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// Capitulo Nueve 
// Story: Kick about! Los Lobos! 
// by Dirty Bit 
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Capitulo Nueve


Fiesta or Siesta?


Derpy, Starrk, and the group of fillies arrived at Sugarcube Corner to indulge in an ice cream paradise. Lilynette was skeptical about the candy-themed establishment with it being her first time ever visiting. They went inside and noticed a plump blue mare with a pink mane resembling a dollup of frosting standing behind the counter. She regarded the visitors with a welcoming smile "Hello there, everypony! What can I do for you today?"

Derpy reached the stand with a grin "We're all gonna be doing ice cream today, Mrs. Cake!"

The fillies, save for Lilynette, chorused a cheer "Yay, Ice Cream!"

Mrs. Cake smiled at the children and their eagerness for a frozen treat. Her gaze trailed over towards Starrk, to which she examined the former espada in curiousity "Oh my...Derpy, who's this?" She asked.

Derpy slung a hoof over Starrk's shoulder and brought him close to her as she grinned, much to Starrk's chagrin "Just a new friend who's gonna be living with me for a while! His name is Coyote Starrk!"

Starrk stared at Derpy in annoyance "You know I can introduce myself, Derpy..."

Derpy looked back at Starrk with an innocent smile "But it's nice to show you to other ponies! You're gonna meet the whole town soon enough!"

Mrs. Cake blinked before she chuckled "I'm guessing he's the new pony around here? That explains why Pinkie cut work today...But I shouldn't stray off topic. What would you all like today?"

Applebloom grinned "Ah'd like strawberry!"

Scootaloo joined in "Chocolate!"

Sweetie Belle was next "Vanilla, please!"

Dinky smiled "I'd like mint chocolate chip, please!"

Lilynette glanced Dinky before she gave a bored stare at Mrs. Cake "I'll have what she's having."

Mrs. Cake nodded to the children and turned to Derpy "The usual for you, Derpy?"

Derpy nodded and turned to Starrk "What about you, Starrky?"

Starrk looked at Derpy "What would you-" He instantly caught himself when he realized who he spoke to. The evidence was clear as day back at Derpy's house. He turned to Mrs. Cake "What would you recommend?"

Mrs. Cake looked at how Starrk appeared to be so tired and smiled "Well, we have some coffee-flavored ice cream if you like. Not only is it sweet, it can keep you awake and alert!"

Scootaloo craned her head back "Coffee flavored ice cream? Bleh!" She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Starrk rolled his eyes "I suppose I can give it a shot..." He responded apathetically.

Mrs. Cake smiled "Wonderful! I'll have your orders ready soon!" She said as she walked back into the kitchen. On her way inside she called into the next room "Honey! We have customers!"

Dinky looked at Lilynette with a grin "You're going to love this, sis!"

Lilynette replied "Is ice cream honestly that good around here?"

Scootaloo approached Lilynette "Of course it is! I'd say you're lucky to try it!" She placed a hoof on the red filly's shoulder with a smirk "Trust me, you'll want more once you've tasted it!"

Derpy held up a hoof "C'mon, everypony! Let's take a seat!" She said as she motioned for the rest of the group to gather at a nearby table.

They waited patiently, and Mrs. Cake was found balancing a tray containing three ice cream cups with spoons on her head. A lanky orange stallion followed after her with a tray containing four ice cream cups and spoons. They reached the table the group sat at and set the trays down, to which Derpy smiled "Thanks, Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" The fillies eagerly grabbed their ice cream cups while Lilynette stared at her own before taking it as well.

Derpy's ice cream was that of vanilla decorated in muffin bits. Starrk's was a light brown as opposed to Scootaloo's dark brown chocolate. While the others enjoyed their treat, Starrk and Lilynette took their time with their own.

Lilynette decided to go first after observing her friends eating to their heart's content. She tried to pick up a spoon with her hoof and was instantly annoyed when she made no progress "You gotta be kidding me..."

Applebloom stopped and looked at Lilynette "Are ya havin' trouble with yer ice cream, Lily?"

Lilynette stared at her hoof with contempt "I don't know why it's so hard to pick up something without any fingers!"

Sweetie Belle tilted her head "What's a finger?"

Derpy giggled as she stopped eating and approached Lilynette "Here, Lily! Let me help!" She took the spoon and placed it firmly on the red filly's forehoof "Can you feel it?"

Lilynette held an annoyed frown "Of course I do!"

Derpy's smile widened "Reeeeally?" She asked inquisitively, albeit jovially.

Lilynette growled "Yes!"

The mailmare grinned "Like you're actually holding it?"

Lilynette narrowed her eyes "Yes, I'm holding it! Why are you asking me!?"

Derpy let go of her hoof to see that the spoon was sticking to Lilynette's hoof "Ta-da~!!"

Lilynette did not know what Derpy meant until she stared at her hoof with widened eyes "I-...I'm holding it!" She said in awe as she gazed upon the spoon. She carefully dug her spoon into the ice cream and brought it to her mouth. The bite she took was very cold to her, but at the same time rewarding with flavor; the mint flavored ice cream combined with the chocolate chip was delicious 'So this is what mint tastes like...' She then took another bite and began scarfing it down.

Scootaloo laughed "I knew you'd like it, Lily! Isn't it great?"

Sweetie Belle watched with a frown "You might wanna slow down, Lilynette! You'll get a-"

Before Sweetie Belle could finish, Lilynette froze in position when an unwelcoming headache bombarded her. She held a free hoof to her temple "Gah! What is this!?"

Dinky stopped eating and frowned at Lilynette "You just got a brain freeze from eating ice cream too fast."

Lilynette growled and pushed away her ice cream "I'm not gonna eat something that'll hurt my head!" She crossed her forehooves.

Applebloom smiled awkwardly "Ice cream's still good, Lily. Ya just shouldn't eat it too fast!"

Lilynette stared at her ice cream before she decided to take it back and eat it more carefully.

Starrk observed the red filly eating her ice cream and decided to try and grab his own spoon with a hoof. He brought his hoof down on his spoon and pressed against it before he lifted it up, as if he never lost his fingers 'This is interesting...' He then looked at his ice cream and took a bite. The pungent taste of coffee lingered from his bite, but it was combined with the ice cream's cooling sensation "This isn't bad..."

Derpy grinned "You like it, Starrky? Maybe we should come here more often!" She proclaimed happily. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a pink envelope slip into the front door of Sugarcube Corner. She got up from her seat and trotted over to pick up the envelope. On the front were the words 'For Derpy. Do not read out loud' Her eyes straightened for a moment and she shifted them left and right before opening it and reading the letter inside.

Dear Derpy,

The eagle has landed. Come back to your house with the others so that the eagle may welcome its children.

...Or something like that.

See you there!

Derpy knew exactly what it was, and crumpled it up the letter before tossing it in the nearest trash can. She looked over at the group "Hurry up with the ice cream, everypony! We gotta get back to my place for something!"

Dinky nodded to her mother "Okay, Mommy!" While the others were finishing their ice cream, Derpy approached the counter and paid for everypony's meal with the right amount of bits.

Starrk sighed in content after he finished his ice cream and rose from his seat to stretch "That was all I need before another nap..."

Scootaloo looked up at Starrk before turning to Lilynette "Does Mr. Starrk love to nap THAT much?"

Lilynette shrugged "Yeah, but he needs me to wake him up." She paused when she realized one thing: Starrk had woke up before they came to Sugarcube Corner and she didn't have to lift a hoof to get him up. She stared at Starrk "Wait a minute! How DID you get up?"

Starrk shuddered and grimaced "I don't want to talk about it..."

Derpy reached the table and nudged Lilynette out of her seat "Up you go, silly filly! Time to go back!" The red filly grumbled in irritation as she hopped from her seat to stand.

The group then trotted out of Sugarcube Corner after Mr. and Mrs. Cake waved them off. Lilynette looked up at the sky and how it was so bright and lively as opposed to how things were back in Hueco Mundo. Sure, there was also the time she was at the fake Karakura town, but the sky in Equestria seemed more pleasant.

Starrk couldn't care less with how much he wanted to find the nearest cloud and enjoy another nap before working tomorrow. When they finally reached Derpy's house, the mailmare went inside and looked before motioning for Dinky and the others to come, only to stop Starrk and Lilynette before they could enter "Not yet!" She went inside, leaving two confused ponies behind as she shut the door "Okay! You can come in now!"

Starrk and Lilynette looked at each other with quirked eyebrows before the former cautiously approached the door and pushed it open. They noticed it was dark inside while they came in 'What happened here?' This was new to both Starrk and Lilynette.

The red filly looked around "I can't see a thing! What's going on?"

On cue, the lights flicked on to reveal a crowd of smiling ponies who yelled "SURPRISE!" In unison.

Lilynette flinched before she took a defensive stance "It's an ambush!! Let's take 'em down, Starrk!" She snapped as she leered at the crowd.

Starrk was not phased by the welcome committee of ponies, nor did he expect their company when he and Lilynette arrived. He only looked around at the mixed expressions on everypony's faces after Lilynette's outburst "What's going on?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Starrk looked to his left and flinched when he noticed Pinkie right next to him "It's a welcome party for you and your child! Which reminds me..." She zipped away, then came back towards Lilynette with a party hat, placing it on her head "Here you go!"

Lilynette fussed with the new addition to her head before she shot an annoyed glance and Pinkie "Who are you?"

Pinkie grinned "I'm surprised Starrky hasn't told you about me yet! My name's Pinkie Pie, and lemme be the first to welcome you to Ponyville!!"

Starrk distanced himself away from Pinkie, not wanting to socialize with a manic mare. When he was certain that he was away from her while she talked with Lilynette, Starrk decided to look around at the many ponies that attended until his eyes fell upon a familiar amethyst unicorn who held a stern glance in her eyes "What happened at Ponyville Elementary?" She asked in a commanding tone.

Starrk sighed when Sparkler had to play the role of a mother scorning his child "Lilynette got caught up in a fight and nearly leveled the school. Not that it matters now..." He responded in a bored tone.

Sparkler widened her eyes "Not that it matters!? I should've known all these new rumors about a 'demon unicorn filly' must have pointed to something, including the number of ponies that actually wanted to come to Pinkie's party! Are you not worried about how destructive Lilynette can be?"

Starrk looked away "I wasn't there, so it couldn't be helped. Besides, I'd figure the one responsible for making her angry should be the one to deal with instead of me..."

Sparkler groaned before she pointed a hoof at Starrk "Listen, you! If I find out that my little sister ends up getting hurt because of your child I'l-" She stopped instantly when a hoof was gently tapped against her head.

Starrk held out his hoof with a furrowed brow "This isn't your problem. I'll probably take care of it in the future. As for your little sister..." He drew back his hoof and looked over at Lilynette talking with Dinky and the crusaders "...I'd say that she's pretty much safe with how Lilynette's attached to her..." He watched how the fillies were laughing with each other while Lilynette shifted her glance between them.

Sparkler watched as well before she hummed in intrigue "So despite what has happened, she managed to make some friends? Not bad."

Starrk nodded "I agree...She's not the best one to talk to..." He continued to watch Lilynette interact with her group of friends; how she was surrounded by others instead of being alone with him. It was a new feeling for him to be around many folks that actually do not die when he approaches them. Starrk managed a ghost of a smile while he stared.

His moment of thought was interrupted when Pinkie appeared next to him "C'mon, Starrky! I gotta introduce you to everypony!!" Starrk grunted in surprise before he was pushed away by Pinkie. He stopped in front of five mares, two of which were familiar; one of them just gave a dirty look while standing with the others "Allow me to show you my friends!" She zipped in front of Starrk's vision "Aren't they just the best?"

A magenta aura enveloped Pinkie and moved her away before showing the five mares again. There was a lavender unicorn with a glowing horn who smiled politely at Starrk "Sorry about her. She get's pretty excited, but she is definitely one of the best ponies you'll ever meet! It's nice to meet you, Coyote Starrk!"

A yellow pegasus with a flowing pink mane looked up at Starrk with a set of curious turquoise eyes "Is it true that you're able to talk to coyotes?" She asked in a quiet, but hopeful tone.

Starrk stared at the pegasus before looking at Pinkie with an annoyed stare "No..." He ignored the yellow pegasus moaning in displeasure as she drooped her ears.

Applejack chuckled "Sorry 'bout what ya had t' deal with, sugarcube! But it's nice t' meet ya! We didn't properly introduce back at my place. Th' name's Applejack! An' Ah'm pretty sure ya already met Rainbow Dash over here..." She waved a hoof over at the cyan pegasus not taking her narrowed eyes off of Starrk. The farmpony stared at Rainbow Dash and her sour mood "Ya mind tellin' me what's gotten ya all saddlesore right now, Dash?"

Rainbow Dash scoffed and trotted away "I'm just gonna go get some punch. I'll talk with you girls later!"

They watched them leave, and the white unicorn of the group huffed "That Rainbow can behave so poorly at times! Pinkie only wished to introduce us to this stallion!" She looked over at Starrk with a smile "Please forgive her, darling. Also, may I say that it is a pleasure to meet you as well. My name is Rarity!"

The yellow pegasus perked up "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't introduce myself yet. My name is Fluttershy..."

The lavender unicorn chimed in "I should, too. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I hope you enjoy your stay at Ponyville!"

Pinkie looked at Starrk "I think I can trust you to meet other ponies while I go see what's eating Dashie! I'll come back for you soon, though! See ya later, Starrky!" She zipped off in pursuit of her friend.

Starrk heaved a sigh "Why do her and Derpy keep calling me that? It gets kind of annoying..."

Twilight gave an awkward smile "Those two are pretty breezy mares, but are real nice once you get to know them!" She examined Starrk's bored expression and frowned "You don't seem to be enjoying yourself. Don't you like this party?"

Starrk looked away "It's not that I don't like it. I just want to find another cloud and take a nap."

Fluttershy approached Starrk with a tilted head "Oh dear, are you tired?"

Applejack arched an eyebrow "Or are ya just like Dash with wantin' t' nap most of th' time?"

Starrk stared at Applejack "I wouldn't compare myself to her, but I'll admit to the last part..."

Twilight spoke up "Coyote, Can I ask you something?" Starrk hummed in question "I've heard about some disturbance at Ponyville Elementary that involved a filly who some ponies claimed belonged to you. Was she the cause of it?"

"Yes." Starrk answered, as if they asked him about the weather. He watched as the four mares stared in shock. He waved a hoof "It's not your problem to deal with. I'll take care of it when the time comes..."

Rarity frowned "But aren't you worried about what could have happened to her, or anypony around her!?"

Starrk wondered why the mares in front of him had to act concerned all of the sudden, especially when he told them not to worry "Lilynette may not look it, but she's strong enough to handle herself unless something big happens..."

Fluttershy looked away "Umm, not to sound criticizing, Coyote, but...shouldn't you care about your filly and her health rather than claim she's okay?"

Starrk scratched his head "I know when to care for her, just not now. We share a bond together and look after each other if things go bad..."

Twilight tilted her head "You make it sound like you're both fighting for your lives. Are you sure your bond with Lilynette is stable?" She asked inquisitively. Twilight had the urge to study Lilynette and possibly Starrk ever since he brought up how strong she was.

Starrk did not feel like dealing with more questions and decided to wave a hoof "It's good enough...I'm just gonna go outside and find another cloud..." He turned and went to leave.

Applejack spoke up "Ah wouldn't do that if Ah were you, sugarcube..." She asked in a warning tone.

Starrk looked back at the farmpony "Why not?"

Applejack shifted her eyes cautiously "Let's just say Pinkie will be on ya like flies on manure if y'all chose to ditch this party. It's best t' enjoy it fer now."

Starrk paid no heed to Applejack's warning and trotted away "I'm sure she wouldn't mind it. It was nice talking with you all, I guess..." He said as he distanced himself from the mares.
_____

Rainbow Dash drank some punch and groaned afterwards, thinking about her bitter defeat earlier 'Darn that Coyote Starrk...Making a fool out of me back there like that! I can't believe he threatened to just break my wings to win! That was just playing dirty! I'll get him back for this somehow!'

"Hi, Dashie!"

Rainbow Dash snapped out of her thought to see Pinkie grinning at her, and sighed "Hey, Pinkie. Shouldn't you be introducing Starrk to other ponies or something?"

Pinkie shrugged "Well, yeah, but I wanna know why you're so mopey! It's not a party if nopony's happy!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed "It's just Starrk! I just don't-" She stopped for a moment, not wanting to reveal how she had lost to the newest stallion in town "I just don't like him is all."

Pinkie tilted her head "Why? Is it because of his mane?"

Rainbow Dash looked at Pinkie "What!? No! His mane's fine, I just don't like him!"

Pinkie poked her chin with a hoof "How can you not like Starrk, yet like his mane?" She stared at Rainbow Dash "Unless you got a-"

"Don't say it!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she pointed a hoof "I know where you're going with that and the answer is no! I don't like Starrk! End of story!"

Pinkie held a teasing smile "Whatever you say, Dashie~!" She looked around "I wonder how he's enjoying the party, anyways!" Pinkie caught Starrk making for the door "Huh? Why's he leaving? I threw this party for him!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed "Probably to go take a nap or something..." She paused, and then after a moment of thought, the cyan pegasus got an idea. Rainbow Dash held an evil smile and looked at Pinkie "I think you should go after him, Pinkie! Maybe if you follow him around long enough, he'll be sure to come back and enjoy this party!"

Pinkie nodded with a determined smile "Okie Dokie Loki! Imma comin', Starrky!" She zipped away while Rainbow Dash sipped her punch in a more content fashion.
______

Starrk managed to reach the door and step outside to breathe the fresh outdoor air 'Okay...Where to look...' Before he went to take his next step, he felt a massive force coming his way. He shifted his glance to see a pink blur, then widened his eyes before he blurred out with his Sonido.

The blur revealed itself to be Pinkie as she looked around where Starrk once stood "Huh? Where'd he go?"

Starrk was found hovering in the air after avoiding being tackled again by Pinkie. He looked around in the sky to find another cloud, but noticed the sky was rather clear in his surroundings. Starrk figured it would be best to fly around and look for a suitable cloud.

"Hey, Starrky!"

Starrk froze in the air after hearing the familiar bubbly voice, and looked behind him to see Pinkie floating with some balloons tied to her midsection "There you are! Why aren't you enjoying your party, mister?"

The former espada grunted "It's good. I just wanted to take a nap..."

Pinkie hovered near Starrk "You sure that it's good enough? I mean, I can understand how many ponies showed up because they were scared of some kind of 'demon unicorn filly', but that's just a silly rumor, am I right? Or maybe I don't have enough food there? I'd figure you'd be pretty hungry with how much you've slept! Or do you not sleep enough? I know! We could turn this party into a slumber party!"

Starrk could not take any more of Pinkie's rambling. He used his Sonido and blurred out of existence once more, cutting off the manic mare's words "Huh? Hey!"

In a few seconds, Starrk appeared by the post office. He looked around to make sure he wasn't being followed. To him, it would be comforting to know Pinkie couldn't reach him since he was so far from Derpy's house.

"Are you trying to play hide-and-seek? Cuz we could've played it back at your party, silly!"

Starrk grunted and looked behind him to see Pinkie standing there like he hadn't evaded her to begin with. All she did was smile at him; no anger; no malice; no ill feelings whatsoever. He took a few steps back before using his Sonido again.

This time, Starrk appeared out at Sweet Apple Acres, seeing as how it was so far away from Ponyville. He gave a sigh of relief and looked up to see there was a good choice of clouds above him. He then heard shaking and turned to a nearby barrel next to him. It popped open to reveal Pinkie "Did you want more apples in your party? I should've asked Applejack for more!"

Starrk grunted in surprise and wasted no time in moving away from Pinkie again. He decided to move out of Ponyville and up towards a mountain outside of town. Starrk finally reached the top and looked down at the wondrous view of Ponyville below him. He had to admit, it looked pretty nice from this distance.

"Lovely view, isn't it?"

Starrk answered absentmindedly "Yeah...It's gre-" He froze with widened eyes, then slowly turned to his right to see Pinkie standing next to him with a toothy grin. For the first time since he arrived, Starrk felt threatened by Pinkie's presence and sped away from her once more with his Sonido.

He sped away until he reached another town he had no knowledge of. The occupants all stared at him as if he were some kind of alien. Starrk honestly could not care less, so long as he was finally away from Pinkie. He couldn't deal with being stalked by a simple mare who could talk as fast as she could run. Starrk looked up to see that the particular town had a better selection of clouds 'Finally...Now I can sleep...'

A green mare approached Starrk with curious eyes, and he looked back in silence. After a moment of staring, the green mare placed a hoof on her head, and somehow unzipped herself to reveal Pinkie "If you're wondering about where you are right now, I'm just as confused as you are!" She ignored Starrk's slackjawed face as she looked around "I think you went east of Ponyville, so I'd say Baltimare!" She spotted some docks and smiled "Yep! Definitely Baltimare! What do you think of it, Starrky? Do you like it?" Her answer came in the form of the sound of booming static. She looked to see where Starrk once stood "Huh. Guess not..."

Starrk appeared in front of Sugarcube Corner back in Ponyville and sighed 'I'm sure that this would be the last place she would think to look...But how does she do it? How can she keep up with me so easily?'

"I dunno!"

He did not need to look behind him, nor did he wish to Sonido with how overwhelmed he had felt. With Pinkie's demonstration of skill, there was only one thing left for Starrk to do...
_____

Starrk trotted back inside of Derpy's house with Pinkie following behind him as she smiled triumphantly. He ran into Derpy and Sparkler and they noticed how worn out Starrk appeared. Pinkie patted the former espada on the back "Don't worry, Starrky! There's plenty of party left for you with how fast you are! Have fun~!" She hopped away.

Derpy tilted her head at Starrk and her eyes rotated "You look pretty beat, Starrk. Did something happen?" She asked with mild concern.

Ignoring Derpy's oblivious question, Sparkler shook her head at Starrk "You tried leaving the party, didn't you? Pinkie's pretty serious about making sure everypony's accounted for; especially the guest of honor."

Starrk lifted his head at Sparkler, with a slightly spooked look on his face "Everywhere I go...she's just a step ahead..."


To be continued...