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


Capitulo Once


On a Good Note


Cheerilee swam through the crowd of ponies in search of Lilynette to have a heart-to-heart talk. When she spotted the filly dancing with Dinky and the crusaders at a nearby spot, she smiled and made her way towards the group of children "Hello, girls! Are you enjoying yourselves?"

Applebloom stopped dancing and noticed Cheerilee "Ms. Cheerilee? Ah didn't think y'all would show up like this! Nice t' see ya!" She smiled back.

Lilynette next to notice Cheerilee and glared "You again? Are you here to lecture us or something?" She snapped in an unwelcoming tone. Dinky frowned at this.

Cheerilee tried to avoid the venom in Lilynette's voice and maintained her friendly atmosphere "Not exactly. I only want to talk with you for a moment, Lilynette."

Lilynette looked away "I'll bet you're still on about how I used my cero at school." She remarked indifferently.

Sweetie Belle frowned "C'mon, Lilynette. Ms. Cheerilee isn't bad at all! Don't you want to talk to her?"

Lilynette scoffed "What if I don't want to? I doubt there's much to talk about between us!" She said, her face still turned away from Cheerilee.

Cheerilee frowned briefly before smiling again "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about behaving in school."

Lilynette turned back to Cheerilee with a deadpan stare "So a lecture?"

Cheerilee realized the irony in her statement and shook her head "No, not at all. I just wish to try and help you enjoy your time at school with some words of encouragement!"

Lilynette huffed "If it involves that jerk Diamond Tiara getting what she deserves, then I'll definitely enjoy school much better!"

Cheerilee sighed 'Oh dear...She's probably still bitter about getting picked on...' She spoke in a comforting tone "Now, Lilynette, I know that there are times when you'll face problems, but brute force isn't the right way."

Lilynette narrowed her eyes "Says you! That solved my problem plenty of times!" She faltered when a memory crossed her mind.
_____

Lilynette continuously slammed her shamshir against Jushiro's zanpakuto with righteous fury "Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk! Jerk!" She ignored the look of embarrassment on the captain's face while he effortlessly blocked Lilynette's strikes.
_____

Lilynette paused before looking away with hidden shame "Yeah...plenty of times..." She muttered.

Cheerilee held a look of pity upon seeing Lilynette's face. She then had an idea after a moment of thought "What if I told you that you could easily ignore your problems without resorting to violence?"

Lilynette shifted her eyes towards Cheerilee with a furrowed brow "And what would that be?" She said with minor disinterest.

Cheerilee smiled "You could always let me know if you're having trouble and I'll be there to take care of it!"

Scootaloo nodded "Yeah! That was how she was able to stop you from murdering Diamond Tia-oof!" A light elbow to her gut courtesy of Sweetie Belle cut her off.

Dinky trotted over to Lilynette and piped up "It's true! All you have to do is talk to Ms. Cheerilee about your problems and she could make it to where we won't be picked on again!"

Lilynette quirked an eyebrow at Dinky "It's that easy?" Dinky nodded instantly with a smile. She turned to Cheerilee "I can actually TRUST you to help me?"

"Of course you can!" Cheerilee replied warmly "What kind of teacher would I be to ignore my students?" Scootaloo went to speak, but didn't want to chance getting elbowed in the gut again.

Lilynette contemplated Cheerilee's offer and wondered how it would benefit her with having to put up with Diamond Tiara. She looked at the smile on Dinky's face and figured it would be the best option. After glancing at the crusaders bearing the same expression, she figured it was worth a shot. Lilynette looked up at Cheerilee with a neutral frown "Fine. I suppose I should trust you since they all like you so much!"

Dinky held an expectant look in her eyes "So you won't get all violent and in trouble again?"

Lilynette felt a bitter taste in her mouth after she muttered "Yeah...I'll try..." Cheerilee and the fillies beamed at the response. Lilynette flinched when she was hugged by Dinky and gingerly returned the embrace while looking away.

Cheerilee sighed in relief "That's all I needed to hear from you, Lilynette. I'm glad that you're willing to behave properly!"

Lilynette looked away "Just make sure you help me if I actually need you..." She replied distantly.

Cheerilee was at ease knowing that Lilynette was able to cooperate despite her violent upbringing "Well, I hope you girls enjoy the party! I'll see you all tomorrow at school!" She said as she went off to enjoy the party herself.

Scootaloo watched Cheerilee leave and perked up as she whispered to her fellow crusaders "I just realized something..."

Sweetie Belle cocked her head to the side "What is it?"

Scootaloo frowned "We don't have to worry about Diamond Tiara crossing Lilynette's path...but what about Pipsqueak?"

The other crusaders widened their eyes at this "Oh, horseapples! Yer right, Scoots!" Applebloom hissed anxiously "We gotta think o' somethin' in case Lilynette actually DOES end up hurtin' Pipsqueak!"

Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin "Say, girls...Don't you think she doesn't actually want to hurt Pipsqueak?"

Scootaloo craned her head back at Sweetie Belle's question "What are you talking about? Of course she wants to knock him out! You've seen the look in her eyes!"

Sweetie Belle nodded "Well yeah, but that was after Pipsqueak said he liked Lilynette. You can't expect anypony to just respond negatively to being liked!"

Applebloom cocked her head at Sweetie Belle "Ah don't exactly follow ya. Mind goin' over what yer sayin, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle held up a hoof "What I'm saying is, what if she actually likes him back but doesn't really want to show it? Rarity usually tells me that colts and fillies tend to act differently when they like somepony else!"

Scootaloo held a deadpan stare "So you think Lilynette actually likes Pipsqueak back when she wanted to punch his face in?"

Sweetie Belle replied "Maybe. Why don't we do some field research tomorrow at school and see how they'll react?"

Applebloom thought over the idea "Well, it's a longshot, but maybe yer ont' somethin'...Don't really know if ya could be right about this, though."

"What are you three talking about?"

All three crusaders jumped up at the sound of Lilynette's voice and turned to see her giving an annoyed glare while Dinky blinked at them. They simply gathered with grins on their faces "Nothing!" They replied simultaneously.

Lilynette squinted her eyes until she felt her stomach rumble "Huh...I guess the ice cream wasn't enough." She turned to her friends "Where can we find some food around here?"

"Allow me!"

Before Lilynette could look around, she yelped as she was swept off her feet by Pinkie Pie, who galloped towards the snack table with an ecstatic grin "All aboard the Snack Express!"

Lilynette held on tight while Pinkie made her way past the crowd of ponies until she finally reached a table containing a vast selection of food including pastries, junk food, and a bowl of punch. Pinkie gently set Lilynette on the floor "We have reached our destination!" She looked over to see Rainbow Dash still sipping punch "Hey, Dashie! You wanna say hello to one of our guests of honor?"

Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie with a frown "Pinkie Pie, I already met Lilynette. Besides, I'm not in the mood to talk right now..." She took a sip from her cup.

Lilynette picked up a cupcake "Why? Are you mad because Starrk kicked your butt back there in the sky?"

Rainbow Dash halted herself from spitting her punch and gulped it down as Pinkie blinked "Huh? What happened?" She answered obliviously.

Before Lilynette took a bite out of her cupcake, she was pulled by a cyan hoof and was turned to face Rainbow Dash, who narrowed her eyes "Listen, kid. I know you look up to Starrk and everything, but for both of our sakes, you just have to keep your mouth shut. Okay?" She hissed, waiting for a reply.

Lilynette scowled "You're not the boss of me!" She shouted.

Rainbow Dash shushed Lilynette "It's not a command, I'm just asking nicely for you to keep it on the down low! Can you do that for me?"

"What are we talking about?"

Rainbow Dash and Lilynette turned to see Pinkie smiling innocently while standing next to them. They both simply replied with "Nothing." in a simultaneous fashion.

Dinky and the crusaders managed to find the snack table and locate Lilynette "Lily! There you are!" Dinky smiled as she approached her adoptive sister.

Scootaloo noticed Rainbow Dash and grinned "Hi there, Rainbow Dash! Cool party, huh?" She asked in an enthusiastic tone.

Rainbow Dash shifted her eyes before donning a fake grin "Uh, yeah! It's pretty much great since I'm around and all..." She answered.

Pinkie grinned "Not to mention Starrky and Lily!" She looked down at the red filly, getting in her face "You like the party?" Pinkie asked with a wide grin.

Lilynette craned her head back with a disturbed look on her face as Pinkie invaded her personal space "It's good..." She answered in a flat tone. Lilynette remembered the cupcake and looked down to see that it dropped out of her grip; probably from when Rainbow Dash yanked her away from eating it. She shot the cyan pegasus a small glare before reaching for another cupcake. When she took a bite, she relished in the sweetened texture and gulped it down "Huh...This is pretty good!"

Pinkie grinned "More where that came from! Try not to make a little piggy of yourself, though, okay?"

Lilynette glared at Pinkie "Are you calling me fat!?"

Pinkie giggled innocently "No, silly! I mean if you eat too many cupcakes, you'll become fat! I remember this one time I ate too many cupcakes myself that I was about as big as a blimp! I usually rolled myself over from place to place until I finally got back into shape! It was really fun doing it, too! I was all like 'Naaaaa nanana-nananana na Katamari Damacy~' as I rolled around! And there was this one time I was a real chubby pony after eating this cake I entered in the Canterlot Bake-Off! It was made from other sweet stuff, too! I-"

Lilynette twitched an eye the more she listened to Pinkie ramble on. She wondered if she should scream to make it all stop, but from the look on the party pony's face, she would've kept on going no matter what Lilynette would do.

Dinky noticed the look of displeasure on Lilynette's face and came to her rescue "Um, excuse me, Pinkie Pie, but maybe Mr. Starrk would like to hear your stories!"

Rainbow Dash thought of how Pinkie would be unbearable around Starrk and smirked evilly "Yeah, I'll bet he'd love to talk to you! You've already managed to convince him to stay at the party!"

Sweetie Belle blinked "Mr. Starrk tried to leave the party? But this is a fun party!"

Scootaloo shrugged "Maybe he just wants to take another nap?"

Pinkie grinned "Hey! That IS a good idea! I think I saw him dancing with Derpy! I'll see you girls later!" She pronked away in search of Starrk.

Rainbow Dash snickered to herself, and the other fillies took notice to it. Lilynette frowned "What are you laughing at?"

The cyan pegasus noticed the looks she was receiving and looked away "Uh...I just remembered a funny joke..."
_____

Starrk and Derpy were dancing to the music; or more rather, Derpy danced erratically, whereas Starrk moved up and down and passed it off as dancing. Derpy giggled as she danced "Isn't this fun, Starrky? This music's totally groovy!"

The former espada grunted "Yeah, whatever...At least you're enjoying yourself..." He replied apathetically.

Derpy watched Starrk with her rotating eyes and smirked "C'mon, Starrk! Try to move those legs! You know you wanna!"

Starrk rolled his eyes away from Derpy, and to his misfortune, they landed on an approaching Pinkie Pie who had her eyes on him. He widened his eyes and quickly galloped away as Derpy watched "Hey, that's not what I meant! You're supposed to dance!" She called out to the running stallion. As Pinkie passed by, she smiled politely "Hi, Pinkie!"

"Hi, Derpy!" Pinkie replied as she pronked after Starrk at a leisurely pace. She watched how the former espada pushed past each pony in his way as he ran around the house, sometimes glancing back at her with widened eyes. Pinkie giggled to herself as she watched him run away 'He's so silly sometimes! He kinda reminds me of Dashie!'
_____

Sparkler and Cheerilee were talking with each other "So you actually convinced Lilynette to behave herself? How'd you do it?" Sparkler asked with intrigue.

Cheerilee smiled "Well, it was hard at first, given her attitude, but somehow all it took was letting her know that she could talk to me about her problems. I suppose all she needed was some help from getting bullied."

Sparkler frowned "Even when she's strong enough to level the entire school?"

Cheerilee flinched and sweatdropped "Well, y-yes...But at least now she won't do that anymore after I talked with her..." She smiled awkwardly.

Sparkler chuckled "Yeah, I suppose we should count our blessings. Here I thought I could just rely on my little sister keeping her attitude on check, but maybe she just needs more attention."

Cheerilee frowned "If only Mr. Starrk could show that much attention towards his daughter..."

On cue, Starrk breezed past both mares, carrying their manes and tails in a small breeze. They then noticed Pinkie hopping after him like a bunny "Hi, Cheerilee! Hi, Sparkler!" She piped up as she passed by.

Sparkler winced as she watched both ponies leave "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I feel bad for Starrk now..."

Cheerilee turned to Sparkler "Perhaps he needs some time to get used to Pinkie. I mean, haven't we gotten used to her shenanigans?"

Sparkler shrugged "I suppose you have a point there. But something tells me he's gonna be the odd pony out in dealing with Pinkie."
_____

Starrk looked around as he frantically swam through the crowd of ponies 'I have to find a place to hide! Where can I go to avoid this girl!?' The former espada looked around and noticed the bathroom up ahead. He quickly used his Sonido and sped inside, slamming the door shut.

Pinkie passed by the door while she looked around "Starrky~! Where are you~?" She called out in a singsong tone as she pronked away further into the house.

Inside of the bathroom, the lights were off as Starrk held an ear to the door while controlling his breathing. Perhaps she was able to easily detect his presence based on breathing patterns. When he felt that she was far away, he heaved a sigh in relief "Finally...I've managed to outwit her..."

Realizing he was in the bathroom, he felt like he could use some release after putting up with Pinkie. He searched for the light switched and flicked it on, giving light to the bathroom. What he didn't expect was a certain pink mare standing next to him with a smile the moment the lights came on "Hi, Starrky!"
_____

Outside of the bathroom, a deep scream was heard by two stallions; one was a yellow earth pony bearing a cutie mark of a set of horseshoes, and the other was a blank flank zebracorn wearing a top hat. They both winced when they heard the sound "Eesh! Somepony must've had too much to scream that loud." The yellow stallion quipped.

The zebracorn frowned in disgust "The least he could do is be subtle about it..." He muttered.
_____

Starrk had his back to the door with his forehooves spread out against the walls while Pinkie stood in front of him with a simple grin "H-How did you get in here!?" He spoke with genuine fear.

Pinkie Pie shrugged "I dunno! How did YOU get in here?" She asked with genuine curiousity.

Starrk felt his heart thumping, and he couldn't take any more of Pinkie "What do you want from me? I was already dancing with Derpy!"

Pinkie snorted "Well, duh! I was wondering if you'd wanna talk for a bit! You know, we barely get to talk now and then! Then again, I've only just met you today, and you seem like you love to nap a lot! Not to mention you're super duper fast! You're just like my friend Dashie!"

Starrk's fear lessened "You mean Rainbow Dash?"

Pinkie nodded "Yeppers! You know, she really was the fastest flier in Equestria until you came along! Say, where are you from, anyways! Are there any fast ponies like you where you're from? Because that would be SO cool! I'll bet-"

"Please..." Starrk strained while coping with his fresh migraine "Let me just dance..." He pleaded, feeling like dancing was his only hope not to deal with Pinkie.

Pinkie poked her chin with a hoof until she smiled "Why don't we both dance?" His eyes widened "Not in here, silly! I mean out there on the dance floor!"

Starrk grunted "I'd rather not..."

Pinkie tilted her head "No? So you wanna talk more? Or do you wanna dance AND talk?" She smiled as she got in Starrk's troubled face. The former espada had only on option at this point, and he didn't like it.
_____

Starrk, Pinkie, and Derpy were dancing in the living room to a new song; the latter two danced jovially and out of sync to the song's rhythm. Starrk lightly stepped with a look of sheer disdain on his face.

Sparkler observed the scene from a small distance and sighed to herself out of pity for Starrk's position. She approached his on his right side while he danced horribly "You have only a couple more hours of this party left. Just hang in there." She whispered in his ear, receiving a grumble as a response.

Pinkie giggled and turned to Starrk as she danced "Isn't this fun, Starrky?"

Derpy chimed in "Dancing is the best!"

Starrk only grumbled in response, his answer somehow soaring past both breezy mares. This party turned out to be quite the experience for him; He wondered if he should say the same for Lilynette. Soon enough, Pinkie's friends joined in and danced as well. Fluttershy looked concerned for Starrk after glimpsing at his expression of displeasure, whereas Rainbow Dash took it in with hidden satisfaction.

Lilynette reached the dance floor with Dinky and the crusaders and noticed the group dancing. Dinky smiled "I'm gonna go dance with Mommy!" She turned to the other fillies "Why don't we all dance some more?"

Scootaloo grinned "Sure thing! Everypony's having a good time here!" Without another word, Dinky and the crusaders joined in the large group of dancers.

Lilynette simply trotted up to Starrk and examined his overwhelmed features. She was both confused and surprised upon seeing the former espada this way "What happened to you?" She asked.

Instead of grumbling in response, Starrk simply replied with "Pinkie Pie..."
_____

Later in the evening, the party had ended and those that attended made themselves scarce, but not without saying their goodbyes. Pinkie grinned and hugged a tired Starrk "See ya later, Starrky! I hope you enjoyed your party!" She hopped away back to Sugarcube Corner.

Rainbow Dash simply looked at Starrk and smiled "Pinkie really kept you on your toes, huh?"

Starrk sighed "That girl really bugs me...I don't know how you're able to put up with her so easily."

Rainbow Dash chuckled "Well, she IS one of my friends! And I've put up with her antics myself for some time now! I'd hate to be you if you don't last against her!"

Starrk huffed "In that case, I envy your spirit..."

Rainbow Dash snorted "Yeah, it'll be tough having to deal with Pinkie and when she chooses to prank-wait a minute. What?" She stopped her rambling to thorw a dumbfounded stare in Starrk's direction.

Starrk stared at Rainbow Dash "You're something else if you're able to hold your own against her...I think maybe you could even be better than me..." He stated in a straight tone. He then looked away "Oh yeah, and I should thank you for letting me enjoy the experience of sleeping on a cloud...I really liked that."

Rainbow Dash nearly felt slackjawed at what was said to her. She expected other things, perhaps a snarky comment or two, but instead Starrk just envied, complimented, and thanked her in that order. She stared in silence before looking away "Yeah, you're welcome. I'm just gonna go since you have a big day tomorrow and junk!"

Starrk nodded passively "See you then, I guess..."

Rainbow Dash nodded back "Yeah..." She responded as she took off into the sky. While she distanced herself, she mentally slapped herself in the face 'What the hay was I thinking!? I almost let him get to me back there! I'll bet he planned those words from the get-go!' She narrowed her eyes as she flew home 'It's gonna take more than that to bring me down!'

Lilynette and Dinky waved goodbye to the crusaders as they went back to their homes. Before Lilynette went back inside, she noticed Pipsqueak trotting outside with his older sister. The little colt spotted Lilynette and smiled "Hey, Lilynette!"

Lilynette stared at Pipsqueak before she scowled and looked away with puffed cheeks "Hi, Pipsqueak..." She muttered in a sour tone.

Pipsqueak's sister noticed Starrk and grinned "Hey, what's up? Coyote Starrk, right? The name's Vinyl Scratch!" She held out a hoof in greeting despite her about to leave with her brother.

Starrk noticed Vinyl Scratch with his bored expression "Oh, hey..." He lazily took the hoof "You're the one who provided the music?"

Vinyl Scratch grinned widely "Sure did! You like my jams?"

Starrk scratched his head "They were alright."

Vinyl Scratch chuckled "You seem pretty mellow for a stallion!" She examined his cutie mark and gasped in awe "Holy sweet Celestia, that cutie mark rules!"

Starrk looked away "It's not all that..."

Vinyl Scratch stared at Starrk blankly, then lifted her glasses to reveal her magenta eyes as she quirked an eyebrow "Seriously? I'd say you're born lucky with that mark, dude!" She smirked "I'd say almost anypony would wanna have the talent of being number one!"

Starrk sighed 'You don't know how much I didn't want that back then...' "Well, thanks for the kind words. And the music, too..."

Vinyl put her shades back on and laid a friendly jab on Starrk's shoulder "No problem. Later days!" She turned to her brother "C'mon, Pipsqueak! Let's get you home!"

Pipsqueak complied to Vinyl Scratch with a nod "Okay, sis!" He turned to Lilynette and waved with a smile "I'll see you tomorrow at school, Lilynette!" He chirped as he trotted home with Vinyl Scratch.

Lilynette growled while her cheeks were puffed, and Dinky smiled awkwardly "I'm sure you'll be able to talk with Pipsqueak much better by tomorrow. He really his a nice colt!"

"I already know that!" Lilynette snapped as she developed a light blush "He's also an idiot for talking to me..." She muttered.

Dinky sighed "Oh, Lily..." She said as she shook her head.

Sparkler observed the two fillies and knew exactly what was going on. She smiled to herself and wondered how Lilynette would act towards Pipsqueak by tomorrow.

Derpy yawned "Well, looks like we should go back inside and enjoy a good night's rest! C'mon, everypony, it's bed time!" Everypony but Starrk went inside.

Sparkler looked back "Hey, Starrk. Are you coming inside or what?" Her answer came in the form of Starrk flying up to the nearest cloud and resting on it. She stared before she shook her head 'That guy really loves to sleep...' Sparkler thought to herself as she went back inside with the other mares.
_____

Darkness. Utter darkness. There were foreign sounds that waxed and waned in volume, but that was the only provided company; No lights; no ponies; no pause in the cacophony of sounds. These sounds could be considered sounds of despair, sorrow, pain, and suffering. All of which were very welcoming and longing for revival in Equestria. Only one last thing was needed to make the set complete.

Revenge...

Revenge on the ponies that betrayed, condemned, and robbed him of what he desired most. Now he was here, where all he could do is bask in the darkness. He felt he had been here for too long, and that something must be done about this. A set of glowing red eyes and a deep growl was heard in the darkness over the many sounds of negativity.


To be continued...