many animals turned to their owner and hopped in place to wait for the next batch, to which the timid mare smiled "Alright, everyone, I'll give you some more..." She stopped and perked up "Or..." Fluttershy turned to the strange alicorn behind her "What if I have Cuatro feed you seconds instead?" She heard a plethora of tiny screechs, then looked back to see all of her animals huddled up in a corner, trembling as their terrified eyes were laid on Cuatro.

Cuatro looked away "I do not believe they can abide my presence..."

Fluttershy looked back at Cuatro with a frown, assuming he felt dejected by the animals' actions "Oh, that can't be the reason at all! They're only shy like me..." She was not aware that each of the animals in the corner frantically shook their heads simultaneously.

Cuatro turned to Fluttershy "What other action would suffice knowing their current mood?"

Fluttershy shifted her glance to her animals, then back to Cuatro with a smile "I could feed them with you so you know how it works. Just grab that box and we can do this together. I think it could be a good start to teaching you kindness!"

Cuatro gave a curt nod of approval and levitated the box of food at his side. Him and Fluttershy approached the bowl side-by-side, and the timid mare called to her friends "Don't worry, everyone. Cuatro's only going to feed you a second helping and that's all...I promise he won't hurt you..."

The animals only stared at Cuatro, until one of the male squirrels' stomach growled. The critter gulped before it slowly and reluctantly inched towards the bowl with his eyes on Cuatro.

Fluttershy sported a thin smile, considering that one of her animals has understood her words. She turned to Cuatro "Go on, Cuatro. You can pour the food in their bowl now..."

Cuatro brought the box down with his magic, and tilted it to pour more of the box's contents into the bowl. The squirrel stared at the food, then back up at Cuatro, nearly shivering under the cold look in his eyes. The strange alicorn stared back "You may eat the food..."

The squirrel picked up a piece of the food while looking at Cuatro before it began to eat. After gulping his portion, he stared at Cuatro and flashed a ghost of a smile as he went to eat more food.

Before long, the squirrel had grown used to his appearance and ate more food with hungry fervor. The other animals eventually moved away from the corner to join the squirrel, but not after they gave Cuatro one last look to see that he was not hostile.

Fluttershy flapped her wings "Oh, isn't that just wonderful? I think they like you now!" She beamed at Cuatro after her words.

Cuatro only stared before he closed his eyes "I believe they're still cautious of me despite my display of kindness..."

Fluttershy's spirits dampened at his words as her ears drooped "You're not happy about this?"

Cuatro opened his eyes to look at Fluttershy "I am happy to know they are complying to my actions from your guidance, but I do not think they are ready to accept me entirely just yet..." He looked back at the animals eating their food "Perhaps they could see past my appearance and accept me as their friend if I manage to visit you more often..."

Fluttershy smiled "That's good to hear from you, Cuatro..." She looked at her hungry friends "I think you did well with helping me feed the animals. This is a good start for your lesson on kindness!"

Cuatro turned to Fluttershy "What shall we cover next?"

Fluttershy looked at Cuatro and then rubbed her chin in thought, humming to herself as she mulled over possible ideas. She then smiled "We could do some good deeds around Ponyville. Or maybe you can help me take care of the animals! Which would you prefer?"

Cuatro replied "I suppose I can aid with tending to the animals, seeing as how you might need more help..."

Fluttershy shook her head "Oh no, it's not really a hassle. I enjoy caring for my animal friends! I'm only trying to teach you kindness. Whatever you want to do is fine..."

Cuatro nodded "I understand...I'm helping you anyway. This shall be my first official act of kindness..."

Fluttershy giggled "Oh, Cuatro, this isn't your first act of kindness. But I'm very happy that you're doing this for me."

Cuatro stared at Fluttershy, then looked around the living room "Strange...Normally, I would see you with your rabbit Angel, yet he isn't here..."

Fluttershy smiled "Well, Angel usually likes to play outside most of the day. He knows when to come inside when it's time to eat..."

Outside, Angel was hopping in the snow and enjoying time to himself. When his stomach grumbled, he inspected himself before going to make a trail towards the cottage. What stopped him was when he spotted three large figures flying in the air, instantly spooking the rabbit as he quickly scampered into the cottage.
_____

Back at the library, Twilight read one of her favorite chemistry books with a morose frown on her face. Spike was busy sweeping the floor until he saw how Twilight was acting, stopping his work to pay attention to her "What's up, Twilight? Something wrong with the book you're reading?" He asked inquisitively.

Twilight sighed "No...I'm worried about Cuatro. He seems out of it today with how he hasn't slept. I don't know if it's right for him to be up and about with his lack of sleep and how he acted so differently this morning."

Spike shrugged a claw "Well, sometimes he's adamant on what he wants to do from time to time, especially if it applies to learning friendship! I don't blame you for worrying about him, but if you ask me, he's pretty dedicated to his tasks."

Twilight turned to look at Spike "But you've seen how he focused on the window earlier! He could be delirious!"

Spike continued sweeping "I dunno, Twilight...He seemed pretty lively after eating breakfast and washing his face." The purple dragon held an expression mixed with confusion and thought "Then again, when can we tell how he's acting differently at times?" He asked curiously.

Twilight shook her head "I just hope Fluttershy's taking good care of him...Who knows what would happen if Cuatro continued on the way he was?"

Before Spike could reply, the front door bursted open to reveal an anxious Pinkie "Twilight! Spike! We got a problem outside! A REEEEEALLY big problem!! You have to come help us!!"

Twilight perked up at her friend's tone "What is it, Pinkie!?"

Rarity came into the library after Pinkie, bearing the same expression of anxiety "Oh, Twilight, It's horrible! We're in dire need of assistance!"

Pinkie pointed a hoof outside "They want Spike! We gotta hurry!!"

Spike tilted his head "Huh?? Who wants me? What's going on?"

Twilight set down her book and hopped up on all fours with a determined look "Whatever it is, we need to get moving!" She turned to her assistant "Do you think you'll be fine?"

Spike puffed out his chest "I think I can manage with whoever's out there! Let's go!" The three then left the library in haste, only to stop in front of a crowd of cowering ponies facing away from them "What's going on over there that would involve me?"

Rainbow Dash zoomed towards the library with a nervous look in her eyes "Everypony! You'll never guess who's here right now! We gotta find-"

"I'll ask you namby-pamby ponies again! Where is he!?"

Spike perked up at the bellowed command, and instantly felt a chill down his spine. There was only one individual who would talk that way around ponies and would even think about acknowledging him "Oh no..." He uttered under his breath.

The sound of sniffing was heard before another voice bellowed "I smell him! He's close!" A small blaze of fire shot into the sky, signalling the ponies to scream and drastically inch themselves away to reveal three dragons standing on their hind legs.

The one that fired the blaze was a large heavy-set brown dragon with blue horns and a small set of wings; his tail bore a spiked sphere end. He leered his red eyes when he spotted Spike and pointed a claw "There he is!!" The other two dragons followed his gaze.

Their leader was a red dragon that had a strong frame, a large snout, and orange fins and spikes trailing down to his spear-like tail. He glared at Spike as he steamed from his nostrils "Well well well! If it isn't the little rookie himself! Enjoying your time with these ponies here!?"

Spike gulped "H-Hey, Garble...What brings you to Ponyville? You here to pick up stuff?" He asked with a shaky grin.

Garble shrugged calmly "Oh yeah, totally! Gonna pick up some gems, maybe some other things, and A TOTALLY DEAD DRAGON!!!" He roared with a fierce glare at Spike, who fell back in fright.

Twilight, while nervous around the dragons, could not stand to see her assistant being intimidated by bullies. She narrowed her eyes at the three dragons "Spike didn't do anything to you! Why do you even want to hurt him?"

Garble balled his claws into fists "Because nobody makes a fool out of a dragon if they know what's good for them!! Ever since you namby pamby ponies showed up and ran off with Spike, I was on the verge of burning the forest I stood in with how angry I was! What kind of dragon would I be to have my pride taken from me by a bunch of weak little ponies like you!?"

The third dragon - a lanky purple one with yellow hair over its eyes - chimed in "If there's anything a dragon keeps, it's his pride! That's why we're here to settle things once and for all!"

The brown dragon bellowed "Yeah! No running away THIS time!"

Pinkie quickly got in front of the three dragons with a cupcake in her hooves, grinning widely at them "Can we change your minds with a good cupcake?" Garble glared at Pinkie before shooting a small jet of fire that incinerated the cupcake into ashes. The party pony stared before it inched back to her friends grinning nervously "I see you're not convinced! I can get more, you know! All you gotta do is NOT hurt us!"

Garble snarled "Screw that! I want my revenge and I want it now!" He slammed a fist into his other claw "You're gonna pay for humiliating us!! Now you'll know the power of a dragon's fury!!"

Rainbow Dash made sure that the dragons were focused on her friends before she planned to escape, knowing exactly who to turn to. When she went to fly, however, a large stream of fire shot up in front of her and stopped her from speeding off. She looked down at the large brown dragon baring his teeth "Where do you think you're going!?"

The group began backing away from the dragons, fearing for their lives as they inched closer to them with hate in their eyes. They stopped when an apple hit Garble in the face, eliciting an annoyed growl from the red dragon "What the-!?"

Applejack galloped and stood in front of her friends with a glare "Why doncha pick on somepony yer own size!?" She shouted in an angry tone.

Garble wiped off the apple from his face and glowered at the farmpony "Oh, now you're joining them! I'm gonna enjoy this!!"

Unlike the others, Applejack chose to stand tall, but her bravado gradually shrank as the dragons prepared to blast the group with flames. She stood by her friends and broke into a sweat as she stared at the smoke billowing from their snouts and fangs.

"Excuse me..."

Both the dragons and the ponies perked up at the new voice, and Spike, along with Twilight and her friends, looked behind the dragons to see Cuatro standing a small distance away from the group.

He regarded the dragons with his usual expression, and Fluttershy hid behind him with fear in her eyes upon noticing them. The dragons were confused at his interruption and how he seemed so different from the ponies they were used to seeing. The strange alicorn took a step forward as he stared down the dragons "...I would appreciate it if you didn't harm my friends..."

To be continued...