//------------------------------// // Capitulo Dieciocho // Story: Kick about! Los Lobos! // by Dirty Bit //------------------------------// Capitulo Dieciocho Faster Than Expected After easily tackling the wreckage around the previous building through a few more trips, Starrk and company moved on to another area that needed tending to. The former espada was pleased with the progress he had made in little time. However, he ended up being followed by the three pegasus mares he had helped, all of which were grinning madly at him. Dinky was trotting at Starrk's right alongside Lilynette, looking back at them before turning to him "Wow, Mr. Starrk, you made Cloudchaser and her friends very happy." She smiled up at him "I think you'll end up making lots of friends." Starrk grimaced, though Dinky paid his expression no mind "It was no problem..." He replied as he trotted ahead of the group towards the joke shop 'Why did they have to follow me?' Starrk thought reluctantly to himself. His thoughts were cut short when he noticed Cloudchaser trotting to his left while smiling pleasantly at him, her earlier grin toned down "What?" He asked after the two had stared at each other. Cloudchaser rolled her eyes innocently "Oh, it's nothing. I was just wondering if you had any plans once we're done cleaning Ponyville is all." She answered nonchalantly before looking back at Starrk "I'll bet a stallion like you has a booked schedule." She said with mild disappointment in her voice. Starrk blinked "What's that supposed to mean? All I do is deliver mail..." Cloudchaser went to speak, but Flitter had trotted in between them, her attention focused on Starrk "What my sister's trying to say is that she wasn't aware of what you do other than your usual job." She grinned "So, this is just a small question, but how much do you bench on a daily basis?" Flitter asked curiously. Starrk grimaced again, not liking Flitter being so close to him "I don't..." He answered uncomfortably. Lilynette frowned at Flitter "Starrk doesn't have to work out, you know. He's born strong!" Flitter gave a light shudder before her smile became playful "Do tell..." She uttered while looking at Starrk with a half-lidded stare. Cloudchaser shot Flitter an annoyed glance "Um, Flitter? Me and Starrk were in the middle of talking." Flitter turned to Cloudchaser, oblivious to her irritation "I know that. I just wanted to ask him a question was all." Blossomforth was found hovering above Starrk, looking down at him with an apologetic smile "I'm sorry if Cloudchaser and Flitter are bothering you, Coyote. Sometimes, they don't know the meaning of personal space." Flitter glared up at Blossomforth "Says the mare who's right over him!" Cloudchaser chimed in while glaring as well "And who said I was bothering Starrk?" Starrk heaved a sigh as the mares fought between themselves. Behind the group trailed Sparkler, who eyed Starrk cautiously ever since his display of strength earlier 'His power is incredible. If he keeps this up, every single mare in this backwater village will line up to offer themselves to him...Unacceptable. His own power could make him the most devastating threat to Equestria...' Her eyes widened slightly before an evil smirk crept onto her face 'So perhaps I should let everypony know how destructive he actually is...' She looked around town 'Where should I begin??' Sparkler thought to herself while trying to distinguish the proper starting point for her scheme. When the group reached the joke shop, they noticed that it was currently unattended. Starrk nodded to Lilynette, who dropped the lengths of rope and the tool box off of her back. Dinky looked up at Starrk "Do you want us to do anything, Mr. Starrk?" Starrk stared at Dinky, and then looked at the joke shop before turning back to her "I don't think there's much for you to do around here unless you want to clean the interior again." Lilynette smirked "We'll do it without you telling us." She turned to Dinky "Let's get to it, Dinky!" After receiving a nod from the other filly, the two galloped inside of the joke shop. After Starrk watched them go inside, he focused his attention on Sparkler, who was peering around her area "Aren't you going inside with them?" Sparker snapped out of her sighting to look at Starrk "Huh?" Starrk continued "While they're combining their efforts, it won't be enough. Besides, your sister's in there. You should go help her." Sparkler narrowed her eyes at Starrk before she silently made her way inside of the ruined joke shop. The former espada then turned to the trio of mares "Okay, you three get the rope ready. We've got more work to do." Cloudchaser winked "You can count on us." Flitter smirked confidently "This'll be a cinch!" Blossomforth gave a curt nod "We'll take care of this as quickly as possible." Pinkie grinned widely "Yeah! Let's do it!" Starrk nodded back to the mares "Good, then let's-" He caught himself for a moment, and he quickly noticed the newest addition with the other three mares "Pinkie?" They all said in unison. Pinkie giggled "Who'd you expect? Sapphire Shores?" She asked jokingly. Starrk twitched an eye 'I'd rather settle for Gin...At least he doesn't bother me with his smile...' He regarded Pinkie with an annoyed stare that demanded an explanation "Are you here to help us out with this job?" Pinkie nodded vigorously "Yes indeedy. Ponyville's joke shop is one of my go-to spots for anything fun. I'm ready to lend all four of my hooves to clean it up!" She said as she took a pouncing stance with a determined gaze. Starrk stared before pointing at the joke shop's entrance "Help the others inside while we tend to the wreckage out here." Pinkie snapped a salute before she pronked inside of the joke shop. Starrk decided to get started with his usual job as he began collecting large piles of rubble, to which Cloudchaser, Flitter, and Blossomforth gathered up each pile with their own rope. Once finished, Starrk easily collected the three piles on his back, ignoring the enticed looks on the mares' faces as he blurred out with his Sonido. _____ Meanwhile, at Town hall, Twilight paced back and forth while thinking to herself, an expression of light frustration on her face 'How do I convince Starrk to at least consider my request to study him? He doesn't even acknowledge me every time he comes by here. Worst-case scenario is that he's making work harder for everypony on recycling duty...' She groaned to herself "What am I gonna do?" She said as her frustration slowly grew. "Hey, Twilight!" Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Rainbow Dash soaring down towards Town Hall and landing in front of her. She examined Twilight's expression and craned her head back "You look all tied up right now. All this work bringing you down?" Twilight shook her head "It's not just that." She turned over to the large pile of junk being tended to by passing ponies "We're receiving more junk than usual," She directed a hoof over towards an unconscious Mayor Mare laying on a convenient chair "Mayor Mare's out of commission, making it harder to send ponies to different places with their hauls," She gritted her teeth "And it's all because of-...of-..." Rainbow Dash leaned in with an arched eyebrow "Because of who?" Twilight growled before she blurted out "Coyote Starrk!" Rainbow Dash flinched and drew herself back "And that's not even the worst part! All I want to do is at least study him, but he snubs me with each pass he makes here!" She stomped a hoof "It's really starting to get to me, and I've only just met him!" Twilight finished her rant as she steamed from her nostrils. Rainbow Dash chuckled in amusement "Chill out, Twilight, Starrk's just cool like that. You can't just expect him to listen to you the moment you get the chance." She looked away 'I'd be surprised if you were able to do that often...' The cyan pegasus thought nervously. She perked at the mention of Starrk working "Wait, you mean he isn't delivering mail right now? He's just helping out with the wreckage?" Twilight huffed "Yeah, and I'd be lucky to get a positive answer from him once I manage to get a small conversation out of him." She said before she smiled calmly "I'm confident in convincing him once I open up with asking some of his interests and at least toss some compliments his way." Rainbow Dash stared at Twilight "Seriously?" She asked after a moment of pause. The sound of booming static caught the attention of both mares and they looked over at the pile to see Starrk carrying more rubble on his back with relative ease; Rainbow Dash had to keep her jaw from dropping after she noticed this "Starrk!" They both said in unison before looking at each other for a moment. Twilight broke the staring contest and went to approach Starrk, but Rainbow Dash sped towards the former espada before she could take a few steps. She stopped next to Starrk as he unloaded his collected haul into the pile, maintaining a cool atmosphere "Hey, Starrk. How's it hanging?" Starrk looked over at Rainbow Dash after hearing her briefly before focusing on untying the ropes binding each collected pile "If you're here about my answer to join you on weather duty, I haven't thought about it yet; I'm busy with cleaning up this mess. Could you give me another day to think it over?" Rainbow Dash shrugged "I'll see what I can do. I'm just surprised you're doing this instead of delivering mail." "Crafty Crate's holding off deliveries until everything in town is situated. I'm just helping out since I did most of this." Starrk replied without facing Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash frowned at Starrk "You didn't do most of this." She looked away sheepishly "I mean, yeah, you easily took down some of Whitetail Woods and erased a couple of buildings out of existence with that cero thingy of yours, but that was it." She recovered quickly "I don't think everypony's gonna hold a grudge against you since you basically saved them all." Twilight reached the two pegasi, stopping next to Rainbow Dash as she took a deep breath "Excuse me, Starrk. I know you're lending a helping hoof in rebuilding Ponyville, but I must advise that you ease up on your trips." She stated calmly, hiding her irritation from both her past attempts at talking and Rainbow Dash feeling the need to talk to him first "Everypony tasked with recycling are starting to get overwhelmed." She looked back at Mayor Mare resting on the chair empathetically "And I mean everypony..." Twilight muttered. Starrk finished untying the bonds to look over at Twilight "Then I'll do recycling as well. I know there's a lot to be done, but I want to be finished as soon as possible." Rainbow Dash laughed "I hear ya, Starrk." She said as she tilted her head "Say, where are you cleaning up right now to make such good trips?" Starrk closed his eyes, as if deep in thought "I just finished helping a group of mares with this house earlier." He opened his eyes to show a tired gaze "And now they're following me around and wanting to help." Starrk looked away with visible irritation "Pinkie's helping out, too..." He stated dryly. "Pinkie!?" Rainbow Dash blurted out incredulously, earning confused stares from Twilight and Starrk. She shifted her glance between them before clearing her throat "Well, she DOES get around; full of energy and all that." She recovered cooly. Rainbow Dash turned to Starrk "Where are you at right now?" "The joke shop." The former espada replied. Rainbow Dash smiled "How about I follow you there and lend a hoof?" She heard somepony clear their throat and looked over at a cross Twilight, chuckling awkwardly "I mean, to help him keep Pinkie out of his hair for the time being." Starrk looked at Rainbow Dash "I'd like that. Knowing you're one of her best friends, I'm sure she'll pay more attention to you." He picked up the lengths of rope and placed them on his back before he shifted his gaze to Twilight "I'll be back with more wreckage. Maybe you can guide me to where it needs to be recycled once I get back with you." He said as he blurred out with his Sonido. Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash "What was that all about? I could've actually talked with him back there!" Rainbow Dash held her forehooves in a placating manner "Geez, I'm sorry!" She said as she looked up at the sky "I know you wanna talk with him, too, but don't you think he's willing to get the job done before that could even happen?" Twilight went to retort, but sighed "I suppose you're right. His mind is set on helping out with cleaning Ponyville before he can do anything else..." She gave Rainbow Dash a suspicious glance "By the way, why the outburst when Starrk mentioned Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash froze in place and shifted her eyes before she unfurled her wings with a distressed look on her face "GottagohelpStarrkbye!" She quickly said before taking off into the sky, leaving a prismatic blur in her wake. Twilight watched her brash friend leave and then went back to thinking "Okay, so as long as we get things done in a short period of time, that would give me the opportunity to talk with Starrk..." She said to herself "Was he actually serious with wanting to recycle as well?" "C'mon, Mayor Mare, wake up!" Twilight perked up and looked over at Mayor Mare to see Derpy holding envelopes "Mail call!" The mailmare quipped as she waved the envelopes in front of Mayor Mare's face. The lavender bookworm trotted over to the two mares and stopped Derpy from her antics "Derpy, Mayor Mare's not feeling too hot at the moment. Could you just give the mail to me in her place?" She asked politely. Derpy hummed to herself in thought before presenting the envelopes to Twilight with a bright smile "Okay. Make sure she reads them all, though. I think they're bills." She said cautiously. Twilight took the envelopes with her magic "I'll place them in her office and let her know about them." She said to Derpy. After remembering where Starrk lived, she had an idea "Say, Derpy, could you give me some tips on how to make Starrk open up?" Derpy shook her head "I dunno how to make his body open up. I think you should see a doctor for that one." She ignored Twilight's facehoof "But I DO know he loves to nap whenever he isn't busy." Twilight frowned "Really? Well, that doesn't help me at all! When would be a good time to talk to him?" Derpy shrugged "I dunno." She smiled "But I know how to wake him up when he's asleep. Wanna know how?" _____ Starrk reached the joke shop and approached Cloudchaser, Flitter, and Blossomforth with the ropes on his back, dropping each bundle in front of them "Here you are. Also, expect me to be gone longer with each trip I make; I'm doing recycling as well." He was nearly taken by surprised when the three mares moaned pitifully. Cloudchaser approached Starrk with sympathetic eyes "You shouldn't have to put yourself through so much work." Flitter was next, standing next to her sister as Starrk took a step back "I wanna help you out, too, you know!" Blossomforth was the last to get near Starrk "Of course, she actually means all of us." She added quickly. Feeling uncomfortable, Starrk went to reply, but noticed a prismatic blur across the horizon in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash landed down next to Starrk and noticed the three mares in front of him "Cloudchaser? Flitter? Blossomforth? Starrk helped you three out?" Cloudchaser nodded to Rainbow Dash "And how. Have you seen how easy he made our job back there?" She gave a flap of her wings as she beamed at Starrk "He just came and went with that amazing strength of his. We finished our last stop in no time at all!" Flitter closed her eyes and swooned "Starrk's so amazing. I'd say Ponyville's lucky to have somepony like him living in town." Blossomforth smiled at Starrk "I agree. I'll bet the folks in Cloudsdale would rave over Starrk once they hear about him." Rainbow Dash had to tap into every reserve of calm she had to keep her from getting agitated after hearing each compliment about Starrk "Well, I'm here to help out, too." She turned to Starrk "So where's Pinkie, anyways. I'd figure she'd be all over you." Starrk pointed a hoof at the joke shop "She's inside with Dinky, Lilynette, and Sparkler." Pinkie peered her head out of the joke shop "Did somepony call my name?" She asked curiously. Rainbow Dash noticed Pinkie and gave a small wave "Hey, Pinkie." She greeted halfheartedly. Pinkie grinned and sped up next to the cyan pegasus "Hi there, Dashie! You here to help us, too?" Rainbow Dash looked away and rubbed the back of her head "Yeah, I just wanted to make sure the job would get done even faster, you know?" Cloudchaser piped up "But Starrk's already making it fast for us. Didn't you listen?" Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth before turning to Cloudchaser "Well, I'm just here to double the effort. One awesome pegasus is enough, but TWO awesome pegasi would blow this job away." Starrk scratched his mane "If only you were right...No matter how fast we both are, we still have a long way to go, and I just want this all to be done fast and efficiently so I can take a nap..." Pinkie turned to Starrk "Really? Well, why didn't you say so?" She said as she grinned widely as she held up a hoof "There's only one surefire way to make that possible." Starrk turned to Pinkie "Is there? Will it work?" Pinkie smirked "The better question is, how are your pipes?" Starrk stared "...My what?" While he waited for an answer, all he saw was Pinkie bouncing her legs to some upbeat music that played out of nowhere. Starrk's ears twitched, and he looked around to spot the source of the music. Pinkie grinned as she was found next to Starrk, draping a foreleg over his shoulder. "We've got ourselves a great big job to do~!" Starrk craned his head away from Pinkie while she sang to the strange music. He was relieved when Pinkie took her hoof off and stopped next to the three mares, who - to his surprise - were bouncing to the music themselves. "It will be tough, but we'll be sure to see it through~!" Rainbow Dash smacked her temple with a hoof before smiling respectfully at Pinkie's idea. Why didn't she think of that? She joined in with a verse of her own. "Lots of stops to make, no need to take our time~!" The five mares gathered next to Starrk and sang in unison, to which Starrk distanced himself while staring dumbfoundedly at them. "We'll do our best to bring our town back to its priiiime~!" Starrk took another step back, yearning to leave the group of singing mares behind 'What the hell are they doing? Are they crazy?' They continued to sing, not paying attention to the former espada's confusion. "We stand together in this town we live in~! We band together to show that we care with all our heart~! No matter what, we'll see that Ponyville stands great and tall~! And make sure that we will never fall apart~!" Feeling as if he were the odd one out in what he perceived to be a mental breakdown, he went to go work on cleaning the joke shop by himself. However, he noticed that the mares that sang earlier gathered with him and pitched in with their work. Starrk watched how each one worked with more effort than he had witnessed, stacking their own share of rubble onto convenient carts nearby before they trotted away rhythmically. Starrk could not fathom how it was possible or why the music continued to play, but all he knew was that this world was starting to bug him 'Not everyone in this place actually sings on a daily basis...Do they?' _____ Inside of the joke shop, Dinky was working with Sparkler and Lilynette until she started to sing herself. "We need to step it up and work real hard~!" Lilynette arched an eyebrow at Dinky while she worked. She ignored how Sparkler felt nervous until she quickly threw in a verse of her own. "It's how we do things here; these many tasks with no holds barred~!" Lilynette stopped cleaning to shift her glances between Dinky and Sparkler "Why are you two singing?" She said as she tried to follow the current happening between her two sisters. Dinky stopped working to raise a hoof. "This job is very big, so we shouldn't take our time~!" Sparkler stopped working as well to stand next to Dinky as they sang in unison, inwardly relieved that she managed to do well so far. "We'll do our best to bring our town back to its priiiime~!" Lilynette grew annoyed that she was being ignored "Hey! I'm asking you both a question!" "We stand together in this town we live in~! We band together to show that we care with all our heart~! No matter what, we'll see that Ponyville stands great and tall~! And make sure that we will never fall apart~!" Lilynette groaned "Forget it, I'll just get back to-" She watched at how Dinky and Sparkler went back to work, doing their jobs with more effort "...work?" She finished as she observed them performing better than before. The red filly joined in with her own effort after she felt invigorated by her sisters' newfound energy 'I wonder if I should sing, too...' She thought to herself. _____ At Town Hall, Twilight directed more ponies on recycling duty, this time with a more motivated spirit as the music continued. Her verse was sung at a different rhythm and tone. "We've never had to deal with such a drastic problem here, But I know that we will mend our precious little town~." Twilight smiled at how the junk pile was actually decreasing at a steady rate thanks to everypony's combined efforts. "Everypony's working hard and showing that they'll carry on. They know that Ponyville will never be brought dooooown~!" Rather than at Town Hall, everypony in Ponyville joined together in their chorus while they continued working at their new pace. "We stand together in this town we live in~! We band together to show that we care with all our heart~! No matter what, we'll see that Ponyville stands great and tall~! And make sure that we will never fall apart~!" Starrk was found flying into the sky and looking down at Ponyville, seeing how his wish was surprisingly coming true 'I can't believe it...All this over one song?' He watched how nearly every wrecked building was being cleaned out faster than expected. "We stand together in this town we live in~! We band together to show that we care with all our heart~! No matter what, we'll see that Ponyville stands great and tall~! And make sure that we will never fall apart~!" Pinkie was found next to Twilight with her signature grin "No, we will never fall apart~!" She finished along with the music. When the song was done, Ponyville was seen with its damaged buildings cleaned, needing only renovations before it would seem like nothing had happened. He was always known for his lazy and disinterested nature, but Coyote Starrk had never been blown away by such performance from a group of ponies that sing as if it were second nature to them. On one hand, they were crazy to the point where he would question why he would still remain with them, but on the other hand, they grew more interesting by the minute. ...But that doesn't mean that he would be willing to sing himself. To be continued...