• 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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Capítulo Cinco

Capítulo Cinco

Bonding

Twilight smiled "Okay, so now that we agree that his name should be Cuatro, now all I'll have to do is contact Princess Celestia and inform her about his presence!"

Cuatro stood "Is she a benevolent ruler? Or a tyrant?" He questioned in his monotonous tone.

Rarity gasped "A tyrant? My goodness, no! Princess Celestia is the greatest ruler to ever grace Equestria! And she's so powerful that she can raise and lower the sun in the sky!"

Pinkie smiled "Yeah! And Twilight's her personal student, too! She and the rest of us often write friendship reports to her from time to time!"

Cuatro blinked "Friendship letters? What role does friendship play in Equestria, if I may ask? Is it not limited to just simple camaraderie between other ponies?"

Twilight shook her head "I thought the same thing before I came into Ponyville, Cuatro. During my time here, Celestia wanted me to study the Magic of Friendship along with my other spells so that I can understand its concept more clearly! You'd be surprised at how strong friendship can be if you have good friends!"

Cuatro stood before he looked away distantly.

"So...I don't have any friends...Does that make me the weakest of them all?"

Twilight frowned "Cuatro? What's wrong?"

The strange alicorn looked back at Twilight "I'm weak..."

Everypony was instantly confused "Weak?" Twilight replied quizzically.

Cuatro nodded "I do not have any friends at the moment...And it was the same way before I met you all. Doesn't that make me the weakest pony alive?"

The ponies and Spike were still confused at Cuatro's words, trading glances to one another before Pinkie zipped in front of the strange alicorn "Horseapples! What kind of crazy talk is that? First of all, you're an alicorn, silly! You're like, the strongest kind of pony there is! Secondly, who said you DIDN'T have friends?"

Cuatro blinked "What are you-"

Pinkie smiled "We're your friends! Since the moment you met all of us! We're really happy to have you here, Cuatro!"

Applejack smiled and nodded "Me 'specially, since y'all helped me an' Big Mac around Sweet Apple Acres! Was mighty nice o' ya!"

Cuatro blinked "Does it actually work that way?"

Twilight giggled "You'll fall into it somehow. But I better write to Celestia now." She turned to Spike "Spike, take a letter!" Spike grabbed a parchment and a quill as he began to jot down on the paper while Twilight recited it while pacing back and forth professionally "Dear Princess Celestia...I'm writing to you to inform you about big news of the strangest kind. Here in Ponyville, we, or more accurately Applejack, has discovered another alicorn around her home. How you wish to handle this situation is entirely up to you, given that you may or may not know this particular alicorn. Hope to hear from you soon. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." She turned to the purple dragon "Did you get all that?"

Spike rolled up the parchment into a scroll "Start to finish like always!" He then opened a window and held the scroll vertically in his claw tips, took a deep breath, and blew out a stream of green fire that engulfed the scroll and made it disappear.

Cuatro saw this and slightly dilated his pupils "He burned your message..." He turned to Twilight "Are you not angry at this?"

Twilight shook her head "Nope. Actually, that's how my letters are sent to her every time! I'd be lucky to get an instant reply from her like this."

Rainbow Dash hovered next to Cuatro "So what do you think the Princess' opinion on Cuatro would be like? You think she might know him from somewhere?"

Spike waddled to the rest of the group "We kinda already covered that scenario. If she did know him somehow, we probably would have, too..." He looked over at Twilight with an unamused glance "Or maybe just Twilight..."

Twilight shot a look at Spike "What's that supposed to mean?"

Cuatro spoke up "I believe Spike is referring to your studious nature..." Spike and Twilight looked at him "Knowing that you live in what appears to be a library, you have access to all sorts of tomes to which you can gather knowledge from whenever you please. You are no doubt an experienced intellectual, are you not?"

Twilight paused before she looked away with a bashful smile while lightly blushing "W-Well, I haven't read EVERY book..." She never expected a compliment like this.

Rainbow Dash gave a friendly snort "How can we be sure you're close to that point yet, egghead?"

Applejack casted a stern look at the cyan pegasus "No need t' poke at 'er, Dash. Ah think we should figure out what t' do with Cuatro while we wait fer th' Princess t' respond!" She looked over at the strange alicorn "He don't have a place t' stay...An' he's already familiar with my family, so maybe Ah can have him stay home with me."

Rainbow Dash held out a hoof "Hold the phone, AJ!" She examined Cuatro "You said Cuatro has amnesia, right?" Applejack nodded "Let me take him to my place!"

Applejack flinched before she arched an eyebrow "Jus' what are y'all gettin' at, Dash?"

Rainbow Dash smiled at Applejack "I wanna reintroduce Cuatro into flying so I can see how far he can go! Knowing how smart he acts, he'll probably get it down in no time! He's gotta put those wings of his to work somehow!"

Applejack frowned "Didn't ya hear 'im before? He wasn't much fer racin'!"

Rainbow Dash scowled "Didn't you hear me? I said I wanna get him flying, not racing! He can do that whenever he wants while I make sure he flies properly!"

Cuatro stood while the two mares argued, and when he felt his tail moving on its own, he looked behind to see Pinkie humming jovially while using his tail as a makeshift jump rope. After a small moment, he lifted his tail up and Pinkie hung from it with her forelegs. She grinned at Cuatro before she spoke "Let me take Cuatro home!!"

Applejack and Rainbow Dash instantly stopped their arguing and looked at Pinkie "What could you do for him, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked inquisitively.

Pinkie dropped herself from Cuatro's tail and poked her chin with a hoof "Well for starters, I can pull out all the stops to make him smile! That, and I could teach him how to laugh afterwards! Then he'll be a hoot to hang out with! Or maybe since he's not much for talking, he could stay with Fluttershy!"

Cuatro shook his head "I refuse to stay with a pony that is fearful of me...I wouldn't like to do that to her..." He looked around the library before he spoke again "I would like to stay here, actually...I wish to know more about unicorn magic so I can be more self-sufficient."

Rainbow Dash frowned "You'd honestly stay in a library?"

Cuatro nodded "I can practice using my wings at any time, but I want to gather more knowledge about Equestria and see if there are any leads to my lost memories..." He turned to Twilight "I hope you do not mind..."

Twilight shook her head with a smile "Not at all! It's nice to know a pony with enthusiasm on studying!" She grinned.

Rarity huffed "A shame. I was going to offer Cuatro to stay with me as well, but I suppose it cannot be helped..." She smiled at the strange alicorn "But that doesn't mean we'll do whatever we can to re-obtain his memories!"

Spike went to speak, but his cheeks puffed before he burped out a stream of fire that receded to reveal a bound scroll with a strange seal. Twilight reflexively levitated it in front of her, unraveling the scroll and reading it aloud "Dear Twilight Sparkle, This comes as a big surprise to hear that you and your friends have discovered an alicorn in Ponyville. In an effort to better examine him for myself, you, your friends, and your mentioned alicorn are cordially invited for dinner tomorrow at the castle. I hope to see you all soon. Sincerely, Princess Celestia!" She smiled "Looks like we'll have plans tomorrow, everypony!"

Pinkie nodded with a smile "Good thing, too! I gotta get going for a bit, girls! Could you maybe visit later? Okay, super! Bye!!" She quickly dashed out of the library after her abrupt goodbye.

Cuatro observed before he looked at the others with his unchanged expression and tone "She seems very erratic in mind..."

Rainbow Dash laughed "Yep, that's Pinkie Pie for ya! But hey! Now we have some time to ourselves before tomorrow! What say we hang out for a bit and show Cuatro around Ponyville?"

Fluttershy, who remained silent for so long, finally found her voice as she spoke at a barely audible tone "Well, i-it would help him get a better look at where he'll be staying for the time being...Maybe there could be something in town that could jog his memory..."

Twilight looked at Cuatro "Do you want to walk with us, Cuatro? Or would you rather stay here?"

Cuatro replied "As much as I would like to study, it would be wise to have a clear grasp of my surroundings. Fluttershy's theory could prove to be helpful to my case if there existed such a thing in Ponyville..." He took a step forward "I will walk with you and see what I need to see..."

Twilight smiled "Okay then! Let's get going, everypony!" The lavender bookworm opened the door using her magic and the group made their way outside for a trip around Ponyville.
_____

The group of ponies, sans Pinkie, trotted through Ponyville over the shoveled paths. Spike sat on Twilight's back as they moved around town while Cuatro tailed the group and looked around to see everypony performing their daily routine. Twilight looked at her friends "Where should we go to first?"

Rarity smiled "I fancy a trip to the spa! It would help Cuatro improve his image around others!" She was unaware that Spike grumbled after her suggestion.

Rainbow Dash looked over at the strange alicorn while she hovered over the group "You think he would actually enjoy the treatment there?" She tilted her head skeptically.

Rarity looked up at Rainbow Dash "Why not? I'm sure some time at the spa is sure to give him a good reaction considering their undeniably satisfying sessions!"

Applejack hummed "Worth a shot. Cuatro here hasn't had much of a comforting experience other than sleepin' on a couch! Let's move 'im on over an' get 'im freshened up!"

Twilight smiled "Spa it is." The group then went down another shoveled trail.

More ponies regarded the group, namely Cuatro, with uncertain and curious stares. At least, to the strange alicorn, that they weren't showing any more signs of fear previous to when he first moved through Ponyville unless he actually chose to look over at anypony around him. Was he really one to be feared by others, though accepted by Twilight and her friends so well?

"Here we are!"

Cuatro looked to see a building with a luxurious atmosphere to its appearance. Twilight smiled at Cuatro "This is Ponyville's Day Spa. We usually come here if we want to relax ourselves."

Rarity trotted up to Cuatro with a smile "And don't you worry about who's inside, darling! They won't deny anypony proper service, especially if it's considered an emergency!"

Rainbow Dash inspected Cuatro's horn and poked it with her right hoof before she drew it back with a stifled gasp of pain "I think they can skip on the horn treatment with him, if you asked me..." She lightly shook her hoof.

Twilight pushed the door open "Let's just go inside and see what Aloe and Lotus can do with him. We can't be standing out here in this cold for so long." The group made their way into the spa and trotted up to the reception counter where Lotus sat and looked over her clipboard "Hello, Lotus! Do you think you can give a spa treatment for seven today?"

Lotus looked up from her clipboard and smiled "Of course, Ms. Sparkle!" She spoke with a light foreign accent "So that's for you, your friends, and..." She looked up and gasped at the sight of Cuatro "O-Oh my! An alicorn!? Here!?" The beautician stared up at him in surprise.

Twilight nodded "Him, too. He just arrived in Ponyville as of last night!"

Lotus looked concerned "But what about the snowstorm? It was horrible the other night!"

Cuatro spoke up "I trotted out of-"

Applejack instantly covered Cuatro's mouth with a nervous grin "He jus' trotted on over t' my place after a long walk is all! Was mighty bushed when he got there! That's why we figured he'd come here and relax fer a bit!"

Lotus stared before she nodded with a smile "Very well! Follow me to the next room!" She made her way out of her counter and led the group into another room.

Applejack released her hoof from Cuatro and followed as well. The strange alicorn blinked "Why did you do that?" He asked.

The farmpony looked back "Trust me...Ya do not wanna say that y'all came from th' Everfree Forest like it's normal." She murmured while they trotted into the next room.

There were different stages of common spa treatment, including mud baths, a large and ornate bathtub, and a built-in sauna. Cuatro looked around and hummed to himself, expecting anything in the room to help him with any familiarity whatsoever.

"Nothing...Perhaps coming here was a mistake..."

Lotus waved the group to a set of massage beds "Please be seated while I call for the others. Then we can begin your treatment!" She trotted away as the others did as instructed.

Cuatro examined his own bed before he made himself comfortable. Aside from his new friends, he was beginning to have second thoughts coming here when there was nothing of interest to him.

Rarity turned to the strange alicorn and noticed the sudden disinterest in his eyes with a frown "Cuatro, dear, don't be shy! This treatment is sure to get you going for this fine day!"

Cuatro shifted his eyes over to Rarity "While you did mention to improve my image, I came here for the sole purpose of finding anything that can bring up my memories. I am beginning to doubt that this visit is necessary..."

Rarity smiled at Cuatro "Pish Posh! This is more than necessary! For all we know, it could even lift your spirits!"

Rainbow Dash chimed in "Yeah! You wouldn't want Pinkie bothering you into smiling, do you?"

Cuatro stared before he looked away "I'll only do it for your sake. I am still skeptical about this particular visit..."

Lotus came back with her sister Aloe, along with three other beauticians arrived with certain equipment and stood in front of their customers. Rarity took a look at Cuatro before she called over to Lotus "Could you give my new friend a hooficure, please? His poor hooves are probably beckoning for a good shine!"

Lotus nodded and locked a metal hoof file in her teeth, inching towards Cuatro to prepare for the hooficure. He only stared back at her, then turned to see his friends' different reactions.

Rainbow Dash smiled "I wouldn't worry too much, Cuatro! You'd have as much guts as me if you're willing to sit through a hooficure!"

Fluttershy chimed in with her barely audible tone "It's not so bad...In fact, it's soothing in a way. You'll love the feeling." She donned a thin and reassuring smile to the strange alicorn.

Cuatro did not respond, but he turned to Lotus when he felt his hoof being tended to. The beautician worked at his left hindleg daintily and with a smile on her muzzle, making sure to cover every spot needed for the treatment. While she worked, she looked up to see if Cuatro was satisfied, and her spirits wavered slightly when she noted his somewhat cold and dispassionate stare bore into her own eyes. Feeling she wasn't doing well enough, she picked up the pace in her work, switching to his right hindleg when she knew she was finished with the left one.

The others could not help but watch in utter bemusement at this scenario. Fluttershy looked to her friends with a slight frown "Girls...I think this might have been a bad idea to bring Cuatro here..." She whispered.

Spike huffed "Gee, you think? He's not showing ANY reaction out of this!" He whispered incredulously.

Rainbow Dash looked over at Cuatro and tilted her head "I'm surprised he's still sitting through this. He might look like a zombie, but he knows when not to flinch!" She whispered respectfully.

Twilight hissed at the others "Be nice, all of you! We're trying to make him feel welcome here!"

Rainbow Dash huffed "You heard him earlier, didn't you, Twilight? Rarity was lucky enough to convince him to go through with this!" She hissed back.

Rarity whispered with them when her name was mentioned "Well, he needed this! I only wished for him to feel more fresh whenever he chooses to roam around town at his own leisure!"

Applejack deadpanned to the group "Don't any o' y'all think it's a bit pointless t' whisper considerin' we're right next t' him?"

The others instantly stopped their whispering and turned to Cuatro for confirmation on Applejack's statement. Lotus was just starting to work on his right foreleg, her smile beginning to falter while Cuatro stared at her. Rainbow Dash only snorted with a smirk "I don't think it's much to worry about, AJ. He's probably enjoying it but doesn't wanna show it!"

Twilight donned a thoughtful glance "Could be. He has been polite ever since we've met him..."

Rarity looked as well "Maybe a massage might loosen him up..."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes "If you want to ask him out THAT bad, Rarity, just say so!" She whispered.

Rarity and Spike glared and hissed at the cyan pegasus "Quiet, you!!" They said simultaneously.
_____

After the hooficure treatment, the group gathered in the bathtub. Cuatro and Spike were the only two that didn't go in, but were treated with back massages. The purple dragon moaned with tired pleasure while his voice was shaken by the hooves working at his back. He looked over and was not surprised to see Cuatro's expression. The only thing different was that his eyes were closed while he was being massaged.

While they were getting treated, Twilight looked around at her friends "Do you think we should head to Sugarcube Corner after this?"

Applejack nodded "Pinkie might be done with everythin' by now. We know how she is with preparations an' all."

Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself "Pinkie's gonna have a field day with Cuatro, I just know it! I wanna be there to watch!"

Rarity shushed "Not so loud...We were lucky that he wasn't able to hear us before..."

Fluttershy looked over at Cuatro and Spike and tilted her head "Do you really think that Pinkie would get him to smile somehow? He looks as if he was born with sorrow..." She looked saddened "I'd hate to know if that was his former life..."

Applejack frowned "Kinda didn't set well with my family neither...Maybe if we teach 'im more 'bout friendship, he could come around."

Twilight turned to Applejack with a smile "That's a great idea, Applejack! Maybe we can discuss it with Princess Celestia tomorrow!"

Rainbow Dash frowned "That's if he even treats her with respect. Would be nice if she somehow knew him in her life, what with how long she lived..."

Rarity looked down in thought "That does raise question...Do we even know how old Cuatro is?"

Twilight sighed "That shouldn't matter now. We'll just finish the treatment and head over to Sugarcube Corner afterwards. Knowing Pinkie's pace, it's no doubt we might have to end this tour early..."

When they were finished with their massage, Spike finally built up the confidence to try and chat with Cuatro, though he wasn't all too happy with his company "So, how are you enjoying Ponyville?"

Cuatro opened his eyes and looked at Spike "It is quaint...I look forward to arriving back at the library and learning more magic."

Spike chuckled "Man, you and Twilight can definitely get along if you like to study so much!"

Cuatro looked away "There is not much else to do when I am lost in this world...Without intelligence, or much rather you and your friends, I can only hope to survive by random chance. For that, you have my gratitude for letting me stay at your abode..."

Spike stared before he looked away sheepishly 'Gosh...He's not one for any kind of nonsense...And he's thanking ME when it was Twilight who gave him permission...' Spike slightly narrowed his eyes 'What does Rarity even seen in him anyway?'

"Do I bother you?"

Spike looked back at Cuatro "Huh?"

Cuatro kept his stare on Spike "Do I bother you with my presence, Spike? I am aware of your displeasure whenever Rarity chooses to regard me with certain conversations...I want you to be clear with me as I have been with you..." He spoke in his monotonous tone.

Spike looked away "W-Well...It's not that you bother me or anything. You seem to be a nice pony even though you don't look the picture..." He shifted his eyes back to Cuatro "No offense..." The purple dragon then looked away once more as he continued "But I just don't see how Rarity is so-...is so-" He gritted his teeth.

Cuatro interrupted "Infatuated?" Spike quickly turned to the strange alicorn "You must know, Spike, that while I am considered a new friend to all of you, that I do not bear the same feelings that Rarity somehow shares to me. I may have lost my memory, but I cannot simply return the same feeling towards her when we've only just met. If you, however, share that same infatuation towards her, I will not step in your way." Spike expected a smile from him, but the strange alicorn kept the same expression throughout his speech.

The purple dragon was beginning to think Cuatro really was some kind of zombie pony with his consistent look of profound sadness. But that aside, he was moved at how nice he was to him. Spike smiled at Cuatro and held out a claw "Thanks, Cuatro. I'm sorry if I did come off as jealous back there, but you're a really cool guy!" The strange alicorn stared at the claw before he went to grasp it with a foreleg "I'd say you're one of the nicest ponies alive behind that look of despair on your face!"

Before hoof met claw, Cuatro clenched his eyes shut and grunted as a migraine went through his head. He retracted his hoof and placed it on his temple while he lightly gritted his teeth. Spike was bewitched by the sudden shift of mood "Cuatro? Cuatro, are you alright?" The strange alicorn was unaware of Spike's presence as his voice faded. Soon, another shaded scene chose to unfold.

"Do you think I should give up...Just because you're stronger than me?"
"I've always known you were strong...Nothing I see now will change my mind..."
"...I will defeat you...Ulq-"
"Nonsense...Ichigo Kurosaki, those are the words of those who do not know true despair."
"So I will show you. This...is what true despair looks like."

When the scene ended, he uttered a word through his pain "I-Ichigo..." When the pain settled, he opened his eyes to see several looks of concern in front of him "Forgive me...They appear without warning. I am well..." He was satisfied to know that his friends were easing up. However, he could not shake the latest scene from his mind.

"Ichigo...Why does that name sound familiar?"

Cuatro took a deep breath and rose from his seat "I believe I have overstayed my welcome here...We should leave."

Twilight smiled in relief "Done and done. We were just about to head over to Sugarcube Corner. I think you will like what's there, Cuatro!"

Rainbow Dash huffed "That's IF he likes it...OW!" She rubbed the back of her head after she felt a hoof smack her. The cyan pegasus looked to see Applejack cast a stern gaze at her.

Cuatro nodded "Perhaps...I can only anticipate what shall happen next." For the first time, he was the first to go for the exit, but he stopped "Oh, and for the record..." He shifted his head back to look at the group "I heard every word of your conversation...Let's go..." He trotted towards the entrance and left behind a group of slackjawed ponies and a baffled dragon in his wake.

To be continued...

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