• Published 25th Aug 2012
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Cuatro - Dirty Bit



How can one feel empty in a world full of friends?

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Capitulo Treinta y Dos

Capitulo Treinta y Dos

Solution

Twilight blinked "What? But why would you want to keep Cuatro around? Is there something you have in mind?" She did not expect this particular request from her mentor after they had shared a heart-to-heart conversation about Cuatro's mysterious condition 'What are you planning, Princess? Hopefully nothing dangerous...'

Celestia nodded "I only wish for Cuatro to remain here so that I may try a method that could possibly restore his memories. It is something I need to look into before actually doing it." It sunk in as truth to her student, but the solar princess had other plans...
_____

(Earlier - Throne Room)

Celestia pondered to herself about Cuatro's latest conflict and how it nearly blew out of proportion according to Twilight's explanation 'This isn't good...If what Twilight was saying is true, then he could be recovering his memories at the wrong time...And that would put Equestria in more danger. There has to be a way to contain his second nature of fighting mercilessly to avoid any bloodshed...Unless...' Celestia's eyes widened in realization "Of course!"

Her idea seemed profound, but a part of her nearly wished she'd never condone the idea 'If it's what it takes, then I'll have to try and bind his violent behavior with an advanced mind spell...' According to Celestia, the only drawback from using said spell would further impede Cuatro from regaining his memories, but she would be willing to take risks if it meant protecting her land. She had already felt guilty for keeping his origins a secret from other ponies, but there was no other alternative unless no lives were lost.

Celestia closed her eyes 'There is still the matter of wondering how he'll react when his memories return...But only time will tell...' She decided to go out and find Twilight and Cuatro to share her idea.
_____

Celestia held a convincing smile while she hid her true intentions "So, Twilight...Are you willing to lend me Cuatro for the time being?"

Twilight looked down "Well, if it means another attempt at restoring Cuatro's memories, then..." She faced her mentor with a smile "Sure! By all means!" She looked over at Cuatro "Are you okay with this, Cuatro? I'm sure the princess could help you out in any way possible."

Cuatro looked at Twilight "What about you? Will you remain as well to witness Celestia's success?"

Celestia shook her head "I'm afraid that won't be necessary, Cuatro. Twilight has business of her own to attend to back in Ponyville. Besides, you'll be sure to meet her when you're done here."

Luna looked over at Celestia for a brief moment before smiling at Cuatro "Look at it this way, Sir Cuatro. Now we have more time to spend with each other!"

At that point, Cuatro decided that every cloud had a silver lining. He nodded to Celestia "Very well...I shall place my trust in your effort for the time being..." He said in a straight tone and looked over at Luna.

"It might also help me to recover from my previous mistake..."

Celestia donned a satisfied smile "Then it is settled. If you all will excuse me, I'll need some time to prepare myself." She said as she trotted away from the group.

While her sister distanced herself, Luna was curious to what Celestia had in mind for Cuatro 'Sister...Will thou truly restore Sir Cuatro's memories?'

Twilight watched Celestia leave and then turned to Cuatro and Luna "Well, I suppose this is goodbye for now. I'll see you back in Ponyville if you ever come back soon, Cuatro!"

Luna nodded to Twilight "Fare thee well, Twilight Sparkle. It was nice to see thee again."

Cuatro spoke up "I will be sure to return very shortly if Celestia is successful..."

Twilight smiled at Cuatro "I look forward to it!" She trotted down the stairs and exited the castle.

The two alicorns watched Twilight leave, and then Luna looked over at Cuatro with a playful smile "Sir Cuatro, thou realize that thou can tell us what was intended for our personal knowledge?"

Cuatro's eyes widened slightly at Luna's tone. He looked at her and watched how she held such a teasing atmosphere with her expression. Regardless, she was right in her statement.

"...Not here..."

Cuatro replied "Could you perhaps lead me to another iconic area of the castle?"

Luna blinked "Again? Thou make it seem if this information is entirely sacred!" She examined the expression on Cuatro's face to see if he was hiding something 'Unless...'

Cuatro gave a curt bow "Please, Luna...Will you at least acknowledge this request of mine?"

Luna stared at Cuatro before she smiled "So be it, then. Clearly, thou art adamant on wishing to impart thy words to us with the proper scenery! Come, Sir Cuatro. Follow us..." She said as she trotted down the stairs towards the gates leading outside into the courtyard with Cuatro following close behind.

They went along a shoveled trail behind the castle walls that lead towards the royal garden, where some of the castle's rare and prized flowers that remained in bloom were covered in snow. There was an ornately-paved dock up ahead that stood over a small frozen pond. They stepped onto it and Luna held an amused smile towards Cuatro "Is this iconic enough for thee? Or must we guide thee back to our chamber?" She asked in a teasing tone.

Cuatro fought a blush as he replied "This is satisfactory...Don't worry..." He wondered why Luna would even consider him confessing in her bedroom. Unless it was another joke, Cuatro had mixed feelings about the proposal.

Luna chuckled before she spoke "Now, would thou be willing to speak to us, Moon Shield?"

Cuatro nodded "Yes...I believe I can actually confess to you now much better than before..." He took a deep breath "I may as well come out with it now so I do not end up making matters worse..."

Luna tilted her head "Oh?"

Cuatro stared into Luna's eyes, even finding the courage to take a step closer to her "Luna...I want you to know that..." He paused when he noted the look of rising curiousity on the princess' face "I love you..." Cuatro closed his eyes as he continued

"At one moment, I was pleased when we became friends, but I did not realize until recently that it was more than just friendship to me...I was completely blind to the particular emotion during the time I had spent with my friends in Ponyville, and I was even confused with how I've even acted differently around you..." Cuatro opened his eyes to look at Luna, who was surprisingly calm while he confessed to her "It was love...love for you and nopony else...When I had discovered my feelings with the help of a friend named Zecora, I was unsure on how you would look at me once I've brought it to your attention; if you would either be surprised or disappointed with me..."

Luna was silent, and finally put on a soft smile "Oh, Sir Cuatro..." She uttered in a touched tone. As they stared, she continued "It was rather nice of thou to come clean to us, but to be truthful..." She held a grin that was mixed with embarrassment and amusement "We were...basically aware of thy feelings the moment we caught thee blushing at the Donut shop!"

Cuatro's eyes widened "Wh-Wha-...?" All that thought he had put into his confession seem to have been wasted with what has been brought up.

Luna giggled at Cuatro's reaction "Tis the truth, Sir Cuatro! Everypony knows that the slightest hint of red on one's face is an indication of either embarrassment or affection! Knowing thy many...reactions..." She emphasized in a teasing tone with a brief chuckle "...It was clear to us that thou hath taken a fancy to our company! The exhibition of thy wings was most unexpected, but as mentioned earlier, tis not so much thine fault as it was our own." She looked up at Cuatro with a warm smile "Looking back on the time that we've spent as friends...t'was a most enjoyable experience indeed. And while it may seem that thy efforts are for naught, thou hath truly shown us true happiness with thy company, even if thou art unable to smile."

Cuatro stared at Luna "So does this mean that...you accept my feelings?" He asked in his usual tone, though entirely hopeful in his thoughts.

Luna approached Cuatro as her smile widened "Verily. To thy credit, thou art the most interesting pony we've come across in our time bar Twilight Sparkle, who taught us how to be more friendly towards other ponies!" She placed a hoof on Cuatro's chest, causing his heart to nearly jump into his throat "But thou art different...Thine is but a most exuberant experience wrapped within thy calm and stoic appearance! We're most pleased with thy display of affection!"

The fact that Luna acknowledged his feeling and offered to return them with her own had Cuatro's mind reeling with several ideas on how to react. His mind was brought back to reality when Luna spoke up "Sir Cuatro? Could thou be so kind as to bring thy face closer towards us?"

Cuatro stared before he carefully did as requested. Luna lidded her eyes slightly "Closer..." The strange alicorn brought his face closer towards Luna as she whispered "Close thine eyes, so that we may present thee with a surprise..."

A surprise? Cuatro had a mind to what she had planned and proceeded to do so. While Cuatro's eyes were closed, Luna quietly levitated a snowball with a smirk on her face, then pelted Cuatro with it before bursting into laughter.

Cuatro grunted in surprise after getting hit with the snowball, then rubbed it off of his face to look at Luna "Another snowball fight?"

Luna ceased her laughter to smile at Cuatro "Art thou willing, Moon Shield?" She asked as she levitated more.

Cuatro stared before he levitated some of his own "I accept your challenge, Luna..." The two then proceeded to have their second snowball fight with the same amount of effort as their last one.
_____

Celestia was in the Royal Library, looking up a book on mind spells. She remembered to look through the Starswirl Wing to find the more astute spellbooks, and managed to pinpoint the best one she could find.

After skimming through each page, she finally found the proper spell needed for Cuatro's situation 'Here we are. To bind certain aspects of the mind...' She read each line needed, and she gasped when she fell on the requirements for the spell:

"In order for the user to bind the given aspect of mind inside of another being, the subject must reveal it entirely for the spell to be effective."

All former traits of thinking binding Cuatro's behavior was an easy task had left Celestia as quickly as they came. An image came into her mind of a robed figure with wings glowing and transforming into a whole different being; with blackness that trailed from both his eyes and the hole in his chest. She sighed, now knowing that she had no choice but to try for the sake of protecting Equestria from Cuatro's growing power. After studying how to perform the spell, she closed the book, placed it back on the shelf where she found it, and departed from the library to look for Cuatro.

She trotted the halls in silence, reflecting on when she first tried to restore Cuatro's memories and supposedly 'failed'. With what she had collected, it would have been a mistake to give him back his memories altogether back then. It was comforting to know that he was in good hooves after he chose to stay with Twilight and her friends, but Celestia could not let his latest fight go after her student brought it to her attention. The results would have been too grim if he had went through with killing the dragons that visited Ponyville; he probably would not have stopped there. As for how the spell had to be performed, it was as simple as it was tedious...

She would have to reawaken his dark side.

It was too much to think about at the moment, but all she could do was maintain her composure while she seeked out her 'subject' around the castle. When she passed a window that peaked out into the royal gardens, she caught a glimpse of Luna and Cuatro throwing snowballs at each other while dodging or blocking whatever came their way. Celestia watched how her sister looked so happy when she was around Cuatro, while his own face did not make even the slightest change. The two alicorns had stopped to look at each other, and Celestia looked upon Luna's bright smile once more. As uplifting as it was, it can only last if the spell is successful. Celestia heaved a sigh as she thought about how to orchestrate where and how to cast the spell. She heard footsteps and caught a guard trotting in the hall with a spear in his forehoof and stopped him "Excuse me..."

The guard instantly stopped and bowed in genuflect to his ruler "Yes, your majesty?"

Celestia looked back out at the window to see Luna talking with Cuatro "I would like for you to go find Cuatro in the royal gardens and inform him to meet me in the throne room...alone..."

The guard bowed to Celestia once more and galloped down the halls. Meanwhile, the solar princess hung her head with her eyes closed 'I'm very sorry for this, Luna, but his destructive power must be contained...' She trotted back to her throne room to await Cuatro's presence.
_____

Cuatro and Luna finished their snowball fight in a draw, though Luna still found much entertainment in her opponent's participation "Another epic wintery skirmish if we do say so ourself!" She beamed at Cuatro.

The strange alicorn bowed his head to Luna "I wish only for your happiness, Luna...My love for you knows no bounds..."

Luna chuckled and approached Cuatro with a brief nuzzle on his cheek "Thou would proclaim thy affection so openly now that thou hath revealed it to us?" She asked inquisitively, albeit teasingly.

Cuatro gingerly returned the nuzzle "If I must, unless you object to it..."

Luna looked up at Cuatro with a smirk "That would be nary much fun if thou would willingly surrender thyself to us for our own personal pleasure."

Cuatro blinked "Would it not suit you?"

Luna turned away to hold a hoof to her muzzle and stifle a fit of laughter "Enough of thy words, Sir Cuatro! Let us focus on something other than us!"

Cuatro stared at Luna's mirth "But all I can focus on is you, Luna...Along with my friends, you've given me a reason to live..." Much to his carefree manner in his statement, his last sentence had triggered something he has not felt for a short while: A hammering migraine. Cuatro clenched his eyes shut and grunted as he held his head and felt the familiar sensation of a shaded memory playing in his mind.

"Kill me...Hurry up. I don't even have the strength left to walk..."
"If you don't kill me now, it will never be over..."
"I won't do it!"
"What?"
"I said no! This...This isn't the way I wanted to win!!"
"Hmph...In the end, you still never do what I want..."
"Are you afraid of me...girl?"
"...I'm not afraid."
"...I see..."

The shaded memory had finally subsided in Cuatro's mind followed by his headache. There was no new points of interest for him to add to his list, but he knew the particular memory that had sprung inside of him.

"That was...the first memory I've come across in the Everfree Forest...But it doesn't make any sense...Did I wish for death?"

This bothered the strange alicorn more than his supposed history as a murderer. According to his practice on magic, he was seemingly powerful for a pony, and yet after witnessing the very first memory he had collected, he wanted to die right then and there.

"There was talk of victory...Was I bested in combat?"

He opened his eyes after rubbing his temple, and looked to see Luna frowning in concern. His heart skipped a beat before he spoke "Please forgive my action, Luna...This has not happened to me for a while, but I'm fine now..."

Luna placed a hoof on Cuatro's cheek "Thou art sure of thy health? We've only noticed thee suffer a migraine only once. Twilight Sparkle claims that they are possibly connected with thee reclaiming thy memories."

Cuatro gently placed a hoof on the one Luna placed on his cheek, feeling more warmth despite the outdoor temperature "I would think of it to be true...What I've discovered was the very first memory I've come across during my period of amnesia..."

Luna perked up at the response and drew her hoof back "Really? What is it that thou remember, Sir Cuatro?"

Cuatro stared at Luna in silence. At one point, it was too much to bear to come out with a possibly grim memory in front of the alicorn that he loved, but he also should not keep too much from her since she was kind enough to accept and return his feelings "I wished to-..." He took a deep breath, and Cuatro hung his head as he reluctantly continued "I wished to die...to be killed..."

Luna could not believe what she had heard "What!? Of all the memories thou hath reclaimed, one of them involved thee desiring to shed thy mortal coil!?" She asked in an incredulous tone.

Cuatro regretted his choice of words upon seeing Luna's mood and sighed "I cannot lie to you, Luna...But I'm uncertain as to why I would want such a thing. Despite my memories, I wish to cherish my life from here on out until the entirety of my past returns to me. When that time comes, I shall see to my promise of smiling for you..."

Luna managed a ghost of a smile after what was said, setting Cuatro at ease "Tis true...Thou hath promised to smile for us when thy memories returned, but we're now curious of what went on in thy past..."

Cuatro stared at Luna for a moment "I understand...About another activity, why don't we take a stroll around Canterlot? We could find means of leisure if we traverse through the streets..."

Luna smiled "An encouraging thought from thee. Shall we depart?"

Before Cuatro could answer, his ears perked when he heard approaching hoofbeats behind Luna. He looked behind her to see a guard galloping towards them and stopping carefully in front of the two alicorns "Cuatro, Her Majesty Celestia wishes for your presence at her throne room!" The two alicorns traded gazes upon the news.

"Celestia must have her secondary method prepared for me..."

Cuatro looked back at the guard and nodded "Thank you for the message. I shall be with her momentarily..." He said as he looked back at Luna "My deepest apologies for this happening, Luna..."

Luna sighed, but still managed to smile "We musn't feel too bad about this. If our sister is successful in restoring thy memories, it also means that we get to see thee smile!" She gave Cuatro a small hug.

Cuatro enjoyed the small embrace before turning to the guard "Can you take me to her while I talk with Luna?"

The guard shook his head "I'm sorry, sir, but she requires for your presences and nopony else!"

Luna was surprised at the news and narrowed her eyes "And why were we not informed of this?" She asked in an irritated tone.

The guard shivered under Luna's question "I-I'm sorry, Princess Luna! It's what your sister had told me!" He cleared his throat and turned away "I have some duties to return to right now. Please do not keep the princess waiting, Cuatro!" He trotted off, though he was still shaken from Luna's anger.

Luna scoffed "Unless it were some kind of lone process, We're confused as to why Tia would just cast us aside on a momentous occasion!"

Cuatro tried to comfort Luna by nuzzling her cheek "I don't want to see you angry...It can't be helped if she wishes to see me one-on-one to try and restore my memories..."

Luna remained still before she sighed and returned the nuzzle "Nonetheless, this was not expected nor appropriate of our sister. But if she were to be successful, thou would be wise as to come to us first. Understood?" She looked up at Cuatro with an expectant glance and a playful smile.

Cuatro gave a curt bow after looking into her eyes "As you wish, Luna...Why don't we trot together until we reach the throne room?" The two alicorns trailed off towards the castle's main entrance, where they would make for the throne room.

Needless to say, Cuatro was in a state of bliss when he trotted with Luna in the halls. He figured it was an accomplishment coming to terms with his affection for Luna, but how would he explain it to his friends once he came back to Ponyville? They have not yet known about his feelings towards Luna save for Zecora, who practically spelled it out for him. Perhaps he would let them know about it once he was finished with his current matter.

They reached the throne room doors, and Cuatro and Luna faced each other before Luna smiled "We'll be waiting for thee, Moon Shield..."

Cuatro replied instantly "As will I, Luna..." He turned to the doors, then opened them up with his magic as he made his way inside.

He noticed Celestia sitting on her throne with her eyes closed, as if she were meditating the whole time, and she opened her eyes when she spotted a visitor "Ah, you've arrived, Cuatro. I'm glad you could make it..." She said as she rose from her throne and trotted down the carpet "Can you please close the doors so we can begin?"

Cuatro looked back at Luna staring at him, then activated his horn as he closed the doors. He took his time so he could get a good look at Luna before undertaking another memory restoration process. He then turned back to face Celestia "...I'm ready..." He spoke in a straight tone.

Celestia nodded with a calm expression "It's good that you are...What we're about to do will be no small feat..." Her horn glowed with a bright yellow aura, and the brightness grew intensely before it shrouded the entire throne room.

Luna noticed the traces of brightness from behind the doors, and they instantly died out. She was unsure if her sister's method was that quick, and chose to swing the doors open to see that absolutely nopony was in sight; there was neither hide nor hair of Celestia and Cuatro "What!? What is the meaning of this!?"
_____

Twilight was riding home on the Friendship Express back to Ponyville. While the train ride was tranquil to everypony else on board, she was bothered by several thoughts after her visit with Celestia. Most of the thoughts consisted of worst-case scenarios if Cuatro were unable to control his hidden violence and went on a rampage. Another thought was how Celestia wished to restore Cuatro's memories when her first and foremost method had somehow failed.

The final thought that had bothered her most of all was how she would go about her business once she comes back. Apart from Canterlot and Ponyville, she had a bad feeling about what would transpire in both locations, but she couldn't place her hoof on it 'Maybe I'm just overthinking this...I should just try and relax before I end up making things worse for myself...'

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and Twilight willed herself to enjoy the train ride home in peaceful silence. However, she still could not shake the thought of what Celestia had in store for Cuatro.
_____

Back in Ponyville, it was snowing lightly around the town due to the pegasi's weather schedule. Rainbow Dash flew in the sky on her way to the library with a book in her hooves. When she reached the front door, she opened it and looked around "Hey, Twilight! You home?" She noticed that the library was empty save for the presence of Owlowiscious, who was sitting in his perch staring back at Rainbow Dash.

The cyan pegasus brushed it off and hovered her way inside as she called out "Twi? Hello~! I wanted to stop by to show you my novel! I just finished it and I figured I'd let you be the first to read since you love to so much!" Twilight made two mistakes in her haste to see the princess; One mistake was that she did not tell any of her friends before she had left; Another mistake was leaving the library unlocked in the belief that Spike would return home before her. Rainbow Dash looked around and scratched her head with a free hoof 'That's weird...Usually I'd find Twilight, Spike, or even Cuatro around here!' She turned to the door leading to the basement and held a knowing glance 'Maybe they're doing some kind of experiment downstairs?' She decided to place her finished novel on the checkout desk and glide over to the door, opening it up to see that none of the machines were on in the laboratory "Hey, Twilight! You down here?" She went further into the basement.

As she hovered down the stairs, she looked at each of the machines and noticed a small bump behind one of them "Huh? What's this?" She flew over and poked at it to see if it was metallic like the rest of Twilight's machinery, but noticed there was some gems on it. She pulled it towards here to see that it was a chest and tilted her head at the familiar structure 'How long has Twilight had this?' Rainbow Dash proceeded to open it up...

While Rainbow Dash was inside the laboratory, Spike had just returned from his time at the Carousel Boutique; he felt that he should at least tidy the place up for when Twilight and Cuatro return from Canterlot. He hummed as he made his way inside, looking around to see where he would start "Okay, nothing's too out of place right now. Maybe I can just dust the shelves and sweep the-"

"WHAT THE HAY IS THIS?!!?!"

Spike instantly darted his head over to the basement door to see it hang slightly open. It was unnerving to know where not only the voice came from, but who exactly it belonged to. He made a dash for the door and looked down in the laboratory to see Rainbow Dash stare wide-eyed at the chest containing the Elements of Harmony "...Uh oh..." He uttered as his face was plastered with anxiety.

To be continued...

Author's Note:

Would you look at that! No interruption! Everything went better than expected! :pinkiehappy:

I said I would focus on other stories prior to my last update, but I was stuck in the biggest rut at the time. That and I've already brainstormed this chapter and had to work on it at a steady pace :derpytongue2:

Now that Cuatro has captured a better glimpse of his first memory, what will happen while he is with Celestia? Wait and see :trixieshiftright:

As for Spike's predicament with Rainbow Dash

That is all.

Enjoy this chapter, friends. Peace! :twilightsmile:

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