Cuatro

by Dirty Bit


Capitulo Treinta y Siete

Capitulo Treinta y Siete

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Luna was lucky to conclude her meetings with the nobles without matters becoming too grave about Celestia's absence. She sighed to herself upon bearing the weight of one meeting without her sister, but she had to be patient for her to be in good health. She was more distraught over making sure Cuatro never gets his memories back. Hearing about his dark past had bothered Luna, but she felt that he would have changed when she knew about him grasping the concept of a heart back then. She stopped in her tracks when she realized that there was a fatal flaw in her routine: Celestia was needed to lower the sun so that she could raise the moon.

She hoped that her sister could muster the energy to move the sun so that nothing would seem too wrong in Canterlot. Luna trotted to the infirmary to check on Celestia and her health.

When she reached the infirmary, she made her way inside and noticed Celestia laying on the bed with a patient look in her eyes, as if she never gained her injuries "Sister...We require-"

"I know...I think I can manage to do so without the hindrance of my condition." Celestia interrupted her sister with a calm tone.

Luna frowned "Art thou certain about this? The strain of moving thy sun whilst in bed rest could bring thee the worst fatigue."

Celestia smiled despite her injuries "I'm recovering at an acceptable pace, Luna...I was lucky to hold my own for so long in battle. Besides, I've done this longer than you can imagine, and with both the sun and moon..." She added in a mildly cocky tone.

Luna paused before she smiled "Then we'll stay with thee as we move our moon, so that we may watch over thee..." She approached her sister and gently laid a hoof on her chest, Celestia taking it with one of her own. The two regal sisters closed their eyes and activated their horns as the celestial bodies in the sky began to move in their determined cycle; The sun lowered over the horizon outside to signal the day's end, whereas the moon rose to cast a pale glow as the stars appeared across the night sky.

When they finished, Celestia gave a light grunt. Luna saw this and went to react, until her sister raised a hoof "Don't worry, it's nothing. I'll be in better spirits by tomorrow..."

Luna frowned "Please rest well, Tia...We've much to cover tomorrow." After receiving a curt nod from Celestia as a reply, Luna decided to go back to her room to retire for the night. She climbed the tower leading to her room and thought to herself 'What should we tell Sir Cuatro once we meet with him? And what would the best course of action be since he cannot know of his past?' She sighed inwardly as she frowned 'We should be more hopeful that he accepts our apology and is willing to listen to our explanation...'

She thought back to when she noticed Cuatro look more menacing in appearance; namely his eyes and how they leaked trails of black tears. Looking back on it, they seemed to have more meaning upon her knowledge of Cuatro's past. To Luna, she felt that he really has been filled with despair with how he was considered to be a heartless murderer. Was he forced into such a life at the time? Luna reached her room and made her way towards her balcony to view her moon with a sullen frown 'Sir Cuatro...Hopefully we can show thee true happiness...'
_____

Later that night, Cuatro sat on top of the library and gazed up at the moon while snow lightly fell frpm the sky. His eyes were lidded as he stared at its pale glow, his mane collecting more snowflakes.

"I remember wanting to watch the night sky with Luna..."

Feeling as if he had gazed long enough, Cuatro shook the snow off of himself, spread his wings, and glided down from the roof to the library's front door. He went inside and quietly went up the stairs into his guest bed so he wouldn't disturb his friends' slumber. As he made himself comfortable, he continued to think about Luna; he wished he could take back what he had done to her. All he could do now is wait for tomorrow and see what Twilight could do for him. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Much to his expectance, his dream consisted of the same lifeless desert with the rock-like trees, whitened sands, and the blackened skies. The only thing different about the scenery was the moon that hung over him; Not only was it full, there was what appeared to be a familiar silhouette staring with pupilless eyes while its mane flowed in a breeze. Cuatro could distinguish that particular shape anywhere while he carried light sadness in his heart.

"Luna...I hope things will turn out right in the future..."

Cuatro decided to move along so he could repeat the same cycle for a third time. He reached Las Noches in no time at all and contemplated on whether or not he should continue to stare at it.

"What is the significance of this dream? Why does this keep happening to me?"

On cue, he heard a piercing and warbled roar and turned to see the same bipedal monster holding a katana. Instead of fear, Cuatro faced the beast with sorrowful acceptance, realizing it was only a repetitive dream and nothing else "Go ahead...It doesn't matter to me anymore..." He stared at the monster calmly while it charged its attack.
_____

Luna had seen many dreams that invovled several scenarios that were either flamboyant in imagination or random moments, most of which were cheerful in her eyes, but this was the exact opposite; it was even different to how she had seen certain nightmares in the minds of young fillies and colts. She watched Cuatro face off with the most peculiar creature without any notion of self-defense; there was even that look of sadness in his eyes she had noticed when he first began his dream.

She couldn't bear the sight and knew what she had to do in order to approach him. Luna's silhouette faded from the moon, but her voice had sounded in the vast area "Sir Cuatro! Be ye not deterred in mind!"

Cuatro perked up and looked around "Luna? But where-...?" This sudden happening had thrown the strange alicorn in the most deepest pit of confusion as he tried to spot the source of Luna's voice. He stared back at the monster about to attack and felt his heart buckle, until a blue beam had pierced its chest from behind, eliciting a roar of pain and surprise from the monster.

With a second hole made on its body, it had began to dissolve into nothingness from its upper region. While it had done so, a famiilar figure stood in its place, staring at Cuatro with regretful eyes. His own eyes had widened slightly upon first glance "...Luna..." He turned his head away and closed his eyes "No...this is just a dream..." Cuatro said to himself, morose with the thought of Luna in his mind.

Luna frowned at his action "Indeed it is. But make no mistake, Sir Cuatro..." She took a few steps towards him "We're as real as thine despair..."

Cuatro opened his eyes and carefully glanced back at Luna, who gave a thin and hopeful smile when they locked eyes. He didn't know what to make of this, nor could he believe if she were actually telling the truth "If you're really Luna, then how are you able to reach me in my dreams?"

Luna placed a hoof on her chest "We're the princess of the night in more ways than one. It is our duty to watch over the dreams of our subjects." She frowned "We've ignored thee for the longest time, and for that, we apologize...But we must also apologize for what hath been enacted between our sister and thee." She said in a penitent tone.

Cuatro's eyes widened slightly at the thought of both Luna actually being in his dreams and apologizing for something that wasn't her fault. He regained his composure and spoke "It was nothing...I should apologize as well about your sister. You didn't know about what had happened, but I do...Celestia-"

"She hath brought thy conflict and thy memories to our attention..." Cuatro instantly silenced himself upon Luna's interruption "Celestia was most shaded with her agenda for the longest time under the reason of Equestria's protection, even keeping the knowledge of thy past away from us and Twilight Sparkle." She shook her head "It was taxing to gather what she had shared with us including battling with thee, especially since she was fully aware of thy power..." Luna smiled up at Cuatro "In a sense, we should thank thee for getting our sister to finally open up to us..."

Cuatro did not believe that Celestia would even keep Luna away from what she knew. But while the thought was there, he couldn't help but feel content to see Luna smiling again and feeling better after his fiasco with her sister "My pleasure...But I fail to comprehend why she couldn't return my memories sooner."

At his words, Luna's smile vanished "About that..." She looked away with a sad look in her eyes "This may sound entirely absurd, even from us...but she is unable to restore thy memories..." Before Cuatro could question why, Luna looked back at him as she continued "Please don't be angered about this, Sir Cuatro! We were just as outraged as thee before she had brought about her reason."

Cuatro looked down "It's not that I'm angry...not at you...I never would have thought Celestia would go so far to do this. I would be willing to understand, given my power and expertise in fighting, but I want to know where I once resided in Equestria prior to my secret past..." He said as he looked down in deep thought.

Luna approached Cuatro and snapped him out of his deep thought with a nuzzle "As do we, Sir Cuatro...But she still decides against this notion...If it brings thee comfort, she is willing to explain herself to Twilight Sparkle and her friends by tomorrow."

Cuatro looked down at Luna, unable to return the embrace due to his fixation of wanting to know more about Celestia "What was Celestia thinking when she committed these actions of her own volition? Am I really a threat to Equestria with or without my memories?"

Luna looked up at Cuatro "Sir Cuatro...Our sister may be wary of thy power, but she believed in offering thee a second chance when she let thee stay in Ponyville. It was only the news of thy previous conflict that led to her rash decision. We only hope that thou could do the same for her just this once...for us?" She looked into Cuatro's eyes pleadingly.

Cuatro stared down at Luna and closed his eyes "It is hard for me to turn a blind eye towards Celestia, especially after all that she had done to me and everypony else..." Luna was downcast at his words "However..." He opened his eyes again "If my friends can forgive me for what I've done wrong in the past...then I should at least follow their example and do the same for your sister..." He leaned his head closer towards Luna's "And for you, as well...I owe you for hurting you back there..." Cuatro looked into Luna's eyes after his statement.

"Sir Cuatro..." Luna uttered as she looked back into Cuatro's eyes. They stared for a moment until Luna closed her eyes and leaned in to press her lips against Cuatro's, taking him by surprise as his pupils shrank to pinpricks. The feeling was intoxicating to him, but he was able to return the kiss as his eyes closed in bliss. This may be a dream, but the kiss felt all too real to Cuatro, and he savored the moment while sharing it with Luna.

When they parted lips, Luna smiled up at Cuatro "We're pleased that thou art willing to understand us..." She looked around at the lifeless desert surrounding the two alicorns and felt her heart sink "Such a terrible nightmare that thou hast suffered through. This is none of which we've seen in the minds of other ponies!"

Cuatro looked around "This wasn't the first time I've dreamt of this place..." Luna turned to Cuatro in surprise "My presence here marks the third visit into this ominous realm...It seems familiar to me."

Luna cocked her head to the side "Could this place be linked to thy past?"

Cuatro stole a small glance at 'Las Noches' in the distance before turning away "Quite possibly...I believe that what I'm residing in could be considered Hueco Mundo...and that large palace over there is Las Noches..."

Luna was intrigued "And this happened three times already? What is the significance of the creature thou hath faced?"

Cuatro turned to Luna "It was how my dream ended twice...I stared at it with trembling fear, and for some reason, I accepted my fate while said fear had vanished from within me..."

Luna turned to look at Las Noches and felt an ominous force "...And what of this 'Las Noches'? Dost thou find any significance there as well aside from memories?"

Cuatro was silent before he spoke "Before I had faced the beast you just vanquished...I always found that place after treading along the sands. If I end up looking at it for too long, I feel as if my memories spent in my amnesia were being robbed from my mind...I also feel a deepening feeling in the pit of my heart that I reject simply by looking away..." He looked up at the full moon "It's frightening, Luna...I don't know what lies beyond my period of observance towards Las Noches, but I feel that I would end up losing everything I've learned; My lessons on friendship, the very friends I've made...and you..."

Luna stared at Cuatro with a frown before her eyes became determined "We're beside thee now, Sir Cuatro. The beast shalt hinder thee no more. We'll stay at thy side whilst thou can gaze upon this 'Las Noches' at thy leisure."

Cuatro looked back at Luna "But what if this feeling shouldn't be tapped into? What would happen if I end up forsaking everything I've witnessed in this life?"

Luna shook her head "Thou will not...We'll see to it." She smiled "Thou art in capable hooves, Moon Shield..."

Cuatro felt himself gain more confidence after Luna called him by his earned title. He took a deep breath with his eyes closed, and slowly turned his head towards Las Noches. He then proceeded to open his eyes and gaze upon the gloomy architecture. The more he stared at it, the more he felt his mind slipping away into a state of emptiness.

Luna watched how Cuatro was remaining neutral throughout his session of glancing, and when she caught motion on him out of the corner of her eye, she looked down at his chest and gasped at what was happening.

Cuatro's chest appeared to be receding inward around his sternum until it showed what appeared to be a large gaping hole inside of himself; the other end couldn't be seen beneath Cuatro's mane, but Luna was dumbfounded to see this transformation. It didn't stop there as two small trails of green residue leaked down from his eyes and went down a straight trail reaching his chin; a strange object resembling a horned helmet formed on the left side of his head from floating white particles.

Luna felt as if Cuatro was changing entirely and tried calling out to him "Sir Cuatro! Art thou well?"

Cuatro perked up at the sound of Luna's voice and looked over at her with the new additions on his body. His memories slowly returned the more he stared at her "Luna...What happened to me?"

Luna gawked at Cuatro's new form, at a loss for words "We-...I-....I don't know!" She responded, not using the royal 'we' "Sir Cuatro, dost thou not remember anything upon looking at that palace?" She asked, astonished by Cuatro's transformation.

Cuatro stared at Luna, then examined one of his hooves. Nothing was amiss so far, so he began to feel his chest until he felt the gaping hole located on his sternum. His eyes widened slightly "What is this? Another clue to my past?" His forehoof continued to explore around his chest up to his head. He felt no trace of his new tear lines and continued upward until he felt his strange helmet; he caressed it slowly and felt the texture of a strong bone-like material beneath his hoof. He looked up at it "I don't know what to make of this..."

Luna frowned "Did thou feel any different when thou first laid eyes on Las Noches?"

Cuatro looked down in thought "All I felt was my mind ridding itself of my new memories...then it was as if I've blacked out as I stared. Then I heard a voice..."

Luna listened intently "What did it say?"

Cuatro looked at Luna "It said...'I shouldn't be alive'...What makes things troubling was that it sounded like-..." He looked down with invisible confusion.

Luna frowned as she wished for Cuatro to finish "Like what? Like who? Please tell us, Sir Cuatro!"

Cuatro found his voice upon Luna's request "It sounded like..." He looked up at Luna "Me...It sounded like me..." Luna was surprised by this knowledge while she and Cuatro stared in silence. Cuatro spoke up "I don't know if all of this is a clue to my memories, but now I'm uncertain if I even want to find out..."

Luna frowned and nuzzled Cuatro's chest despite his new hole "We can try to figure things out by tomorrow, when our sister recovers...Until then, we'll remain with thee until the end of the night..."

Cuatro returned the embrace, placing a hoof over Luna's back as he returned a nuzzle on her head "Thank you, Luna...You don't know how much this means to me..."

Luna broke the embrace and smiled up at Cuatro "We could say the same for thee, Moon Shield..." They looked at each other, and they closed their eyes to kiss for a second time as they stood in the lifeless desert, which felt as if it had a fresh breath of life for the first time in a long while.
_____

"WHAT!?!?"

The three teenage dragons, who managed to return to their home beyond south of Equestria, cringed under the volume of the mature dragon towering over them. He was a large black dragon with a broad upper frame, majestic wings, and a spiked tail; His underbelly was decorated with silver scales and his eyes were a menacing amber "You mean to tell me you three brats not only snuck away from your nest, but you've also lost a fight!? With a PONY!?"

Boil piped up nervously "W-W-Well, he wasn't an ordinary pony! Honest! He was an alicorn! A strong one, too! He managed to take Quake down easily!"

Quake grunted in embarrassment "It's true...What makes him so weird was that he was about to kill Garble over here, but suddenly stopped and apologized to all of us!"

Garble growled "He made a mockery of us dragons just by acting like we were friends or something! It was so stupid to be bested by one pony and being shown sympathy-"

"SILENCE!!" The three dragons instantly lost their voices and cringed again at the might of the mature dragon's voice. Smoke billowed from his nostrils as he bared his fangs and growled in his breath "I wont stand to have some random pony smear the good name of a dragon in the mud! Each of your punishments will be severe for your impudent behavior, but his will be more fitting..." He snorted as more smoke puffed up from his snout "I'll make sure he will never see the light of day for his insolence!" The dragon stated in a dark tone. He spread his wings and turned to the darkened horizon caused by the night. Before he took off, he turned his head to glance sideways at the three dragons "Garble...What did he look like? The alicorn that did this to all of you?" He asked in a leveled tone.

Garble did not hesitate to describe Cuatro's features "He's tall, white, has bat wings and this super long tail!" He extended his claws to emphasize his description "His eyes are green, too!" He gleefully pictured Cuatro suffering under the power of a full-grown dragon.

Quake flinched "W-Wait! You think this is a good idea? I mean, he's a strong alicorn! What if one dragon isn't enough?"

Garble darted his head at Quake "Are you stupid or something? This is a good chance to bring pride back to us as dragons!" He hissed indignantly to his large friend.

Boil whispered as well "But what if Quake's right? I mean, he barely used any of his magic on us, and you've seen how he laid a punch on you!"

Garble grunted at the memory and slowly caressed his cracked underbelly with a claw. He gritted his teeth and snarled "It was a lucky shot and you know it..." Garble muttered bitterly.

The mature dragon snorted "That's all I need to know! Now I'll pursue this defiant pony and make him wish he was never born!" He took off into the air and roared loudly, shooting out a jet of bright yellow flames before he flew away "No living creature is a match for a dragon!!"

The three dragons watched their elder fly off into the night, and Boil turned to his friends, namely Garble "You think it's a good idea to send Goldoa after that alicorn? Sure he's one of the strongest dragons, but-"

"But nothing!" Garble interrupted "What's done is done! He gets to teach that namby-pamby pony a lesson, and we get the satisfaction of knowing he'll die!" He smirked to himself.

Boil held an unamused glance behind his yellow hair "You do realize we're still in trouble, right? I don't know why we could've just faced our parents first before talking to Goldoa!"

Garble scoffed and looked up into the night sky "Doesn't matter now! We knew what we had to do when we came back here! All we can do now is wait and see if he'll do some damage! We might not have gotten Spike, but at least we'll get that dumb pony for what he did to us!"

To be continued...