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


Capitulo Veinte y Uno


Spreading the Plague


Aloe, Lotus, and Vera all backed away from Starrk, whimpering feebly as their pinpricked pupils trembled along with their bodies.

Rarity was dumbstruck at the sudden gesture "Girls? What's wrong? Why are you acting so timid around Coyote Starrk all of the sudden?" She asked the spa triplets.

Aloe pointed a shaky hoof "He's going to kill us...He's going to kill us all!" She shouted fearfully.

Lotus chimed in "We made a mistake considering him to be a hero!"

Starrk himself was confused, and he took a step forward "What are you getting at? What did I do to you other than wrecking part of your town?" He asked, ignoring how the trio of frightened ponies gasped and quickly distanced themselves when he advanced.

Fluttershy looked at Starrk for a moment before responding to Aloe "But he isn't even that scary. Was it because he ruined your spa?"

The trio of ponies shrieked before they turned around and bolted away, screaming in terror while leaving behind confused ponies in their wake. Rarity turned to her friends "I don't know what has gotten into them, but we can't let them run around Ponyville like this. We have to do something."

Sparkler faced the direction where the spa sisters fled "We could split up and find them; They couldn't have gone far." She turned to Starrk with a frown "No offense to you, but if we sent you after them, we'll end up facing more problems."

Starrk stared back at Sparkler and felt something eerie when he looked into her eyes; He thought he felt a second presence lurking inside of her. He grunted "Alright, but what about the rest of you?" He asked the mares.

Derpy neared the group and placed a hoof on Starrk's shoulder with a serious glance "Just watch the kids while we take care of this. I don't know why they're acting so scared around you, but we'll find out!"

Rarity nodded to Starrk "Don't worry, we shall sort out this little problem before it grows out of proportion. In the meantime, just stay right here." The four mares then sped off in search of the spa triplets, leaving Starrk to stand next to the spa.

The spa's front door opened to reveal Dinky, Lilynette, and Spike looking out with curious glances "Mr. Starrk? Where's Mommy and her friends?" Dinky asked.

Starrk looked back at Dinky "Apparently they're tracking down some ponies that fear me for some reason..."

Spike shot a quizzical glance the former espada's way "Huh? Why would they be afraid of you after you saved them from disaster?"

Starrk faced away from the children without an answer and looked at the mares running off, suspicion tinted on his stoic face '...Unless they fear my power, I think there's something going on...'
_____

Rarity took point in galloping through town looking for the spa triplets with Sparkler following close behind; Derpy and Fluttershy flew above them at the same pace. Rarity looked back at the mares behind her "I'll seek out Aloe. Can I trust the rest of you to go your own way?"

Sparkler nodded to Rarity "I'll go find Lotus."

Derpy narrowed her eyes "Then that leaves me with Vera." She turned to Fluttershy "Who do you want to go for, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy glided with Derpy, looking around "I'll go help Rarity, or maybe I should warn everypony about what's going on." Up ahead, she noticed Aloe galloping in a panicked frenzy "There! I see Aloe!" She blurted out.

Rarity noticed as well with a smirk "Nicely done, Fluttershy."

Sparkler frowned, but changed her expression to mock determination "I'll find Lotus on a different route. I'll catch up with you all later." She said as she turned right and distanced herself from the group.

Derpy looked towards her left "I better follow my daughter's example. I'm going my own way, too, girls." She flew off northwest from her position and left Flutterhy and Rarity alone to close in on Aloe.

Rarity squinted her eyes as she picked up her pace "Fluttershy, this may be unbecoming for us both, but we'll have to pin her down; it's the only way to keep her from running off. Are you ready?"

Fluttershy gulped and nodded reluctantly, not feeling keen about tackling somepony innocent. She caught up to Rarity as they neared Aloe, and the two mares pounced on her and ended up tumbling a few feet before slowing to a stop. Rarity and Fluttershy were atop of a struggling Aloe, who grunted while she shifted under their grasp "Let me go! I have to warn everypony!" She cried.

Rarity had trouble trying to hold Aloe steady "About what? You still haven't told us why you and your sisters have acted so strange around Coyote!"

Aloe looked Rarity in the eyes, tears forming in her eyes "He's a killer; a murderer! You saw what he did to Cerberus and Ponyville! We could be next!"

Fluttershy frowned "But Starrk didn't kill Cerberus, and he wished to help mend the damage he had done to Ponyville. Please don't strain yourself."

Aloe continued to struggle despite Fluttershy's plea "You don't understand! We're all in danger! I need to warn everypony in town!" She shouted through her fear.

Rarity and Fluttershy felt that reasoning with Aloe in her current mental state proved to be a fruitless endeavor, and they glanced at each other nervously, wondering how to deal with this situation.
_____

Sparkler looked around as she galloped ahead on her own trail in town, trying to distinguish Lotus' presence while breezing past other ponies hard at work 'Now where could she be? We've given Lotus and her sisters a good headstart back there, so she should be able to reach somepony by now...'

"I'm telling you, we have to do something!"

Sparkler's ears perked up, and she spotted the targetted pony speaking with a confused crowd at the clinic to her right, smiling deviously at the sight "There you are..." She whispered menacingly as she stopped her galloping and quietly snuck towards the crowd, finding a way around them as they paid attention to Lotus.

Lotus continued "We have to warn everypony about the danger we're facing; the princesses as well!" She exclaimed frightfully as she shifted her eyes "If we don't act fast, he may reach us and end our lives!"

Colgate, one of the ponies in the crowd, looked at Lotus skeptically "What makes you think he would even do such a thing when he saved us from Cerberus?"

"He only destroyed a couple buildings, but he didn't hit any of us." Another mare added in the same skeptical manner.

Lotus' gaze became more desperate "You have to believe me! Ponyville will be lost if we let him stay here!" She pleaded to the crowd.

Berry Punch, who was beside Colgate, looked troubled as she listened "You know, I'm kinda with Lotus on this. Sure he says he means well, but did you see what he did back there? Just imagine if anypony was caught in the crossfire." She shuddered from the mental image of seeing somepony eradicated by Starrk's cero.

Some of the other ponies in the crowd murmured in agreement to the mare's response and began to feel nervous themselves.

Lotus pointed a forehoof at Berry Punch "So you agree with me then? We shouldn't be standing around here when everypony must protect themselves from Starrk."

Meanwhile, Sparkler managed to hide behind a tree while the crowd was facing away from her. She grinned in darkened delight as her eyes changed and her horn glew "And thus the fear shall spread..." She whispered as she used the same spell from before, the magical wisp quietly floating towards the crowd and passing through their heads one-by-one. Soon after the wisp vanished, the crowd had fallen under her spell, though haven't shown it yet.

A stallion in the crowd shook his head before placing a hoof to his temple "Did anypony else feel that? It's like something was just inside of me for a short time..." He said in bewilderment.

Lotus gasped "It's happened to me and my sisters. Somehow through that feeling, we were able to see Coyote Starrk and his true colors."

"Excuse me."

The crowd turned to see Sparkler innocently trot up to them "I believe I can solve your problem if you're willing to lend an ear..." She said in a persuasive tone and a hollow smile.
_____

Derpy flew across the sky in search of Vera, her mind reeling with the question of why there were ponies that feared Starrk despite what he's done for them so far. As much as she wished to linger on the subject, she knew that there was one of three paranoid ponies roaming the town that needed to be stopped.

She squinted her rotating eyes while she accelerated, trying to make out any sign of Vera below her; They widened when Derpy spotted a pony screaming for help while approaching Town hall. She grunted as she narrowed her eyes 'Sorry, Vera, but you left me no other option!'

Derpy closed her eyes and took a split second to make out the distance she and Vera were currently traveling. Normally, she wasn't so good at calculations, but she was one to work under pressure, especially when it involved her job. After taking a deep breath, the mailmare had bolted diagonally downward towards Vera at a well-aimed angle towards where she was about to end up.

"Pony Justice Tackle!" She blurted randomly.

Vera was unable to make out the grey blur above her that had managed to bring her into a short tumble before she stopped on her stomach, being held down by Derpy "Okay, missy. Just stay right where you are." She said authoritively as she examined Vera, who had her eyes closed. Derpy prodded her forehead with a hoof "Uh oh...I think I might've knocked her out." She thought aloud in an awkward manner; The awkwardness turned to intrigue when Derpy noticed a black mist trailing from Vera's closed eyes that vanished after blowing away a few inches.

"Derpy? What did you do!?"

Derpy perked up and noticed Twilight gallop towards her in shock over what had just happened. She examined Vera's unconscious state and focused on Derpy with a stern glance "What drove you into knocking out Vera? Was she screaming for help because of you?"

The mailmare's eyes straightened "Me? No way!" She pointed a hoof at the unconscious body under her "We were repairing the spa building when all of the sudden Vera and her sisters flipped their lid after they saw Starrky; They labeled him as a killer and ran off."

Twilight craned her head back "Really? But-"

Derpy instantly carried a deadpan expression before Twilight could finish "Please don't say 'How is that possible?', Twilight. It's too cliche."

Twilight blinked at Derpy's foresight before she shook her head "Well, we can't just leave her unattended if what you're saying is true. Let's just get her to Town hall so she can rest up."

Derpy hopped off of Vera and allowed Twilight to lift her up using her magic. They both trotted back to Town hall, though Twilight was uneasy about what Derpy had explained "You said Vera and her sisters have been affected by this? Where could Aloe and Lotus be?"

"Rarity and Fluttershy are tracking down Aloe, and my daughter Sparkler's finding Lotus. They should've taken care of it by now." Derpy answered nonchalantly while she trotted next to Twilight, though frowned in concern "But this isn't good at all. One moment, he saves us, but now we know there are ponies who still don't trust him." Her eyes furrowed in worry "I don't wanna end up losing him. He and Lily have nowhere to go!"

Twilight sighed "I don't want to sound opposing, but their fear is justified. Even I was surprised when I saw how Starrk was able to just blast a giant beam out of a cloud." Her eyes flickered with interest "If only I could just study his magical properties for myself."

Derpy turned to Twilight as her eyes rotated "Wait, are you planning to hit on Starrky?" She asked innocently.

Twilight blushed furiously, almost losing her hold on Vera "Wh-What!? No!" She quickly responded, calming herself "I don't share any romantic feelings for Starrk, Derpy; Only the interest to study his stature and the magic he holds inside of him." She noticed how Derpy appeared unconvinced and scowled at her "Conducting experiments?" The mailmare's features were unchanged "Delving into Starrk's abilities?" Still nothing "Just spending time and gathering data?"

Derpy donned a lewd smile at each of Twilight's attempts at rephrasing her intentions "You can try and dodge me all you want, Twilight, but I see you wanna piece of Starrk for yourself." She said teasingly, ignoring the frustrated groan from Twilight "I COULD tell him to see you once he has some free time."

Twilight's frustration instantly vanished as she stared at Derpy "You can?" She asked hopefully.

Derpy nodded "Sure can. You seem adamant in wanting to get to know him, so maybe I can coax him into going out with you." She chirped with a smile, ignoring another groan from Twilight.
_____

Starrk sat on the ground as he grew more bored by each passing second, not enjoying his current job of watching Dinky, Lilynette, and Spike, especially when they stopped working and conversed over how and why the spa sisters were afraid of him "Do you think it's because Mr. Starrk looks intimidating?" Dinky asked the others.

Spike stole a glance at the bored stallion a few feet away from him before waving a dismissive claw "I dunno about him LOOKING intimidating, but that blast of his was pretty scary." He turned to Lilynette "How is Coyote even able to do that?"

Lilynette huffed "Why ask me when the answer is obvious?" She held up a hoof in a lecture "He channeled his spiritual energy into that cloud and managed to fire a cero at that stupid dog; Nothing more than that."

Spike raised an eyebrow "Spiritual energy? You mean his magic?"

Lilynette frowned "No, I meant spiritual energy. Aren't you paying attention?" She chided.

Spike shrugged "I'm just saying it's magic because how else would he be able to pull of that trick using a cloud? Pegasi are good with weather magic and junk, so it's obvious."

Lilynette went to retort until she glanced down pensively over Spike's explanation 'Wait...If that's true, then where does that leave me since I have a horn and no wings? And what if me and Starrk have magic instead of spiritual energy?' She sighed "Okay fine, you win this round, but I'm with my sister: Starrk is intimidating, so it's obvious whoever ran off knew that as well."

Dinky frowned "But Mr. Starrk hasn't told us who exactly ran off."

Spike pointed a claw "It could've been the spa ponies. I mean, I thought I heard their voices while we were working inside."

Lilynette hummed "We should probably go look for them and remind them that Starrk actually feels like looking out for them."

"No can do..."

The trio turned to see the former espada still sitting down in boredom "I don't like how things are going myself, but we can't go anywhere until this matter's been solved." Starrk looked back at them "Derpy wanted me to look after you all while they're gone."

Lilynette scowled at Starrk "Seriously? They're afraid of you, not us, so it should be okay for us to go."

Dinky frowned "But, sis, what if we get in trouble? I think we should stay with Mr. Starrk."

Spike stood up with a smug smile "Well, I'm not exactly a kid, and Twilight's the one who tells me what to do, so I'm not obligated to stick around."

Lilynette stared dumbfoundedly at Spike "What? That's not fair! Take us with you!"

Spike waved a mocking claw "Sorry, girls, but this dragon's gotta know what's going down, so maybe I'll get back to you once I've ga-" He noticed Lilynette's horn glowing, his eyes widening and his ears drooping.

"Take us with you or I'll show you a real cero up close!" Lilynette threatened with clenched teeth.

Starrk looked back and narrowed his eyes "Cut it out, Lilynette. We're already reparing damages, and I'm not in the mood for having to deal with more."

Lilynette ceased her horn and growled "Well, what can we do since we're just standing around!?" She complained.

Starrk went to respond until he heard hoofsteps. He turned around to see Sparkler trotting up to him "Hey, everypony. I just wanna let you know that you're needed at Town hall. Mom's already there waiting for you." She said in a straight tone.

Dinky smiled "Did Mommy and her friends help Aloe, Lotus, and Vera?"

Sparkler shifted her eyes away "I don't know, but I found Lotus. She should be feeling better by now."

Starrk rose from his sitting position "Looks like we're moving again..."

Dinky ran up to Starrk with a grin "Can we move with your Sonido, Mr. Starrk?"

Starrk looked down at Dinky and nodded, allowing her to hop on his back with a cheer; Lilynette climbed up as well, sitting next to her. Spike waddled up "Sonido? Is it that good?"

Sparkler frowned "You can't expect to just transport a couple of fillies with your speed and expect them to survive, can you?"

Lilynette pointed at Sparkler "Why don't you grab Starrk and see for yourself, Ms. Know-it-all?"

Sparkler brushed off Lilynette's insult and rolled her eyes as she laid a hoof on Starrk.

Spike watched the scene blankly until he waddled over towards the group "Okay, now I'm curious. Mind if I tag along, too?"

Starrk felt silly with everyone crowding him, but he was willing to grab Spike and Sparkler in his forehooves before he blurred out of existence with intense speed.
_____

Aloe whimpered and constantly shifted her eyes at different directions as she traveled with Rarity and Fluttershy on both of her sides. Rarity smiled "We're almost there, darling. There's no need for you to be upset."

Fluttershy smiled as well "You're safe now, and you'll be even more safe once we get you to Town hall."

Aloe murmured "He's not around, is he?"

Rarity shook her head "No, not at all. Just stick with us and we'll be out of his radar."

Fluttershy smiled, but it faded as she slowed her pace. Rarity caught on and she quickly flashed a smile at Aloe "We're with you the whole way. Just remain calm." She said as she tailed back with Fluttershy, frowning at her "I know your upset, but we had no other option." Rarity whispered.

The timid pegasus gave Rarity a penitent glance "But do we really have to  hide the fact that Coyote is still around?" She whispered back.

Rarity glanced at Aloe to make sure she wasn't listening in before focusing on Fluttershy with a resolved stare "You know we had no other option; It was either this or knocking her out, and I'm most certain neither of us wished to go that route."

Fluttershy shivered and whimpered "Y-You're right...But what would happen if we end up running into Coyote again?"

Rarity donned a reassuring smile "We'll be fine. It won't happen since Starrk is busy with Spike and the fillies. I doubt we'll be seeing him at Town hall anytime soon."


To be continued...