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


Capitulo Veinte


Beware the Primera Espada


Lilynette tapped her hoof impatiently while waiting with Derpy and her family at Town hall. She grumbled to herself before speaking "What's taking him so long? I thought he was hauling supplies not taking a nap somewhere."

Derpy lightly nuzzled Lilynette with a warm smile "Now now, Lily, maybe Starrk has to be extra careful with what he's bringing back with him. After all, there could be a lot of stuff that needs to be carried."

Sparkler huffed "I'm with Lilynette on this. Starrk is stronger and faster than he looks, yet he's taking his time; It's only a bunch of supplies he's carrying, isn't it?"

Dinky looked around at the ponyfolk starting their repairs and hummed to herself "I wonder if Mr. Starrk would work faster than everypony in town once we get started."

Lilynette rolled his eyes "I doubt he'd work so well with a hammer in his mouth." She snarked as she observed how some of the ponies were actually handling some of their tools with their mouths "They all make it look so easy..."

Derpy's eyes rotated while she beamed at the red filly "Oh, Lily, if I can teach you how to hold a spoon with your hoof, I can teach you how to use a hammer with your mouth. This'll be another fun experience!"

Dinky smiled and cheered "Yeah." She continued to observe the scenery until she noticed an approaching group of ponies nearing Town hall, two of which were pulling their own respective carts. Dinky squinted her eyes before she distinguished one of the ponies in the group "Hey, Mr. Starrk is back with more supplies."

Lilynette followed Dinky's gaze "Really? Well it's about time!" She snapped impatiently as she looked at Derpy "What are we waiting for?"

Derpy giggled "I told you we were waiting for Starrky." She looked ahead and noticed the former espada stopping with Big Macintosh "Oh, there he is!" She grinned.

Lilynette stared blankly at Derpy before she trotted away towards Starrk, with the Hooves family following after. They reached Starrk as he dislodged himself from the cart, and Derpy spoke up "Welcome back. You ready to get started?"

Starrk shrugged at Derpy "As I'll ever be. Where do we start?"

Derpy waved a hoof across her surroundings "Everypony's working their flanks off around here, so we'll travel around Ponyville and make our own path to recovery." She leaned her head towards Starrk with a bright smile "Isn't this great? Ponyville will be good as new with your help!"

Pinkie was found next to Starrk on his left as she held a bright smile of her own "I know, right? We should throw another party once this is all over!"

Starrk groaned in protest, and he found Rainbow Dash swooping to land on his left side "Maybe tomorrow if these repairs take too long. Besides, I think we both know that Starrk here would rather sleep it off once everything's done." She said with a smirk.

Starrk grunted "I'd rather not...As long as everything's repaired, it's good enough for me." He trotted next to Derpy, distancing himself from Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. Starrk noticed Big Macintosh giving him his signature stare, and they both shared a silent nod towards one another before the former espada turned to Derpy "Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the better..."

Derpy nodded "You got it. Let's move!" She said as the Hooves family, now with Starrk and Lilynette searched for a vacant area that needed repairs.

Rainbow Dash watched them leave and went to follow before she was stopped by Pinkie "Hey, Dashie, shouldn't we help out Applejack? I'd say Starrky's got more than enough help on his end." Pinkie said matter-of-factly.

With a subtle sigh, she rolled her eyes "Alright." Rainbow Dash replied abruptly, following her hyperactive friend along with Applejack to fish out the supplies while Big Macintosh unloaded the lumber. While she pulled out a hammer, she stole a glance at Starrk leaving with his group before following Applejack and Pinkie Pie towards a vacant spot of their own.
_____

Rarity and Fluttershy were found repairing a wall belonging to the their favorite day spa with the help of the employees that worked there; Aloe, Lotus, and Vera were tending to other parts of the spa's exterior. Rarity sighed while she worked "I'm glad that this fine establishment hasn't suffered much like the other places around Ponyville, but now how am I going to spend my free time pampering myself until this place is properly finished?" She asked herself with a pout as she levitated a nail towards one end of a plank of wood on the wall.

Fluttershy stopped hammering on the other end and turned to Rarity "Um...You could always take a bath at your boutique. Wouldn't that work?"

Rarity levitated a hammer towards the plank that rested on the wall and hammered the nail "Well, yes, but you and I are well aware of the elegant charms the spa has. We're going to need some help with this job." She heard humming and looked around to find the source until she spotted a group behind her nearing the spa.

Derpy hummed an offkey tune while moving ahead in a brisk trot, Dinky following after her and mimicking her mother's actions; Sparkler, Starrk, and Lilynette were the only ones who traveled unenthusiastically.

Rarity spotted the former espada and gasped with glimmering eyes "Of course! Who else to speed things along than our newest hero?"

Fluttershy watched as well "You mean Coyote Starrk? Would he be willing to help us here?"

Rarity turned to Fluttershy with a confident smile "I don't see why he would turn us down in our time of need." She waved a hoof towards Derpy and her group "Yoohoo~! Coyote Starrk~!" Rarity called out enthusiastically. From out of the other side of the spa, the three spa ponies peered their heads to peek at Starrk after hearing Rarity call his name; A purple dragon was also seen exiting the front door of the spa to look as well.

Starrk heard Rarity's call and noticed her waving, then returned her wave with a brief one of his own. Derpy perked up "Looks like Rarity wants to see you for something, Starrky." She looked at him with a smile "Why don't we start at the spa?" Starrk merely responded with a shrug, to which Derpy's smile widened "Okay, spa it is!"

The group made a beeline towards the spa and stopped near Rarity and Fluttershy, the former quickly approaching them, namely Starrk, and bowed "Hello there, darling. Could we ask a favor from you?"

Starrk looked behind Rarity at the wrecked spa and the many faces staring at him before responding "You want help with the repairs?" He asked.

Rarity placed a hoof over her mouth as she giggled "Well, aren't you perceptive? Yes, we could use a few more hooves to see that the spa would shine back to its former glory. We would greatly appreciate your assistance." She said in a feigned pleading tone, looking up at Starrk and batting her eyes at him.

Starrk arched an eyebrow at Rarity's gesture, and he found Derpy coming between him and the fashionista with a grin "Can do, Rarity. The Hooves family repair group will see this job through!" She paused "...That is until we find another spot to fix." Derpy added sheepishly.

Rarity cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly "Thank you so much, Derpy." She looked back and pointed at the purple dragon waddling up to the group "Spike over there could use more help inside with the repairs."

Dinky marched up to Rarity "Me and Lily can do it." She said cheerfully.

Lilynette looked over at Spike and then back at Rarity "He's doing that all by himself? Is he that good?"

Rarity looked down at Lilynette "Well, Spike IS rather dedicated to his duties, but sometimes he'll need an extra hoof with any tedious task given to him."

Lilynette huffed "Looks like me and my sister will have to pick up the slack..."

Spike looked taken aback before narrowing his eyes at Lilynette "Hey! I can handle this job well, thank you very much."

Lilynette frowned "So why aren't you-" A hoof on her head silenced her.

Starrk looked down at the red filly "Not now, Lilynette. We're here to work, not argue..." He ignored Lilynette grumbling bitterly.

Spike stared up at Starrk "So you're Coyote Starrk, huh? We haven't exactly met before." He placed a claw on his chest "The name's Spike, as this beautiful mare already told you." Spike said admirably as he pointed a second claw at Rarity.

Starrk blinked at Spike's introduction, or rather his compliment towards the white mare in front of him, but then nodded back to him "Nice to meet you." He responded curtly.

Dinky neared Spike with a small smile "Where do you want me and Lily to start in the spa, Spike?"

Spike waved a claw towards him as he waddled back towards the entrance, beckoning for the fillies to follow him "I'm working on the lobby at the moment, but I think you two will do well in helping me out."

Lilynette rolled her eyes away from Spike, but she stifled a gasp when she caught two distant figures trotting along town with their own set of tools: Vinyl Scratch and Pipsqueak. Her eyes were glued to the colt with his cheerful expression while she trotted her own way. Despite her many insults towards him, she felt like she could look at Pipsqueak all day.

Up until she bumped into a wall.

Lilynette backed up and shook her head, not paying attention to the awkward glances from Spike and Dinky. When she turned to them, she frowned "What?" She asked defensively.

Dinky looked away in embarrassment "Um, sis, me and Spike tried to warn you not to walk into the wall next to the front door, but you didn't listen to us."

Lilynette stared, but decided not to say anything in lieu of having them find out that she somehow found Pipsqueak close by for a split second; she simply huffed and followed the others inside.

Derpy watched the trio go in the spa, then focused her attention on Starrk, Rarity, and Sparkler "Looks like it's just us adults now."

Rarity nodded "Indeed." She focused on Starrk with a pleasant smile, almost similar to what he saw on Cloudchaser earlier "So, Coyote, are you much accustomed to manual labor?"

Starrk stared back at Rarity "Not exactly. I haven't exactly repaired anything in my life...ever." He closed his eyes "I suppose this would make me an outcast, since I'm not familiar with this sort of thing."

Rarity craned her head back in shock "An outcast? Heavens, dear, you shouldn't label yourself as such!" She donned a compassionate smile "Everypony is appreciative of your care towards us. Who would ever wish to think of you like that?"

Sparkler bit back her urge to smile deviously as she piped up "I think I'll go help with the others around the spa, if that's alright."

Derpy grinned "That's my Sparkler; always working hard!" She proclaimed proudly as she patted the amethyst unicorn on the back "Go ahead and do your thing, sweetie. Me and Starrky will help Rarity and Fluttershy out."

Fluttershy, who remained quiet throughout the duration of the conversation finally spoke up "We really appreciate this. I could use some help on the upper levels." She said as she turned to Starrk "If you don't mind, that is."

As Sparkler trotted behind the spa to join the others, Derpy held up a hoof "Leave that to me! Starrk can help Rarity on the bottom level."

Rarity and Fluttershy felt troubled by Derpy's eager response, much to Starrk's confusion, and they both grinned awkwardly as Rarity replied "Erm, Derpy? Perhaps you could help oversee our work as we go on? You've done so well the past few times that we couldn't find a better candidate."

Derpy stared, and her eyes rotated slowly until she snapped a salute with a determined glance, her tongue stuck out on the left corner of her lips "You can count on me!"

Starrk watched the whole thing in confusion until he was lightly scooted away by Derpy "Well, what are you silly fillies standing around for? We got a town to fix!" She said authoritively as Starrk, Rarity, and Fluttershy got back to work.

When they were a good distance away from Derpy, Starrk was presented with a hammer being levitated in front of him, courtesy of Rarity "There you are, darling. Fluttershy and I will gladly show you the ropes since you're willing to help us." She said warmly.

Starrk grabbed the hammer with a forehoof and looked back at the two mares "Why can't Derpy help us out with this? I'd figure you'd want her effort as well." The two mares frowned after Starrk's statement.

Fluttershy pawed at the ground shyly "Umm, you see, Coyote Starrk...It's not that we don't want Derpy to help. It's just that..." She whispered something inaudible, cringing slightly while doing so.

Starrk blinked at Fluttershy until Rarity cut in "It really is no offense to Derpy, but when it comes to repairing damages, she has a bit of an..." Rarity winced "...accidental streak..." She finished reluctantly.

The former espada stole a glance at Derpy, who watched the three vigilantly, until he focused on Rarity again "You mean she isn't cut out for this kind of thing? Is it because of her sight?"

Rarity frowned "Please understand that we don't wish to ostracize her; We all know she means well, but there are times when we need to give her a different job in order to make it feel like she actually helped us instead of making things worse."

"She already does an excellent job as a mailmare, but that's pretty much it. We don't want to hurt her feelings by telling her no." Fluttershy added in a sad tone.

Starrk stared at the two mares and took a deep breath "I see where you're coming from, but I don't see how I'll be any different from her."

Rarity smiled and placed a hoof on his shoulder "You just need to be guided in the right direction, just like her. Besides, seeing as how you're living under her roof, I'd say she already has a large responsibility keeping an eye on you as well." She giggled at her own joke.

"I don't hear any hammers~!" Derpy called out impatiently.

Rarity perked up and flailed a hoof "I'll give you the nails. All you have to do is tap them into the position I put them in." She hissed quickly as the trio went back to work at a better pace.
_____

Sparkler was found nonchalantly trotting on the other side of the spa, watching how the spa sisters were working at an acceptable pace as they patched up the walls; They were focused on repairs and nothing else. This was a golden opportunity for Sparkler to enact her own plans. Making sure that nopony was around, she leered at the distracted ponies in front of her as purple smoke began to trail from her eyes, her horn being wrapped in an entirely different aura of magic.

The magic that enveloped her horn was a disturbing mixture of stagnant green and jet black that bubbled as if it were in a hot cauldron. As she took count of her targets, Sparkler's schlera glew green as she squinted her eyes 'Now to turn their hope into fear...' A magical orb bearing the same colors grew from the aura, and it stretched out into a line that curved about in the air like a serpentine wisp.

As it quietly swerved towards the three ponies, the magic wisp started at the left end with Lotus, and it went into her left ear as she instantly froze with widened eyes; The wisp was then found coming out of her right ear and repeating the process with Aloe and Vera. Soon enough, they were like statues until they rubbed their heads and inspected themselves, unaware that the wisp distanced itself from them and faded from existence.

Wanting to see if her plan was a success, Sparkler feigned innocence and spoke to them "Are you girls alright? What caused you all to stop?"

"I-" Lotus stammered after she had finished "I have no idea. One moment I was working and the next moment I felt a sensation. But what happened?" She asked Sparkler with a curious, but anxious glance.

Sparkler poked her chin with a hoof "Maybe we can talk to the others about it? I'll bet they've been met with this thing, too."

Aloe looked at Sparkler "Are you sure?" She pointed at the amethyst unicorn "Have you experienced it, too?"

Sparkler shook her head "Not really. You three surprised me with your reactions. Why don't we catch a quick break and gather with everypony else?"

Vera sighed "Knowing that this could be serious, it's for the best...Let's take a break for now, girls." She and her sisters decided to follow Sparkler around the spa, where they spotted Starrk, Rarity, and Fluttershy patching up their own side while Derpy monitored their progress.

Sparkler looked over at Starrk and a devious glint was in her eye until she called to the group "Hey, everypony. Can I speak with you all for a moment?"

Starrk and the others ceased their work to notice Sparkler with the spa sisters. Derpy glided over and stopped near her, tilting her head "What seems to be the problem, Sparkler? Need more supplies?"

Sparkler shook her head "Not at all." She pointed her hoof back at the trio behind her "Aloe, Lotus, and Vera have been met with some kind of tingling sensation, and we wanted to check if you felt it as well."

Fluttershy blinked "A sensation? Could it have been from over-exerting themselves with their work?"

Lotus frowned "You could possibly be right, since it happened while we were working." She looked at the others "I think we may have been wrong about you all going through what we have felt earlier, but perhaps-" Lotus gasped, and her eyes widened when they landed on Starrk. Her eyes gradually changed as she stared; her schlera became green and her irises red. Her sisters followed her gazes and they ended up mimicking her actions, earning the bewildered glances from the ponies around them.

In the triplets' eyes, Starrk was seen not with a working hammer, but with a large, bloodied warhammer slung over his shoulder and a malicious grin on his muzzle; A killer look in his lidded eyes pierced at their very souls as quiet and throated laughter escaped from his teeth. Around him, the buildings in town were in a condition much worse than before. The former espada took a step forward as he filled the triplets with more fear "...You're all going to die..."


To be continued...