Legacy of the Quill: New Beginnings

Chapters

Tragic Beginnings
A new home
A Glimmer of Hope
Friendly Faces
The Invasion
Awakening
Side Story part 1: Fallen Friend

Tragic Beginnings

Our story begins in the slums of Sandstone City; captial city of the mighty country of Saddle Arabia, where the young filly, Heavenly Quill, lives. At his current age of five years, Quill was a small horse with a mane as white as the heavens , and a coat colored a faded shade of green. His eyes, from birth to his current age, always looked young, and twinkled with innocence; the baby blue color with milky white pupils playing a major part in it. Sadly, his family were from the poorest of the lower class. Each and every day being a struggle for survival, and every bit they earned; a blessing. Even through their constant struggles, however, they never once let it stop them from living as happily as a family could be.

At the local market, Quill was busy shopping with his mother; a mare named Soft Breeze. Her coat was a light blue color. Almost blending with the early noon sky, and her eyes were light brown, close in resemblance to the color of the sands of the deserts that surrounded the large city. His father, the local blacksmith, was busy at work that day, keeping him from shopping with his beloved family. It was not a pretty job, but to him, it was the best way for him to provide for his family, so he rejoiced in it. Given the other options that would've given him less time to spend with his family.

Young Quill looked to his mother, and gave her a wide smile. Then, while bouncing up and down to get her attention, he asked, “ Mama! Mama! Can we get a bunch of apples today? The merchant said that these ones came from an apple farm in Equestria!" He then gave the apples another look, before turning back to his mother. "And they look sooo good!”

Quill’s mother smiled softly, and giggled at her son's request. “Of course, Quill... but only a few okay? We're... a little tight on bits this month, and still have yet to pay the rent." She then went to the merchant, and checked the prices. "Huh... quite an honest price! Four bits for a whole bag? I'd say this one's the best deal, this time!" Then, after going through her money pouch, she payed him the four bits for the bag of apples.

The merchant cast a glance at the small child who eyed the apples with much anticipation, and chuckled. Then he slowly slid an apple to the hyper child with a wink. Quill looked up at him, and smiled, before thanking him for his generosity; accepting the apple he was offered in the process. With a smile, Quill then started munching down on the apple with full bites.

Soft Breeze gave the merchant a thankful smile before leading Quill along through the marketplace. There, Quill and his mother spent most of the day shopping for food and other assorted pleasantries. Sooner than they expected, Celestia's mighty sun started to lower beyond the horizon, with her moon soon to rise on the opposite direction of the sky.

Eventually, the two had gone home to their small two-bedroom house within the southern half of the slums.

The second they walked through the door, they were greeted by a tall stallion with dark green fur. He stood a whole six feet, two inches high, and the muscles that his arms held gave him an intimidating appearance... that is, until one would see the same innocent blue eyes that his son had.

With a loud, hearty chuckle, he quickly embraced his wife and son in a warm hug, as he spoke, "Ha ha! For once, I've managed to beat both of you home!" He then let them go and, sighed out of exhaustion.

Regaining her composure, Soft Breeze gave a simple laugh at her husband's joyful mood. "I take it you've had a busy day today, Cold Steel?"

With a nod, the father, now known as Cold Steel, replied, "More than that, my dear! In fact, I had to forge a massive sword for some Minotaur who placed the order on express delivery, so I couldn't even take a break for lunch! Plus, it was supposed to be a replica for another one... and let me tell ya... Gryphonian Steel is NOT to be taken lightly when it comes to sturdiness!" Then he stretched his arms, and added, "I think I might have to hit the hay right after dinner tonight, with how exhausted I am!"

Soft Breeze gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, and then chuckled once more. "No worries, my love! At least you're home now... and that's all that matters.

Then she clapped her hands excitedly, before looking back and forth between her son and her husband. Now, then! I'll be starting on dinner now, so you both can have your bonding time!" With that, she hurried off to the small room on the opposite side of the entrance; towards the left of the front door. Though it was the same color as every other room in the house; sandstone bricks for walls, and sandstone slabs for floors, they still called it a kitchen.

Cold Steel turned to his son, and brushed his mane with his left hand. "Well, now! You're getting much bigger now, my son! Pretty soon you'll be taller than your old man!" he stated with a hearty chuckle. Quill smiled at his dad's compliment, and hugged his left leg. "Daddy! One day, when I get older, I want to work with you at the Smithy, so I can be as big and strong as you!” Quill declared to his loving father who, in turn, patted him on the head again with a chuckle.

"I was hoping you’d want to do bigger things than that, but... if thats your dream, then I'd be MORE than happy to teach you everything I know!" Then he rubbed his chin in thought, before snapping his right hand, and pointing up. "Hey! You know what? How about tomorrow, you can come with me to the Smithy, and I can teach you a few things, like how to work the Anvil!"

The young stallion’s eyes lit up at that statement. "R... really? You... you'd allow me to go work with you tomorrow?!"

Cold Steel gave his son a closed-eyed thumbs up with a wide smile. "Sure thing, lad! Hay, I'll even let you keep your first creation! Maybe something you can use to inspire the NEXT generation!" Then he added, "And in no time at all, you'll be working Gryphonian Steel like it was mere Copper!"

Quill stood there speechlessly for a moment, until his slack jaw formed a huge smile. Then, in a single moment, he jumped up to his father's shoulders, and squeezed him in a tight hug. "THANK YOU, DADDY! YOU'RE THE BESTEST FATHER IN THE WORLD!" Then, once they broke from the hug, the two of them sat at the table, while Cold listened to his son talking about his plans for the next day. "Why, it'll be just you and me! I can be working the Anvil, while you can work the forge!” He then let out an excited laugh, as he clapped his hands in anticipation. "Tomorrow will be the BEST day of my life!"

Cold steel gave his son a warm smile, and nodded his head. "And the days will only be getting better! Now, then! Why don't you quickly write down what you have planned, while your mother and I get settled in? Then, we can talk about tomorrow over dinner!" The he winked at his son, and added, "After all... the failure to plan, is a plan to fail!"

With a wide smile, Quill nodded his head and quickly bolted off to his room; anticipating everything he and his father would do the following day. It wasn’t long, however, before his mother and father called him to dinner. With a smile, he turned from his writing desk, and called out, "Coming ,be there in a sec!" With that, he gently closed the notebook, and ran out of the carpet that served as his door. Then he quickly returned to the dining table, and sat back on his seat; across from his mother and father.

Quill smiled when he saw his favorite meal resting in front of him; beckoning his taste buds to allow the amazing source of the fragrance into his system.

There, sitting directly in front of him in a wooden bowl, was a steaming hot carrot stew with one of the apples that they received from the market as a side. He licked his lips and, before anyone else could ask if it was enough to satisfy, started to gobble the entirety of his food at once.

His parents chuckled at his appetite, and were about to join him to quench their own, before a loud knock could be heard from the living room door. Cold steel sighed, and placed his spoon on the table again. "Don't worry, dear. I'll get it this time! You relax and eat with Quill."

She nodded her head, and then replied, "Of course, dear! Hurry back!"

Cold nodded his head, and stepped past the opening between the dining area and the living room. As soon as he entered the living room, however, he sighed, and then muttered beneath his breath, "Why do they ALWAYS come when we're eating?" He shook his head before opening the door.

At that moment, time itself appeared to slow down, as a loud bang was heard throughout the entire slum of a neighborhood. From inside the living room of the small house, a loud thump soon followed. Then, a deep masculine voice was heard... laughing.

Soft breeze quickly turned to Quill, and whispered, "Stay in the kitchen, Quill! Don't move an inch!" Then, in a flash, she ran into the living room, and gasped in horror.

Shortly after her gasp, she let out a loud scream; echoing through the entire house; possibly even through the neighbors' houses. Quill, now struck with sheer terror for his mother, bolted out of the dining area, and into the living room, where his eyes widened and his stomach churned at the sight that lay before him. A behemoth of a Minotaur; standing at at least six foot seven, was there in the doorway; holding with him, a smoking flintlock pistol. On the ground, lying face-down in a pool of blood, was his father, who had a gaping hole that went straight through the center of his forehead.

"FATHER!" Quill screamed at the top of his lungs, before rushing towards his fallen father... or rather, he tried to, before his mother tightly held him back.

"P-please... t-t-take whatever you w-want, but... j-just don’t hurt us!” his mother stuttered; her eyes wet with tears for her now dead husband.

The Minotaur, instead, merely gave them another one of his menacing laughs, before aiming the pistol at the mother, instead. "No..." His pistol pointed towards Quill. "YOU are going to go to bed, little brat," Then he pointed it at Soft Breeze, and added, "and YOU'RE going to give me all of your valuables, or you'll BOTH meet the same fate as THIS dead lump of garbage!" He then kicked Cold Steel’s corpse; rolling it over to allow them to see the surprised and scared look on his lifeless face.

Soft Breeze, fearing for hers and Quill’s life, pulled Quill into her room, and told him to stay where he was. "Don’t leave this spot!" she ordered; showing a little hesitation in her voice. "And don't you worry! No matter what you hear, Mama will be back soon... okay, sweety?" He weakly nodded his head, before she leaned up and kissed him on the forehead. "And never forget... that I love you... and always will." With one last smile, she hurriedly gathered whatever little possessions she and Steel had owned, and ran back to the living room
.

Once she handed it all to the Minotaur, he looked through it, and sighed. "Sorry, lass... THIS isn’t enough to save two lives." Then, with an annoyed expression, he fired two shots into the mare’s chest.

In a blood-gargled; silenced tone, she let out a horrible scream, and fell to the ground beside her husband.

Quill; who worriedly ignored his mother’s words, quickly ran back into the living room, and froze when he saw his mother on the floor; bleeding out. “ M-mama?! Mama! MAMA!” He quickly rushed to her side, only for the Minotaur to grab him by the back of the neck of his shirt before he could even reach her. Then, with a slight grunt of disappointment, he said, "Huh. You aren't even worth killing." In a swift motion, he threw Quill to the ground, while the helpless child gasped for air for his lungs; winded by the impact of the landing. Then he worriedly looked the Minotaur in the eyes; his tears now covering his entire face, with small hints of blood where his face was scratched by the surface of the sandstone floor.

Then the Minotaur smirked, before saying, "Remember the name Black Thorn, kid... 'cause if I see you again, it’ll be the last name you ever hear." With that, the giant Minotaur turned around, and stepped out of the house.

Quill looked to his mother; who weakly placed her hand on his cheek. Then she coughed up blood, but managed to choke out her last words; the most important ones she would ever say. "son... r-remember... remember who y-you... are... and... and remember, that... that I... l-love... you... always..."

As those final words were made, her voice was already beginning to shrink closer to whispers, until the light in her eyes went out. Then the hand she had on Quill's cheeks slowly fell to the floor; causing his eyes to widen in sheer terror. "M-ma? Mama?..." He weakly choked through his tears, before lifting himself up to his knees; hugging the fallen bodies of his parents. For the next hour that night, he relentlessly cried over them, as several neighbors gathered around the small house; shocked at what they found. Finally, the Saddle Arabian guards arrived; one a Unicorn mare, and the other one, a Horse stallion. When the stallion tried to pry Quill from his parents' bodies, he was met with too much resistance. "NO! MAMA! PAPA! WAKE UP! DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME AWAY! MAMA! PAPAAAA!" He screamed through his tears, until he broke free from the stallion's grasp; running towards his parents.

Before he could reach them, however, he felt lighter than before, as he found himself levitated by the magic of the Unicorn, who looked at the Stallion with a saddened look in her eyes. With a nod from the stallion, the Unicorn turned to Quill, and lifted her right pointing over his forehead; engulfing it in a green aura. Then she said, "I'm sorry... it isn't safe for you here, anymore..." With that, she gently placed her finger on his forehead, silencing his cries, before his eyes closed. In the matter of mere seconds, he started breathing heavily in a deep sleep. The mare then picked him up and quickly rushed him out of the house; the stallion remaining there to investigate the scene before him.

Author's Note

I'd like to thank Justin Daniels for building the world and giving me the idea to become a writer on him. and I also thank him for proofreading and editing. give his stories a read!

A new home

Due to the sleep spell’s power, Heavenly Quill did not awaken until the next morning. Sadly, the spell did nothing to help his dreams, though. All through the night, the same scene played over and over again in the young boy’s mind; causing him to toss and turn with every dark image. Every time Quill watched his parents die, his heart beat faster, either from fear, anguish, or a mixture of both... and each time he saw the blood run from his parent’s bodies, he would feel the same amount of sorrow that he felt the first time, when it really happened.

After hearing his mother’s last words again, he was freed from his nightmares as the spell finally wore off.

When Quill opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a bed; drenched in sweat from his night terrors in what looked to be completely white room. He looked around the unknown room until his eyes focused on a large glass window that was blacked out. Slowly, he walked over and knocked on it.

“H...hello? W-where am I? Where's Mama? Where's Papa?” Quill asked; his young mind not yet rendering what had happened as true.

In reality, when the mare put Quill under the spell she had taken him back to the nearest guard outpost. She, and a few other guards, dragged a bed in from one of the prison cells to give the poor child a place to sleep. While the rest of the guards had left him, the mare that had carried him there and stayed by the room in case Quill had woken up.

She, herself, had nodded off by the time Quill did wake up. She was woken from her sleep by the knocking on the glass. She turned and looked through the one way glass and sighed when she saw Quill awake. She was not looking forward to telling the boy what had happened, but she knew she had to be the one to do it. The other guards wouldn’t be able to talk to the child the way she, a mother herself, could. She opened the door to the room and walked in.

Quill looked to her and he blinked a little when he recognized her. “Y...you're the lady from before! The one who took me away from Mama and Papa!” Quill shouted at the woman. “They were just sleeping! Take me back to Mama!” The mare sighed slightly as he shouted at her.

She took a deep breath before speaking slowly with a soft tone to her voice, “I’m... sorry, but your mom and dad are gone. They were….taken away by that horrid Minotaur.” She said. The mere thought of the murderer made her furious, but she set her anger aside as she noticed Quill had began to cry.

"M...mam and Papa... are gone?!” He shook his head and he shouted. “ No, you're lying! Take me back to my parents! Please! I just wanna go home now!” he screamed at her. The mare looked at him for another moment, until she slowly knelt down and then pulled him into a warm embrace Quill tried to pull away from... but then he felt something...familiar.

The mare hugged him like his mother had done before. His mother… memories of the events of the dream and reality... were all crashing down on him at once, and his mind accepted the truth. He held onto the mare and he sobbed into her shoulder. The mare held him tightly and she patted his back. "We’re going to find the one who did this... and he will be brought to justice! I promise...” she said, but truthfully it was as if Black Thorn had disappeared. The guards couldn’t find any traces of him, so she felt awful promising something she didn’t know she could fulfil.

Quill looked at the unicorn mare with watery eyes. He may have been young, but he knew what she meant. Slowly, he stuttered out, “Y… you’ll… punish him? P...pinky promise?” Quill held up his little finger.The mare couldn’t help but smile at something so… innocent. She crossed her little finger with his. "Yes, I promise you. Now I know it’s alot to ask, but I need you to tell me what you can remember about the minotaur... ok? It’ll help us find him... but if you need more time to recover, then I understand.” she said, before patting his head. "You've been through more than anyone should have to go through at your age.” Quill looked at her and he nodded a little. He tried to hold back his sadness because his father had always taught him to be strong, no matter what.

"I’ll... I'll tell you, but... but first, what's your name? M... mama told me never to talk to stranger, so... please tell me your name so you're not a stranger." Quill said through successfully held sniffles.

The mare was actually speechless. How could such a young child be taking this so well? She knew he must be trying to keep his sadness hidden. Even so, she would help him through this later... for now, she needed the information. Again, she smiled softly at him and told him, "My name is Lila Shadow. Lila was my mom’s first name, and my coat is dark like a shadow. Now...what's your name, little one?” she asked kindly.

Quill looked to her and took deep breaths to steady his voice. "My name is heavenly Quill, because my mane is white like the clouds in the heavens, and… well, Mama never told me why my last name is Quill.” This thought had brought forth a whole new torrent of tears.

The unicorn mare, now known as Lila Shadow, hugged him and sighed. "Heavenly Quill, you need to let it all out... trust me, little one. I know what holding back your emotions does. Don't try to fight it."

Quill couldn’t help it. The sadness he tried to hold back broke through the barriers of his eyes... and for another minute, he screamed and sobbed into Lila’s shoulder until his voice was hoarse, and until his eyes finally stopped making tears. He had used up his energy crying, and had fallen back into a slumber.

As Lila looked at the sleeping Quill, she sighed and put him back in his makeshift bed. She knew Quill had to keep from holding his feelings in, and she also knew that watching what he did would completely change the poor boy’s world. With that in mind, she left Quill to sleep the rest of the night, and left the room; silently closing the door as she stepped out.

A tall stallion with a scar over his right eye, and a coat as red as blood, looked into the room. He shook his head as he looked towards her. “Did you get the kid to talk?” the stallion asked in a cold tone. Lila shook her head, causing him to sigh.

“He's still in shock sir... he needs time before he can talk to us. I know he’ll help us when he finally calms down, though.” The stallion nodded slightly and looked at her.

"You do know that, when we’re done getting the information from him, he gets shipped off to the orphanage.” he said; his voice never losing its cold edge.

Lila’s eyes widened with shock as she faced her superior. "B-but Commander Crimson! He just lost his parents! We can't just toss him aside to an orphanage after this! He's not just some tool we can use for info, just to throw away when we're done! He's a child!"

Crimson looked towards her; his eyes taking a dark look. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was in front of her; towering over her by a couple feet. "You will not speak like that to me again... do I make myself clear, Cadet Shadow?” He venomously asked.

Lila looked down; too afraid to look into his eyes. "Y...yes sir. Loud and clear... but I still will not let you send this poor boy away like that." she said in a cooled tone.

Lila was a very loving mare, especially towards children. She forced her eyes to meet those of her commander’s. "I’ll take him into my home. I will take care of him... and I know my son would love to have another child in the house... a brother. I’ll give him his new home!”

Crimson looked into her eyes and smirked. "That simple little heart of yours will get you killed one day, Shadow... mark my words." Then he left the mare there and, walked off to his office. When there, he shut the door and locked it tightly before turning to face the only other person in his office; a rather short diamond dog.

The diamond dog smirked as he looked to him. "Did the kid talk, Crimson? Do we have to take care of him as well?" he asked.

Crimson shook his head and smiled menacingly. "Even if he does talk, I can easily remove any evidence they find. Soon, Sandstone City will be another haven for the Black Wings to call home." Then he turned towards the window, and folded his arms. "Tell Black Thorn that he's in the clear... but make sure the moron lays low for a while. Got it, Hound?” The diamond dog, now known as Hound, smirked before he nodded.

"I’m glad you were smart enough to take over as guard commander... makes our job all the more easy!" Crimson nodded and walked back to his desk, as Hound snuck his way out the window. He used his claws to climb down the guard tower.

Crimson looked to his left shoulder where his cutie mark would be. Instead, a pair of black eagle-like wings were burned into his skin. "Soon... this entire city will be ours for the taking." Crimson smirked, as he looked down at the map of sandstone city on his desk. Then he stood up, and lifted a dagger from the far-left of the desk. "And after our forces are built up..." he then turned around and threw the dagger at another map that hung on the wall. When it landed, it pierced into the map; through the area that marked Equestria. "... Equestria will be next."

A Glimmer of Hope

It wasn’t until the next morning when Heavenly Quill finally woke up. Although his dreams the night before were nothing short of nightmares, last night's sleep was merely dark and empty. Quill was completely drained of his sadness, and at that point, he finally accepted the fact that his parents were gone... but with this revelation came a horrible consequence.

The once happy and innocent Quill was now a hollow shell of who he once was; nothing but cold and empty on the inside. Everything he he ever knew and loved were taken from him... his home, his family... his faith in life itself, even. He didn’t know where he’d sleep tonight, or what he would do tomorrow. Although he felt scared, the emptiness easily ruled over the fear.

Lila Shadow, who again had stayed the night to watch over Quill, looked into the room and noticed the young boy was awake. Seeing the condition he was in, she sighed and walked into the room, before she sat on the bed next to him, and began to think to herself.

"Well, Lila... it's time to get to the bottom of this... I only hope he's ready to talk about this... then... try and tell him he’d have to move into a new home... or live in an orphanage, at least..." She looked at the child curled in a fetal position on the head of the bed. His head was rested on the wall, but he was looking at his knees, emotionless, while his knees were wrapped in-between his arms. Taking a deep breath, Lila thought to herself, "Okay... I can do this... he needs someone to be there for him right now..."

After taking a few more deep breaths, she turned towards him once more, and gently scooted closer to him. He didn't respond to anything, which only made the thoughts burden Lila's mind once more.

Then, in as calm of a way as she could muster, she gently reached her right hand at his back, and spake, "Hey, Heavenly Quill... may I just call you 'Quill'?"

He didn't respond with words... but amongst the silence, he slowly nodded his head.

"Are... are you ready to talk to me about... you-know-what?"

Without even saying a word, Quill slowly shook his head "no".

Lila took note of that, and sighed. "If I were to promise you that... nobody else will know what you tell me... would you agree, then?"

Again, he shook his head "no", which only made her heart crack a little. When she looked into his eyes, she felt a burden, as the twinkle in any child's eye; what made the children his age appear happy, was nonexistent... and replaced by darkness. It was as if he wasn't even a child, but a mere hollow shell of a lost soul, who would most likely even accept death itself, if offered to him.

She had seen him wandering around the areas before, and knew that he was once a happy child... but after the incidents that he recently witnessed , his happiness was almost as cloudy as a dream; faded into the darkest corners of nothing more than a fantasy.

Lila let out a sigh, before nodding her head and standing up from the bed. Then she slowly waked back towards the entrance of the room, and said, "Very well, then... I understand. Please, though... if you change your mind, please let me know."

Quill remained silent for another few seconds... but when he saw the lighting of the outside of the door fading, he looked up, and saw that the lady who was trying to help him was leaving.

Before she could close the door completely, she stopped when she heard a weak voice cry out, "W-wait... wait! Please... I'll... I'll talk... just please, don't leave me alone!"

Lila closed her eyes and felt the tears building up from her eyes once more, before she turned back around, and nodded her head. Then she slowly walked back in the room, closed the door, and walked back to the bed, where she sat down, and nodded her head; motioning for him to continue.

"Remember... if you need time to get your bearings, let me know, and I'll wait for you. Okay?"

He nodded his head, before looking her in the eyes.

"Okay, then... first, may you please tell me about the Minotaur? What did he look like?”

Quill closed his eyes and began to look back at the memories that haunted his nightmares... the image of Black Thorn burnt into his mind, and his sick smile even caused the child to shiver in terror, as if he were standing there at that very second. As he shivered, however, he managed to stutter the description of the Minotaur to Lila, while in her hands, she held a pencil and a notepad, sketching the description into a drawing at an alarmingly fast speed.

"He was tall... taller than Daddy was... almost taller than the door to this room. He was really strong, and his coat was black. H-he had a gold ring in his noise, and a small piece of his left ear was cut out... I think Daddy called those things 'notches'... but I don't know." Quill voice wavered slightly as he went on... and when he thought of the menacing laughter, his tears began to build up momentum, and his voice began to get louder, as if he were trying to talk over the laughter that began to echo in his ears. "H-his v-voice was... deep and scary sounding. He had two small pistols on his belt... a-and... and when he was l-looking at me, h-he said... he said..."

Lila looked at the sketch she drew, and showed it to Quill. "Did he look like this, by any chance?"

The second Quill saw the sketch, his eyes gasped, and out of fear, he swatted the notepad out of her hands, and shouted, "N-NO! GET HIM AWAY FROM ME! D-DON'T HURT ME, PLEASE!"

Then, after backing into the wall again, Quill just realized what he had done. "N-no... I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Please, don't be mad... I don't want to go to jail!" He then burst into tears again, and turned away from Lila, who merely looked at Quill in shock.

Then, her shocked expression soon turned to a sympathetic frown. Slowly, she reached her right hand towards Quill, and tried to pat him on the back again, only for him to flinch, and pull away from her even more.

Then, in a calm voice, Lila replied, "Don't worry... I would never let that happen to you... ever!"

Quill slowly turned back towards her and asked, "R... really?"

She then weakly smiled at him and nodded her head. "Yes... and I promise, I will not let that nasty Minotaur hurt you, either!" Then she looked back at the notepad. "I'm guessing that, since you swatted the notepad away-"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't-" he cut her off, only for her to gently place a finger over his lips.

"It is rude to interrupt, Quill... but I understand, and I forgive you." She managed to let out a small chuckle, while Quill, for the first time that day, managed to weakly smile.

"Th... thank you, ma'am..." he choked out, before bowing his head, and returning to a weak frown.

Lila nodded her head. "You have good manners... at least he didn't manage to take THOSE away." Then she lifted the notepad, and showed it to Quill, who averted his eyes from it again.

"Is this what he looks like? Don't worry... he can't see you." Lila pointed out. After slowly looking at the picture, Quill turned back away from it and nodded his head rapidly.

Lila smiled at him and gently patted his mane. "Thank you for sharing this with me... I will be back in a quick minute. Stay in here, though... he can't get you while you're in here."

Quill was about to object to her statement, until she gently patted his shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't worry... I promise, I'll be back. Can I count on you to wait patiently for me, though?"

Quill pondered her words carefully, and soon felt an... oddly familiar sensation about Lila... almost like it was his own mom asking him to be good, and wait for her to return from the market stalls. With that thought in mind, he nodded his head and weakly smiled. "Yes, ma'am... I'll wait."

Lila nodded her head and stood from the bed again. "Thank you, Quill... I'll be back shortly." With that, she slowly walked towards the door, but stopped in place, and turned to him again. "Will you be okay if I closed the door?"

Quill looked back at her and nodded his head. "P... please... I don't want him to see me."

She nodded her head and replied, "I understand." With that, she slowly closed the door and walked into her office; a small, worn-out room with hand-me-down furnishings that Crimson Wing, her commander, gave to her. Then she placed the sketch on her desk and pulled out a list of files under the name "Black Thorn". After going through them, she scattered a number of sheets with descriptions and drawings of the same Minotaur that Quill just described.

The description of his personality and his voice did match most of the claims that her other clients told her about Black Thorn... however, even though the evidence was clear about the fact that he was, without a doubt, the same culprit that took the lives of the other victims' loved ones, she prayed that the darker rumors that some have claimed weren't true... that he wasn't the only one in on this mass murder. If they were, she had a sinking feeling they would be dealing with more than just an angry Minotaur.

Now came the hardest part... she put the sheets back in the filing cabinet and walked back to the entrance of Quill's room. She took in a deep breath and was about to open the door, until Crimson's voice spoke from behind her. "You know what you have to do, Lila."

She nearly jumped at her boss's unexpected appearance, but her fear was short-lived when he walked past her. "Y... yes, sir... I understand." she said, before looking to the ground and sighing.

Crimson merely continued walking, but muttered to her, "Good." Then, he was gone.

Taking another deep breath, she slowly turned the door handle, and stepped into the room, thankful to see Heavenly Quill still sitting there on the bed. He was still curled up in a fetal position, but instead of looking down and emotionless, he was looking out the window, as Princess Celestia's mighty sun began to rise. Then, when he noticed the door close, he turned to Lila, and weakly smiled. "Hey, Quill... are you feeling better, now?"

He nodded his head and replied, "A little... thank you, Miss, umm... Lila?"

Lila nodded her head, and smiled. "I'm glad you remembered my name... it's unusual to find a child your age with such a good memory."

Then, the thoughts of why she was in there soon returned... and after witnessing Quill smiling again, she realized what would happen if she were to tell him the news... which quickly made her eyes water up once again. To look strong for Quill, however, she tried her best to hide her emotions... but unfortunate for her, Quill had already noticed her tears.

"W-what's wrong, Miss Lila?" he asked in a worried tone. "I... I didn't do something bad, did I?"
She weakly shook her head and chuckled lightly. "N-no, Quill... of course, not!" Then she closed her eyes and continued to try to get her bearings.

"My mama always said that, if I'm too sad to say anything, taking deep breaths can help."

Lila nodded her head and did as suggested. After a few deep breaths, she smiled at Quill. "You're... you're right, Quill... it does help! Thank you."

Quill smiled again. "You're welcome, Miss Lila! So... where did you go?"

Lila closed her eyes and turned away from him again. "I'm sorry, Quill... I just had to go to my office for a little while... I had to put the picture away, with a few other ones, that's all."

Quill nodded his head. "I understand... but there's something else that's hurting you, isn't there?"

Lila's eyes widened at that statement. "H-how did you know that?!"

Quill looked at the ground at his hooves, which dangled loosely off the bed, before replying, "My daddy always told me that, when a mare is crying after she tells me something important, there's oftentimes more to it than that."

Lila nodded her head. "Well... your daddy was very smart... and he was right, too... there's something I have to say... but I hope you don't take it the wrong way..."

Before she could even say anything, Quill surprised her by the next few words that came out of his mouth. "You have to take me to an Orphanage... don't you?"

Lila's jaw dropped at that realization. "Y-you... already knew?"

He nodded his head. "I had a friend named Heart Stone. He's a little older than me, but he was always there to help me when Mama and Daddy were away. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like if he were my older brother."

The mentioning of that name caused Lila to gasp. Then she thought to herself, "Wait... is he talking about... MY Heart Stone?!"

Before she could ask another question, Quill continued. "I asked him where the children go that don't have any parents... and he told me that they go to the Orphanage across the northern side of the marketplace." Then he paused for a moment and added, "He also told me that his mama worked as a guard as well... do you happen to know her?"

Lila blinked a few times, before an idea popped into her head. "Of course I do... and I promise, I'll let her know where you are, so she can adopt you."

Quill, without warning, gripped Lila in a tight hug, which made her freeze in place. Then, with another stream of tears in her eyes, she wrapped her arms around him in response. "Th... thank you, Miss Lila... I'll always remember you... and hey! W-when you let her know, I'll try to convince her to let you visit!"

Lila let out a chuckle before replying, "Trust me, Quill... I know her well enough to say she'll let me visit every single day!"

With a nod, Quill slowly stood up from the bed. "Wait... what about Mama's and Daddy's stuff?! What will happen to those?!"

Lila gently patted his mane and replied, "Don't worry, Quill... I'll hold onto them while you get settled in, so nothing gets stolen... and when you're ready, I'll deliver them to your new home."

Quill nodded his head, and smiled. "Thank you, Miss Lila... I'm glad to know there are still good people out there like you."

That statement tugged on Lila's heart even more. With a weak smile, she nodded her head and offered him her hand. "Shall we, then?"

Quill nodded his head and took her hand. Then, the two of them left the room, and entered the hallway.

Before they could even make it more than a few steps out of the room, Crimson Wing asked from behind the two, "And where are you going, Cadet Shadow?"

His sudden interruption caused the two to stop in place and turn around. The second Quill saw the giant Stallion, however, he inched behind Lila, and squeezed her left arm tightly out of fear.

"S-she was taking m-me to the O-"

Before Quill could finish his sentence, Crimson glared daggers at him and sternly interjected, "Do not speak unless spoken to, you disrespectful brat!"

His statement caused Quill to close his eyes and flinch, while Lila glared at Crimson and replied in another stern voice, "Don't yell at him like that! He's only a child!"

Crimson turned to her this time, and replied in an equally stern voice, "That's no excuse, now answer the damned question! Where... are the two of you... going?!"

Lila replied in an annoyed tone, "I'm taking him to the Orphanage, like he was trying to say!"

In the blink of an eye, Crimson was directly in front of the two of them, towering over her. Then, in a thunderous roar, he shouted, "DO NOT SPEAK TO YOUR SUPERIORS LIKE THAT, CADET SHADOW, OR I WILL SHOW YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THE TRUE MEANING OF SUFFERING! UNDERSTOOD?!"

Lila instantly flinched at his comment before nodding her head swiftly. "Y-yes, sir! Sorry! W-what I meant was... I'm taking him to the Orphanage... s-sir!"

Crimson glared at the two once more, before turning around and walking away again. "Good... when you return, I want you to bring me the reports on Black Thorn... do I make myself clear? I want all of the reports this time!"

Lila nodded her head again, and turned around. "Y-yes, sir."

"I'm not the wall, you daft mare! Turn back around, and tell me that you will!"

She nodded her head again, before turning back around. "Y-yes, sir."

"Yes sir what?! WHAT ARE YOU TELLING ME YES SIR FOR?! YES, YOU WILL, OR YES YOU WON'T?! I WANT A FULL ANSWER!" He roared, before walking towards the two once more.

"Y-yes, sir, I will bring you the reports... ALL the reports... on Black Thorn, sir!" Lila replied while closing her eyes and turning her face away from him to avoid eye-contact.

"Don't make me repeat myself... I'm NOT a bucking wall!" He then punched the wall that her head was facing, leaving a crater where his fist struck.

With wide eyes, she looked him in the eyes with tears flowing down her face, as she repeated her last statement.

After watching her cower before him, Crimson smirked, before turning back around. "See? Was that so hard?" Then he walked away, while Lila and Quill were about to leave. "I didn't dismiss you yet... did I?" Crimson's voice echoed through the hall.

They turned back around, and watched as he made it to his door. Then, the next thing they knew, a dagger flew next to them, and landed on the wall behind Lila, which caused her eyes to widen, and her pupils to shrink to the size of peas. "Let that be a warning... the laws have enabled lethal force on disrespectful workers... so I expect you to be back here in less than an hour! Understood?!"

Lila gulped before nodding her head again. "Y-yes, sir! Understood!" She said, before hearing the door on the other side of the hall creak.

"Good... dismissed!" Crimson said, before the door closed.

Lila breathed a sigh of relief before taking Quill's hand, and leading him out of the building.

"W-who... was THAT?!" Quill stuttered, while looking up to Lila with worried eyes.

Lila sighed before turning back to him. "That... was my boss, Commander Crimson Wing."

At the mention of Crimson Wing, Quill tilted his head in confusion. "Crimson Wing? As in... the new guard that took over in his first few months?"

Lila nodded her head. "I take it you've heard about him?"

Quill nodded his head in response. "Daddy told me about him... he said that he was not a good pony... I can see why, now. He's scary." Quill said blankly.

Lila looked at him and smiled. "You must've taken what your parents said to heart, huh?"

He nodded again. "Yeah... if he said someone was bad, they always ended up being bad... and evil, most of the time. That's why he was always looking out for us, even when he was in the smithy."

Lila's smile soon dropped into a frown. She knew that if Crimson had heard him, or at least heard a rumor about him even saying that, he would’ve smashed the boy into the wall... or worse. "Please... don't talk that way, Quill. Yes, he may be rough, but... I doubt if he's evil!"

Quill nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am... I'm sorry if I spoke out of line."

Lila shook her head and rubbed his mane again. "Don't worry... your secret is safe with me!" Then she looked forward, and noticed that their conversation covered most of the trip to the Orphanage. "Well... we're here."

Quill nodded his head and turned to her. "You can come visit me whenever you're done! I'll be sure to tell them that I'm waiting for you, and Heart Stone's mom to come pick me up!"

Lila chuckled before nodding her head. "Of course, Quill... I'll even tell her to bring him with us, so you both can talk to each other!"

Quill nodded his head in excitement. "Yes, ma'am!" Then he turned to leave in the Orphanage, while Lila stood there and smiled. Before she could turn around, however, she noticed the door to the Orphanage burst open, and Quill was running out of it. Then, before she could ask him a question, he caught her in another hug, which again, tugged at her heart. "Thank you... Miss Lila... I'll never forget this!"

Lila nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his head, while gently brushing his mane. "I'm... glad. And thank you for telling us about... you-know-who. Again, I'll see to it that he gets what he deserves!"

Quill nodded his head before running back into the Orphanage. Then, after another moment of gathering her thoughts, Lila turned back around, and ran back towards the station.

Crimson looked through the papers that she brought him, and hummed to himself. "So... what you're saying is that there's a rumor going on, saying that he works with the 'Black Wings'?"

Lila nodded her head. "Yes, sir... and there have been claims that he wasn't the only one in this city... that there's more Black Wings roaming around!"

Crimson pondered her words carefully, but then started to chuckle, which caught Lila by surprise. Then he shook his head. "The Black Wings may be nothing more than a hoax to drive away suspicions... don't pay attention to such lunacy. I don't pay you to listen to ponies' tales, Cadet Shadow... I pay you to collect information! Now leave, so I can go over these reports... you're done for the day. You're lucky I didn't execute you while I had the chance, either... be thankful."

Lila nodded her head and walked out of his office, gently shutting the door behind her as she walked out.

Crimson looked down at the description and he smirked. "You owe me big time for this one, old friend..." Then he walked up to the lit fireplace in his office, and tossed the papers in the crimson flames. "You've done your part, though... now it's time for the others to prepare." He turned to his desk, and slowly walked up to it, carrying a golden necklace with a red ruby engraved in the center of a golden circle around his neck. Then he lifted it up, closed his eyes, and murmured, "You have the Zebras of Druathica under inspection... right, Copper-Hoof?"

From the golden necklace, a masculine voice replied, "Indeed I do, Crimson... and my son is watching over Gryphonia. If anything goes wrong here, he'll be in charge of backup, should anyone try something suspicious.

Crimson nodded his head. "Don't put too much faith in your son yet, Copper... he's still just a teenager, after all."

A chuckle was heard from the other side of the necklace. "Don't worry, Crimson... since I'm in charge of THIS operation, they won't even know what hit 'em... so faith in my son is just... a morale booster, if you will."

Crimson nodded his head. "Very well... I will inform you when operation 'Black Wing' is at hand... by the way, if you see Black Thorn... I want you to 'kindly' him that he shouldn't be spouting out our names just yet."

"The fool... I don't believe he'll last long once our forces are set."

"Believe me... I wouldn't even give him another year once we're in control."

With that, the necklace stopped glowing, and Crimson sat back in his seat. "And when we're in control... we'll need someone to help us with the maintenance, of course..." Then he looked out the window, and into his barely visible reflection through it. "I guess I should be getting ready... he'll need someone to control with him, after all."

By the time Lila made it to her home (a large, three-story house made of sandstone bricks, but surrounded with manually planted shrubs, flowerbeds, and even trees), she was already greeted by a teenage Horse with a warm red coat and a dark gray mane and tail. He wore a simple black t-shirt and a pair of white denim pants.

Even though he was a teen, he was about as tall as Lila, even though his next few words contradicted any thoughts that would've gone through a visitor's mind. "Mother! You're home!" He ran up to Lila and wrapped his arms around her in a warm hug.

Lila returned the hug, and smiled. "It's good to see you too, Heart Stone!" Then she stopped and looked up at him, before roughly tapping him on his forehead. "I still don't see why you like wearing your mane that way!"

Stone gave his mother a light chuckle before rubbing her mane, much to her bemusement. "Hey, at least my friends in school say it looks nice!"

The mention of the word "friends" reminded Lila of why she was there. In a serious tone, she said, "By the way, Stone... I have something important to ask you."

Stone raised an eyebrow out of confusion, and in an instant, his smile dropped completely. With a look of concern, he replied, "Of course, mother... did something happen?"

She nodded her head. "I've been thinking... how do you feel about having a little brother?"

Stone's eyes widened. "Wait... you've seen another stallion?! I thought you weren't over dad, yet... is it a boy, or a girl?!"

That statement caused Lila's eyes to widen, and her jaw to drop. "D-did you just call me... FAT?!"

"W-what?! N-no, of course not!" Stone replied, only to find a small aura grip him by his left ear, and pull him to her level.

"No, I'm not seeing anyone else... and no, I'm not pregnant. I'm talking about adopting someone from the Orphanage!"

Stone's worried expression became serious once more, as the aura disappeared from his ear. "Adoption? When did that one cross your mind?!"

She then replied, "Listen, son... before we go any further, will you promise me you won't cause a scene if I told you who it is we're adopting?"

Stone pondered the thought for a moment, before nodding his head. "Of course! After all, I've got a few friends who think I'd make an awesome older brother! Hay, one of them even said that he wished I were his older brother!"

"That confirms my suspicions" Lila thought, before nodding her head. "Okay, then... let's go to the Orphanage, and I'll explain everything to you on the way."

With that, the two of them headed off, with Lila telling Stone about Quill, and the events that unfolded.

Back at the Orphanage, Quill looked around nervously, as the receptionist , a blue-coated female Minotaur with a black high-rising ponytail for a mane, and a pair of reading glasses over her eyes, eyed the typewriter she was typing in.

"Excuse me, miss?" Quill asked, while the lady continued typing away.

Her expression that screamed "unimpressed" didn't change at all, regardless of any signs that Quill did to try getting her attention.

Finally, Quill sighed before looking down again. He then closed his eyes and began to drift into a light slumber. Before he knew it, he was starting to see his home again.

His mother and his father lied in the pools of blood, and Black Thorn held the pistol in his hand once again, as he stood in the doorway.

This time, however, his vision started to blur, and before he knew it, his mother wasn't the one lying next to him in a pool of blood. Instead, he gasped at the different figure. "L... Lila?! W-what's... n-no, NO!" Then the menacing laugh began to echo again, causing him to look up again. Instead of Black Thorn, though, he saw Crimson standing there with the gun in his hand.

"N-no... please!" He begged, only to see the pistol aimed at him, instead. Then, after letting out a loud scream, the pistol went off, and his vision went white.

With a loud gasp, Quill jumped up, and noticed that the receptionist was no longer at the desk on her typewriter. Instead, she was sitting there next to him with a worried look on her face. Looking around, he also found that he was no longer on the chair, but rather, on the floor, with a tumbled chair beside him.

"You took quite a nasty bump there, lad... are ye alright?" the receptionist asked in a Trottish Accent.

Quill slowly nodded his head and replied, "Y-yes, ma'am... I'm sorry."

The receptionist chuckled before replying, "Nonsense, laddie... you must've had it rough..." then she walked towards a small fridge on the other side of the counter, and pulled out a red apple. "Here, eat this. Ye look more famished then a cow in the middle o' the Eversun Desert!"

Quill nodded his head and accepted the apple with a smile. "Thank you, Miss..."

"Maple Honeyweather, at your service! I must ask, though... you wouldn't happen to be the young lad that's on the news, would you?"

Quill tilted his head in confusion, before turning to a wall-mounted TV that had a black-and-white screen in it, with a picture of his home, and pictures of his mom and dad, standing on both sides of a younger picture of him.

He quickly turned away from the TV, and began to tear up again.

Miss Honeyweather took note of his reaction, and frowned concernedly at him. Then she quickly ran up to the TV and turned it off, before quickly walking back to him. "By Celestia's sun, you are, ain't ye?!"

Slowly, Quill nodded again, causing the Minotaur to cover her mouth in shock. "I'm most terribly sorry, lad! Had I have known, I would've taken you in sooner!"

"That's okay, Miss Honeyweather... I've already found someone who wants to adopt me. She should be here with her son and a friend of hers in a little bit."

Miss Honeyweather smiled warmly at him, before gently rubbing his mane. "Well, that's a relief, at least! Unfortunately, we've had quite a few young children recently who have been orphaned due to that same criminal! I tell ye one thing though, lad! I've seen 'is picture enough times to know him at first glance! If I see 'im step in here, I'll show 'em just how much flank a Minotaur WOMAN can kick! And don't ye forget it! You, young lad, are also on me list of children to avenge!"

Quill lightly chuckled at the Minotaur who sounded like she came from Trottland, up in Equestria's "Frozen North" territory. As for how she ended up all the way in Saddle Arabia, that alone was a mystery that would stick in Quill's mind for a long time.

"At least ye still know how ta smile, laddie! Ye just let ol' Honeyweather know if there's anything ye want, and I'll get it for ya!"

Quill nodded his head and straightened his chair back up.

Before he could even sit on it more than a minute, however, the front door slammed open (and by that, the doors nearly fell down in the process), and in ran a familiar voice that Quill knew all too well.

"HEAVENLY QUILL?! ARE YOU IN HERE, BUDDY?!" Heart Stone shouted at the top of his lungs, only for his gaze to stop directly at Quill who, at this time, jumped from his seat at the sudden outburst.

Then, before anything could be said, Quill found his entire upper body wrapped in his friend's arms, while Stone cried out, "THANK CELESTIA, YOU'RE OKAY, MAN! I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU! DON'T YOU WORRY, THOUGH! MOTHER AND I WILL MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WORKS OUT FOR YOU IN THE E-AAAAUGH!"

Stone's cries were interrupted (and replaced with a squeal) by a glowing aura around his right ear, as he was dragged back by an annoyed-looking Lila. What Stone said next, however, caught Quill by even more surprise.

"Ow! What's the deal, Mother?! I was JUST trying to- OWW!" He continued to complain as the aura continued to pull at his ear.

Lila sighed before replying, "Stone, I told you not to cause a scene, didn't I?!"

"B-but Mooooooooom! I was just trying to make my brother feel more at home!" Stone complained.

Before anything else could be said, however, Miss Honeyweather loudly cleared her throat, getting the two of their attention. Then she pointed at Quill, who still had his jaw (metaphorically) on the ground.

Then Quill stuttered, "W-wait... s-so you mean to tell me... Stone's mother... is YOU, Miss Lila?!"

Stone looked at his mom, and smiled, before walking up to Quill, since his mother's spell was no longer in effect. "Of course not!" He replied, causing all eyes to look at him confusedly. Then, he lowered himself to Quill's level and, with a warm smile, added, "She's our mother now, Little Bro!"

With tears in his eyes, Quill began to sniffle, as his new brother embraced him in a warm hug, while another pair of arms wrapped around the two of them... Lila's arms. Then, for the next few minutes, Quill began to cry... but this time, it was no longer out of fear.

For the first time, since his parents' death... he was crying tears of joy, for he now had, at the very least, a glimmer of hope restored.

Friendly Faces

It's been about two months since Lila Shadow and her son, Heart Stone, adopted the orphan, Heavenly Quill, into their small, yet comfortable family. In that time, they had set up a nice new life for the young boy; a new life inside their home. At the moment, Quill was sitting in his room, a rather large space decorated with different posters of the things Quill had grown to like. Right over his bed was a poster of the Equestrian princess, Celestia, which always made him feel safe. His closet was at the right corner of the foot of his bed, and was full of new clothes that Heart Stone had recently gotten for him. To the far left of his bed was a bookshelf with all of the different books he had either collected from his former home, or was given to him by Lila.

Quill, himself, had picked up on Heart Stone’s fashion style, and now wore his mane long with some of it covering his left eye. Needless to say, Lila hated it... but she had allowed him to wear his mane as he saw fit, not simply because he was adopted, and needed the extra comfort, but rather, because she wanted him to express himself.

While sitting on his bed that morning, Quill was reading a new book about old legends of the world. While he was early in the book, and about to turn to the next page, he was interrupted from his reading by Heart Stone bursting into his room. At this point, he had already done this so often, so Quill wasn’t even phased at all... but he was glad he did it, because it always cheered him up to see his best friend and big brother so happy.

Despite Stone's and Lila's best efforts, though, Quill was still in a depressed state... but even so, some of the old shine was starting to flicker to life in his eyes once again. "Come on, little bro! It's time for us to go outside! We’re hanging out with our friends today, and we don't wanna be late!"

Quill looked to him and raised an eyebrow out of confusion. "Don't you mean your friends? I don’t really think they like me very much."

Heart Stone lifted Quill onto his shoulders. "Oh, cut the crap. They like you as much as I do, and you know that!" Then he roughly brushed his brother's head; causing his mane to jumble into a mess (an action that always made him giggle).

"Now, then... no more complaining or I'll just let mom cut your hair next time!"

Quill shivered a little. Lila was very nice, but he already knew that the mare couldn't cut hair to save her life. "Okay, okay! Sheesh!" Then he brushed his mane back into his normal style again. "But you're gonna have to keep them from making fun of me, if they do!"

Stone chuckled at his little brother, before locking his head in his left arm, and ruffling his mane again "Of course, little bro!"

Quill laughed, and tried to break free, resulting in him merely patting his brother's arm that wrapped his neck. Finally, after his brother released him from his head-lock, the two young boys rushed out of the house, and into the hot sun.

The hyperactive children smiled happily as they ran through the crowds of people to get to their favorite hangout spot.

Just outside of sandstone city was a sparkling blue oasis. The water was clear and pure, with two tall palm trees beside it that offered shade to the group of teenagers sitting under them. The group was made of two young Horses, and a heavily clothed teen Slithian (a snake-like race with two arms, and no legs), all of which around the same age group as Heart Stone, who was thirteen years old.

When heart and Quill neared them, they all sat up and smiled at their visitors. The two Horse teenagers got up and walked over to Quill, one stood on his left and the other on his right. They were twins, and had the same gray color for their coats, but their hair was colored differently. The one on the right had a white mane, and was combed over his right eye, while the one on the left had a black mane that was combed over his left eye.

The black maned teen smiled and looked to his brother. "Hey, look Yang! Heart brought his little brother! Ain't that adorable, or what?"

The white maned horse, Yang, sighed, before popping his brother on the back of his head. "Yin, what did mom say about talking like that?"

The black maned horse, Yin, responded by popping Yang in the back of the head. "Hey! Don't be hittin' on my head, jerk! I was JUST trying to be more welcoming!"

Then the two brothers grabbed each other's shoulders, and began wrestling... only for Yang to blindly bump into Quill, and send him stumbling into the water. "Dude, look what you did!" Yin complained, while Yang looked back in shock.

When Quill swam to the edge of the water, the Slithian reached one of his hands out to pull him out of the water.

Letting out a few coughs, Quill looked up, and noticed the Slithian for the first time. His eyes went wide when he saw the teen giving him a fang-filled smile. Though he knew that they lived in Sandstone City, he had yet to even meet one in person. All that he knew about them was that they were almost as strong as a Minotaur, and their heights were unbelievably huge when their tails were fully extended.

The Slithian boy patted Quill’s head, and chuckled. "Please excuse those two morons. They're lucky enough to tie their own shoe laces, let alone walk by themselves." He chuckled at the two Horses who were now glaring at him. As they were glaring, though, Heart Stone popped the two of them in the back of the head. "If anything, the two of them are lucky to even think."

"Hey! We wear our titles with pride, Strax! We are above the average idiots!" As they were complaining, Strax was unwinding his tail from the palm tree, and snuck it behind the twins. Then, with a flick of his tail, they were both tripped, and sent into the water.

Heart Stone, Heavenly Quill, and Strax smirked a little at the twins who, according to Strax, screamed like a pair of little hatchlings. "See, Quill? They do like you!"

Strax smiled slyly as the Twins climbed out of the water. Their black denim jeans and matching red t shirts were now wet.

Yin spat water at the ground in front of Strax before looking to Quill. "That's right, little dude! You seem like a cool kid to hang out with!" Then he wrapped Quill's shoulders with his left arm and added, "Why, if you hang with us, you won't have to worry a thing about what happened at... you know..."

Quickly, Yang popped his brother in the back of the head. "Dude, shut up! It's his parents, man. Show some sympathy for the poor guy!" As he pointed at Quill, Yin followed his brother's finger, and sure enough, Quill was starting to look more uncomfortable, and a few tears were starting to form in his eyes.

"Oh..." then, Yin lowered to Quill's level and added, "Seriously though, kid... sorry about your loss. I can't say that I understand how you feel, but just know that we've got your back in this. Alright?"

Quill nodded his head as Strax’s tail pulled him over to him. Then, Strax gently patted Quill's back and said, "Hey, don't bottle your emotions up, kid. Trust me, it ain't worth it. If anything, it's alright to cry around us, because we've all been there before... losing something or someone dear to us, and what-not. But hey, you know what else you should do?"

Quill looked up at him, and shook his head. "I'm not sure..."

Strax patted Quill's left shoulder and replied, "You should also remember to smile at the good things that happened while they were around! I may not know them personally, but I'd bet they wouldn't want to see their son moping about their loss all his life, would they?"

Quill slowly shook his head. "No... they wouldn't. Papa always told me to stay strong in difficult times... so I shouldn't cry, right?"

"Eh... not quite." Strax replied, which only made Quill tilt his head in even more confusion.

"What? Why not? Isn't crying a sign of weakness, though?" Quill asked, only for Strax to lightly chuckle.

"Of course it isn't! Crying is just a sign of pain, and nothing more! You can cry to make your burning eyes cool off, and you can cry to get stuff out of your eyes... stuff that irritates it, and causes pain. I bet what your dad meant by 'stay strong in difficult times', is that he wants you to press on, and keep living your life; crying included!"

"So... what papa told me... is that he wants me to keep on living... and that it's okay to cry?" Quill questioned with a finger under his chin in thought.

Strax smiled happily and nodded his head approvingly. "That's right, Quill!" Then he turned towards the twins and Heart Stone. "Now, then! Sad things aside, let's have some fun! We were just about to start our favorite game... wanna play?" As he asked the question, he looked back at Quill with a smile.

Quill titled his head again, out of confusion. "What game is it, Mr. Strax?"

Strax burst out into laughter, and patted Quill on the back. "Dude, I'm not THAT old! You don't need to call me 'Mister'." Quill chuckled nervously and nodded his head. "Oh, and the name of the game is 'Keep Away'... and the rules are simple!" He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small bag of bits. "This is the money everyone chipped in for the game. Fifty bits total. Whoever has it at sundown gets to keep it! Got it, Quill?"

Quill nodded his head slowly, as he eyed the bag of money with a small hint of confusion. He didn’t quite get why they bet money on this game, but he knew that he wanted the bits, and he wanted to have fun with his brother and his friends.

Strax smirked and stretched his arm out, while the others walked around him, and put their hands in a circle. "Ready?" Strax asked. With a nod from the group, he counted from five to one. Then, when he made it to one, he lowered his hand, and tossed the bag of bits high in the air. As he tossed it in the air, he shouted, "Go!"

All at once, the group jumped for the bag. Quill, however, watched them from the back, and smiled slightly, as a plan flashed into his mind. Quickly, he ran forward and climbed up Yin's back; using his shoulders as leverage to jump and grab the bag.

Once he landed, Quill held the bag in the air while Yang shouted, "DUDE! NICE ONE!" Then he grinned mischievously and ran into town as quick as his legs would take him.

Heart looked at his friends and smiled. "Let's go, guys! Unless you want a kid to beat ya and take your money!" Strax smirked and dug underground to follow Quill quickly.

The twins split up and tried to corner Quill in an alleyway.

Heart just smiled and looked up towards the rooftops of the buildings that surrounded them. "You're a smart kid, Quill... but I think I know where you are!" He ran to the nearest house and scaled up the side.

Meanwhile, Quill had run to the blacksmith's, and hid on the roof behind one of the chimneys. He knew Strax's kind were good at digging from the books he read, so he would come up from the ground... and the twins wouldn't think he was smart enough to hide on the roofs. The only problem, though, was that Quill could see Heart Stone catching on real quick. He knew that Heart Stone was just as smart as himself, so there was a chance he could've thought the same thing. However, as time went on, the sun began to set, and Heart Stone never showed up.

Soon, Quill began to worry. Then, he stood up from his hiding place, and started looking around. Suddenly, Heart Stone burst up from the side of the roof, and grabbed the bag of bits. "Ha! I knew you’d get worried after a while!" Then he tossed the bag of bits in the air, and caught it. "Seems like I won, little bro!"

Quill looked down, and sighed with a nod. "Y-yeah... you won, big bro!"

"Not quite!" Came a voice from behind Heart Stone. When he turned around, he gasped when the bag was no longer in his hands, but in the hands of Strax, who stretched just over his head, and was grinning slyly. "The sun isn't gonna be down until the next ten seconds... nine... eight... seven... six... five... four... three-" Then, he dropped the coins down, only for Quill to catch it, and look up at them in shock. "Oops, I dropped it!" He said with a wink. "Well, looks like you win today, Quill!"

Quill looked up at Heart Stone, and noticed how he was smiling as well... almost as if he knew that they must've planned that to happen. Then Strax yawned and turned around. "You did good today, Quill! I look forward to seeing you again soon! Maybe tomorrow we can hangout again!"

Quill chuckled and nodded his head, before waving at the Slithian. "I'd love that. Thank you, Strax! Good night!"

"G'night, pal!" Strax replied. "Oh, and Yin and Yang had to go early, but they told me to tell you the same!" And with that, the Slithian crawled through a vent that rested on the roof.

"Ah... I forgot that the vents around here are also connected to the ground..." Quill said to himself, before looking to his side. During the time he was saying his good-byes, Heart Stone was standing right next to him.

With a smile, Quill held the bag up at Heart Stone, who raised an eyebrow at the gesture. "What's wrong, Quill?"

"Stone, I know you let him take it to give to me." Quill replied with a light chuckle. "You won it, fair and square."

Stone smiled at his brother, and shook his head. "Wow... nothing can get past your eyes, huh? Nah, you keep it, though. I wanted you to win, after all."

With a nod, Quill placed the bag in his pocket and held his right hand out. "Good game, then?"

Stone moved his brother's hand out of the way, and instead, wrapped him in a warm hug. "Good game, bro."

With that, the two brothers began heading home, right as the sun was beginning to set.

"Thank you, by the way." Quill said, as the two of them were passing through the quiet streets.

Stone looked at his brother with a raised eyebrow before asking, "For what? Letting you keep the bits?"

Quill shook his head. "For introducing me to the others... they seemed really cool!"

With a chuckle, Stone patted his brother's shoulders. "Oh, well you're welcome, then! Hey, you did great, by the way! You caught us all by surprise with that stunt you pulled on Yin's shoulders!"

The two of them laughed at that statement, as they reached the front yard to their house. Then... they stopped in place, while Heart Stone smiled nervously at the scene before them.

His mother, Lila, stood there with a deadpanned expression, and crossed arms.

"Um... hi, mom!" Stone managed to say, only for his left ear to get caught in a magic aura once again. Then, when he was within her reach, she pinched his ear with her right hand, and manually pulled him, instead (and considering the size difference, he had to bend down to keep his ear from getting yanked off). "Ow! Moooom!"

"Don't you 'Ow mom' ME, young man! I told you to have him home before sun down! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you two?! Get inside, now! You're going to bed without supper tonight!" With that, she pulled Stone into his room, and closed his door. Then, she turned to Quill who looked at her nervously, until she smiled at him, and embraced him in a warm hug. "Don't worry, Quill. You aren't in trouble! Would you like something to eat? I cooked some Carrot Stew about an hour ago, but it should still be good."

Quill shook his head and smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Lila, but I'm okay... although I am feeling very tired... may I go to bed early, please?"

Lila smiled and nodded her head, before guiding him to his bedroom. Then, she helped him into his pajamas and she tucked him into his bed. "Did you have a good day with your friends, Quill?"

Quill nodded happily and smiled. "Yes, ma'am, I did! I had a really good day today!" Then, his cheerful expression turned to a more warmer, and slightly pleading one. "But... a story would make it even better, Ms. Lila."

Lila hummed softly to herself, and thought for a moment. "A story, huh?" Then she snapper her fingers, and looked at her adopted son with a grin. "I know the perfect story! It's been told by my family for many generations... and I've already told it to Stone before, so it's only right that I tell you, as well!"

Quill's smile widened, as he held the blankets tighter to his chest in excitement. "Ooh! What's it about?"

While rubbing Quill's forehead gently, she cleared her throat. "It's about the mysterious race known as... the Nymphari."

"What's a 'Nymphari'?" Quill asked confusedly.

Lila giggled, before tilting her head in mock confusion. "You don't know about the Nymphari?"

Quill shook his head. "No, ma'am... sorry."

"It's quite alright, dear." Then, she looked around the room, as if trying to find the words to say. "Well... the Nymphari are more than one being... they are the spirits that are said to guide and protect us from danger."

Quill sighed, and nodded his head. "Oh... do you believe in them, Ms. Lila?"

With a warm smile, Lila nodded her head. "As a matter of fact, I do. Do you?"

Quill thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry... but if they are supposed to guide and protect us, then why didn't they protect Mama or Papa?"

Lila's smile dropped, and instantly, she knew that she had to choose the next words carefully. Then, with a hopefully acceptable idea, she said, "Because... they must've had plans for them in their kingdom... 'The Aether', as it is called."

"But... they died, though!" Quill stammered, only for Lila to hug him, and gently pat him on the head.

"Maybe physically, yes... but their spirits, however, are still alive! And I can tell you right now... they are with the Nymphari, now... and will surely help them guide you through your troubles!"

Quill sniffled a few times, before looking up at Lila. "You... you think so?"

With a warm smile, Lila shook her head, and gently brushed Quill's mane. "I know so."

Then, she stood from the bed, and gently placed a kiss on his forehead. "Sleep well, Quill."

The next statement, however, caught her by surprise. "Good night, mom..."

At once, she felt the tears build up from her eyes. Then, with a quivery smile, she brushed his mane again, and replied, "Good night... son." With that, she walked out of the room, and left the door cracked, before heading into her room. There, she crawled into her own bed, and smiled once more, allowing the tears to freely fall over her cheeks.

"He... h-he called me... mom." With that in her mind, her dreams that night were, without a doubt, the best ones she ever had.

And as for Quill... his dreams were the same as Lila's.

The Invasion

It's been three years now, since the day of Quill's parents' deaths. Quill, now just turning eight years old, was still asleep in his bed.

Normally his dreams would vary from nightmares of the day of his parents' deaths, to more peaceful ones involving his friends and the countless adventures that they went through.

...This one, however, was different...

Inside his dream, he was standing in a pitch black area void of any light. "Hello?" He asked anyone in general... only for his own echoes to follow.

Finally, in a distorted voice, he could faintly hear a whispering masculine voice say (while an odd distortion blocked out most of the message), "Qui..... .h.y a.. c.m..g... y.. h... .. b. r..d.!"

"What?" Quill asked as he turned around, only to be caught off guard by a pure white light from the distance casting him back into the world of the living.

As soon as his eyes were open, he jumped from his blankets, and looked around frantically. Seeing that everything was back to normal, he calmed his rapid breathing before slowly falling back onto his pillow, and closing his eyes once more.

Then, the same dream repeated itself. This time, however, the voice was more clearer than last time, and spoke in an echoed-out tone. "Quill... death is c-" before the message could be completed, though, he was woken up by none other than his older brother Heart Stone.

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE BRO!" Stone shouted at the top of his lungs, as the light to his room immediately illuminated the entire area around him.

Quill gasped and jumped out of his blankets once more, only this time, his eyes didn't close, and he surely didn't fall back on his pillow. "Stone! What the hay?!" Then he heard the sound of a little more laughter coming from the doorway. When he turned to his left, he noticed that Yin, Yang, and Strax were standing there with huge grins on their faces, and gifts wrapped in boxes. "Wait... you guys actually brought me presents?!"

With a light chuckle, Strax replied, "We sure did! Oh, and your mother was calling you from the kitchen. She wishes to go shopping with you."

With a nod, Quill replied, "Gosh, I... I don't know what to say! Thank you guys! You're the best!"

His friends nodded their heads and motioned for him to follow them, while Strax replied, "Eh, I'm sure your mother has taken that spot... but thanks, though! Anyways, we should get going. You don't want to keep her waiting, after all."

Quill nodded his head and stepped out of his bed, and proceeded to follow his friends.

When he made it downstairs, he was surprised to see a huge birthday cake with his name written on it. Standing at the head of the table was none other than Lila Shadow, his adopted mother. "Surprise! Happy Birthday, Quill!"

Quill ran up to her with a wide smile and wrapped her in a hug. "Thanks, mom! You're the best!"

Letting out a light chuckle, Lila replied, "Oh, I'm sure your friends have that title, already... but thank you, nonetheless!"

And so, the party went without a hitch. Everything seemed to go perfectly smooth, even. His friends stayed with him throughout the whole day, and his brother would sometimes break Yin and Yang up when they started fighting over which one's gift was better.

Then, the night came...

Quill was standing in the same dark room as last time. Then, the mysterious voice called out to him again. The message that it tried telling him earlier repeated itself... only this time, it was understandable... but what it said struck fear into his heart. "Quill... they are coming... you have to be ready!" Then, he felt himself getting shaken up once more.

Quill's eyes slowly opened, and the blurred voice of Heart Stone began filling his ears. "Quill, wake up! We don't have much time!"

"Stone? What's going on?!" Quill mumbled before sitting up.

Stone looked at the barricaded door and replied, "A group of people wearing black leather vests and pants ran in... they took mom!"

That statement caused Quill's eyes to widen, and him to gasp. "N-no! Mom?! Where did they go?!"

Stone shook his head, as tears fell from his eyes. "I don't know, bro... but one thing's for certain. They aren't gonna stop until the entirety of the town is taken over... we need to get out of the city!" Then he looked at the window to Quill's room, and noticed their other three friends on the rooftops of the nearby houses. "Yin, Yang, and I will distract them. Strax will help you get out, and take you to Rockwell Village!"

"What about Mom, though?!" Quill asked worriedly.

Stone weakly smiled at him and replied, "Don't worry... I'll find her, and bring her to you in Rockwell Village... we'll figure this out, and get out of Sandstone City when you're safe!"

Quill's eyes filled with tears, but he nodded his head and looked down. Then Stone sighed and embraced him in a hug. "Don't worry, little bro... I'll be fine. Now, let's go!" As soon as he said that, the door started to bang on the other side, while a few mumbled voices could be heard... gruff, brute voices, which sounded like they came from Minotaurs. Not sparing a second, both Quill and Stone shoved the bed in front of the barricade for extra protection, and ran back up to the window. Then the two of them carefully climbed up from it, while the darkness of the night kept them from being noticed.

When the two of them managed to sneak to the other side of the street where their friends were rallied, Yin and Yang looked at Quill and Stone with worried looks on their faces. Then Yin spoke up. "Quill! Stone! Thank Celestia you're both alright!"

Strax, on the other hand, covered his mouth and shushed him. "Quiet! You don't want to get us caught, do you?!" Yin shook his head, which made Strax remove his hand from his mouth, and sigh. Then he quietly asked Stone, "Alright, Stone. Our parents were already taken too far for my senses to pick up... but I can still sense that your mother is close by. They've taken her to the Guard Station... you have to hurry!"

With a nod, Stone replied, "Alright. Thanks, Strax... and please keep my brother safe. He's too important to us to lose." Then he turned to Yin and Yang, who gave Quill an approving nod, before turning to Stone. "Alright, guys... you ready?" When they nodded, he smiled. "Alright, then... let's go!" With that, the three of them climbed down the side of the building facing the guards, while Quill and Strax took the more shadowy side.

When on the ground, Stone turned to the guards and shouted, "HEY, GOAT-BUTT! OVER HERE!" After shouting that, he ran away from the path that led to the entrance of the city, while Yin and Yang followed him... then followed by the shady figures as well.

As soon as nobody was in sight, Strax turned to Quill and smiled. "Don't worry, Quill... I'll protect you... now, let's go!" With a nod, Quill followed him towards the front gate of the city... only to discover that it was guarded. "Damn it! Quick, this way!" Strax shouted as he grabbed Quill and ran to the left corner; dodging a few arrows in the process.

While Strax and Quill were running away from the guards, Stone and the twins were headed towards their secret hideout... which they took the precautions of installing "safety mechanics" for it beforehand. "Yin, you and Yang block the door! I'll run and grab the slingshots, then we'll head out through the back!" Stone ordered the twins, who nodded with frightened looks on their faces.

When they made it to their hideout (a simple shanty-walled building that was formerly burnt to a crisp), they blocked the doors and did as planned, only instead of going through the back door, they decided to go out the side to avoid anyone that might've heard them. Then, with the figures focused on the building, the three of them managed to sneak away unnoticed.

When they were halfway there, Stone stopped Yin and Yang when they were in a safe enough area to talk freely. Then he turned to them and had a weak smile on his face. "Listen, guys... I need the two of you to cover me from the rooftops. When things get hairy, shoot the windows, and I'll hear the glass."

Both Yin and Yang looked at each other with wide eyes, before turning back to their friend. "What?! But... what if you get caught?!"

Stone sighed and turned towards the distant station. "If I get caught... then I want the two of you to run away... don't worry about me. I'll... I'll figure something out. Alright?"

Both of the twins nodded their heads, but tears were clearly forming in their eyes, despite the darkness of the night. Then the two of them wrapped their friend in a quick embrace and said in unison, "Be careful, Stone... Quill needs you alive."

Stone nodded his head and smiled. "Don't worry... I won't let him down." Then he broke from the hug, and turned back towards the station. "Now, then... let's do this." At his command, the two twins climbed the rooftop of the nearest building, and carefully jumped from roof to roof effortlessly (having grown up in these streets all their lives), while Heart Stone carefully headed through the alleys to the one that led to the guard station.

Quill and Strax were both at the far eastern side of the walls when they were freed from the guards' sights... but the extra running caused the two of them to need to rest up to catch their breaths. Strax looked at Quill and smiled. "Good thing you and I were the fastest runners of the gang, huh?"

Quill nodded his head and replied, "Y-yeah... I think that's why they... chose YOU to be the one with me."

Strax nodded his head and replied, "You bet... listen, when this whole thing is over, I'd like us to visit the spring where we all met up that day. Maybe we can have another game of 'Keep Away'. I bet you we could leave the others in the dust once again!"

Quill chuckled before nodding his head. "I'd love that... and maybe mama can watch!"

Suddenly, the two of them heard the sound of distant hoofsteps echoing through the alleys. "Looks like they're getting close... we better take it to the rooftops, and scale the wall."

Quill nodded his head and replied, "Y-yeah... let's go." With that, the two of them scaled the building next to them and then, after moving away from the noise, started to climb the bricks of the walls carefully.

From inside the guard station, Stone carefully tiptoed through the hallways, stopping and hiding behind pillars only to avoid the few figures on watch. All around the area, the corpses of several cops littered the rooms... some of them Stone even knew. At least none of them were his mother, though... which gave him a small sense of relief.

After about five minutes of cautiously sneaking around, he finally made it to the room where he heard commotion coming from... the jail. After hiding and waiting for the commotion to die down, he slowly peeked his head in front of the door, which was cracked open, so he can get a good look at what's inside. The sight caused him to quietly gasp in shock.

Crimson Wing, the guards' commander, was standing in front of his mother, who was knelt down to the ground, and bound with iron cuffs on her arms behind her back. On her horn, she had a small iron shackle that not only nullified one's use of magic, but gave the user a shock if any attempts of using magic were made. On her neck, another shackle kept her chained to the bars of the cell behind her.

Crimson glared at her while she remained silent, only giving him a glare as an emotion. Then he raised his right hand over his left shoulder and held it there for a moment. After that, he swung his hand with all his might onto her right cheek, leaving a red mark where he back-handed her, and causing her to scream in pain.

Without sparing another second, he gripped her neck with his right hand and said, "Once again, you've managed to disobey me! Now tell me... where is the boy?!"

She only answered him by spitting in his face. He released her from his grip to wipe the spit off of his forehead... then balled his fist up. "You bitch..." Then he pulled his right arm back and was about to slug her in the left cheek, until a pair of guards pushed the door open, holding Stone by both arms. The distraction caused him to cease his attack, and turn towards the guards who interrupted his "interrogation".

"LET GO OF MY MOTHER!" Stone shouted as he tried to break free from the guards' grips... it was clear these guards were going rogue.

Crimson lightly chuckled when he turned to Lila. She had a look of horror on her face when she saw her son captured. "Heart Stone! Please, release him!"

Crimson's mouth formed an even wider smile, as he turned to Lila. "Very well, then... I'll release him... IF you or him tells me where the boy went!"

Both of them glared at him while Stone asked, "And if we don't?!"

"Stone, no!" Lila interjected.

Crimson merely looked from Lila to Stone, then at the guards. After looking at the guards, he nodded to the one on Stone's left, who in turn, drew a knife from his belt, and held it at Stone's neck, which made his nerves tense up. "Simple... I'll see to it that you don't see your 'little brother' again, of course!"

That statement, plus the sudden appearance of the knife, caused Lila to gasp once more. "N-no, please! Don't do this!"

Stone, however, started to lightly chuckle, before asking, "What, that's it?" That statement caused Lila to turn her glare from Crimson to Stone, while she shook her head in response.

Crimson, however, raised an eyebrow at Stone, and nodded his head. "Hm... at least you know how to use your brain. Yes, tell me where he is, and I'll let you go!"

Stone motioned for him to get closer. With a motion of his hands, Crimson had the knife be moved from Stone's neck while he moved closer to the adolescent. Then, when his ear was within reach, Stone said in a casual, yet smart tone, "Out of your reach, mother bucker!" With that, he spat in Crimson's ear, which caused him to back away, and glare daggers at him while he wiped his ear with his fingers.

Instinctively, the guard with the knife moved the knife back to Stone's neck, but Crimson said, "Wait!" Then he reached his right hand out, and ordered, "Pass me the knife..."

The guard nodded his head and did as instructed. Then he proceeded to grip Stone's left arm with both hands, completely nullifying his movement. "Both of you grip his head with one hand... I don't want him to move at all." The two nodded their heads and did as instructed again. Then Crimson looked at Lila, and grinned wickedly. "I need an audience... someone keep her from looking away!" A third guard that was previously chasing Stone in the streets nodded his head and went to Lila. Then he gripped her head from the back, and used his middle fingers and ring fingers to force her eyes open, while she tried to resist... which ended in failure.

Slowly, Crimson moved the knife up to Stone's neck and pressed on it lightly. Even so, a small stream of blood started to fall. "Lucky for you, I'm in a forgiving mood... so I'll let you go!" The guards that restrained him raised their eyebrows out of confusion, until Crimson gave them a glare. "Because you DID technically tell us where he went! 'Out of our reach'... do you think I'm a moron?! You must've sent him to Rockwell Village!"

That statement caused Stone to gasp in horror, which made Crimson lightly chuckle. "You just answered me right there... but since you answered so... rudely... I'll still keep to my word. You won't be able to see him ever again..." he raised the knife up higher, until Stone could see his own reflection in the blade, "...or anything, for that matter." Then, ever-so-slowly, he lowered the blade towards Stone's eyes, ignoring Lila's screams and his begs for mercy.

From across the entire city, Stone's screams of agony could be heard. This alerted Yin and Yang to quickly back away, and take cover to avoid anyone seeing them. With tears in their eyes, they quickly embraced each other in a hug, while shaking in fear for their friend.

All the way at the eastern half of the wall, Strax had his tail stretched downwards, while Quill just finished climbing down. Whent the screams were heard, he looked towards the direction, and at once, his eyes widened. "Oh, no... Stone!" Then he turned to Quill, who had a look of horror on his face as well. Reaching into his vest pocket, Strax pulled a small brown cloth bag that was tied on the top and tossed it down for Quill to pick up. When Quill picked it up, he looked at Strax with a look of confusion. Then Strax smiled at him and said, "It has bits in it... and directions to help you reach Rockwell Village! Take it... and go without me! Stone needs my help!"

Quill's eyes filled with tears while he shook his head. "I'll come, too! We can do this together!"

Strax's smile quickly turned into a glare. "No, Quill! If you get caught, then all of our efforts would be wasted! Now, go! And... forgive me... please."

"Wait! What are you-" Before Quill could finish, he was engulfed in a pure white glow, then quickly pushed away from the walls, while he could only catch a glimpse of the white glowing ring that was on Strax's left ring finger. "STRAX!" Quill shouted in the distance.

Strax closed his eyes as a single tear dropped from his face, before opening them towards the gates to the city. Then he used wind magic from the ring to lower the gates quickly, snapping the chains that were used to lift them up in the process. After that, he quickly dashed towards the guard station after drawing a sword from a nearby guard who wasn't paying attention. What he didn't expect, however, was for the guard to draw a bow and a few arrows, then take aim quickly at the slithian who wasn't even looking back.

When the "surgery" was done, Crimson chuckled at his work, and knelt down to pick up two new "trophies" for him... Heart Stone's eyes. At this point, his entire face was covered in blood, and he was breathing heavily, as he cried out even more blood by the second. "I told you I'll release you, and that I'll let you live... but I didn't say the blood loss wouldn't finish you off, did I?" After letting out a chuckle, he motioned for the guards to carry him away... which they did without hesitation.

Then when Crimson was close to Lila, he grinned wickedly at her again and showed her her son's eyes. "He doesn't have your eyes anymore, does he?" That statement caused Lila's tear-filled eyes to form a glare, while she tried casting a spell on him... which only resulted in a nasty shock to jolt through her body. "I'll take that as you agreeing with me." Then he turned to the guard that held her in place. "Take her to the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon... and bring me a glass jar." With a nod, the guard undid the shackles, save for the one on her horn, and dragged her away from the room, while Crimson stared at Stone's eyes like they were simple little trophies.

From in the middle of the desert winds, Quill continued to walk through the burning sun with wet sand covering his entire face... no doubt from the tears that continued to fall down his cheeks. First his family... now his entire hometown... was taken away from him.

Several hours have passed, and not a single ounce of luck went his way. Finally, when he thought he could see a distant civilization, he felt a sharp pain strike his right hoof. Looking down, he gasped in shock when a scorpion starting crawling away from him as if it saw something deadly.

Ignoring the scorpion's fear, Quill quickly fell to his haunches and started sucking on his wound and spitting out the poisoned blood that came from his leg... he would have to visit a doctor quickly, though.

Then, a distant rumbling noise caught his ears. Looking towards the opposite end of where the scorpion ran, his eyes widened at the sight of a massive sandstorm headed his way. From the distant village, he could see the magic shields surround it, sealing him outside until the storm would pass over. Even so, with the scorpion's poison in his bloodstream, the likeliness of him even reaching the village was practically zeroed out. In a desperate struggle for survival, though, he slowly stood back up and started to limp his way towards the village... but in the matter of seconds, he was blown a good distance away by the powerful winds.

As the sand continued to pound on his fur, he soon felt his heartbeat slowing down. Then, with one final breath, he fell on his back, as the life in his eyes faded to nothing.

As soon as the final hours of the boy's body were revealed to a white-coated, winged gargoyle, the gargoyle said in a masculine voice, "Death... is not your destiny, young Quill..."

After hovering his hands over the lifeless boy's eyes, his faded white pupils began to glow with the light of life, and in the matter of seconds, he started breathing again... but even so, his eyes quickly closed, and he was caught in a deep sleep. Then the gargoyle lifted the unconscious boy up, and began carrying him away from the distant village, and towards the wide open wilderness.

Awakening

Author's Note

Ok my readers I know its been a long while since my last update and i'm sorry but rest assured the next chapter should not take nearly as long. that being said i'd like to thank my editor proof reader and friend Justin Daniels for contributing so much for this story. This chapter in fact is brought to you largely by him. so please go give his stories a read. Ok enough talk enjoy the new chapter!

Awakening

Yin and Yang continued to hide on the roof of the building while staring at the sand-filled skies in horror. The town's magic barrier was around it, keeping the sandstorm from blowing into the town... but there's no possible way that anyone could survive that kind of weather, unless they were inside either a town or a cave... and the latter would practically be impossible, because the path between Sandstone City and Rockwell Village didn't have any caves in it.

Mournfully, the twins covered their eyes and began to weep, until they heard the sound of movement coming from the guard station. As soon as they turned and took a quick peek, their eyes widened at the sight before them.

A pair of guards were carrying Heart Stone by each arm, but stopped midway down the street. Then, after letting out a light chuckle, they shoved him to the ground, and walked back into the guard station, while Stone just lied there with his eyes closed, and his knees curled close to his chest. Seeing that there were no guards running around anymore, Yin and Yang quickly climbed down the building, and ran to their friend's aid.

"Stone! Thank goodness, I thought they killed you!" Yin cried as the two ran up to him... then, when they saw the large amount of blood coming from his closed eyelids, the two of them gasped. "Stone?! What... what did they..."

While breathing heavily, Stone replied, "Cut... they cut 'em out... th-they... they cut my EYES out!" Then, due to the amount of pain that he was in, Stone fell to the ground unconsciously.

Without hesitation, Yin and Yang picked their unconscious friend up off the ground and lifted him onto their shoulders. Then the two of them started carrying him away from the center of the street while talking to each other.

"I just hope... I just hope Strax managed to escape with Quill! I-if he did, then he could've quickly dug a hole for the two of them to hide in during this storm!" He was interrupted by his brother suddenly stopping. When he looked at his brother, he noticed right away that his brother was looking at something in the distance with an expression that practically spelled "trouble". Following his brother's expression, soon HIS faial expression shaped into the same exact look, as a motionless figure was seen lying in a puddle of blood with several arrows sticking out of his back. Instantly, the two twins recognized the figure lying in his own blood.

"S... STRAX?!"

Slowly, Quill's eyes started to open. When they did, however, he couldn't see anything but darkness. The ground he was on felt like it was stone. Around him, however, he was able to hear the sound of running water.

"H... hello?" he asked, only to be met with echoes of his own voice. Nervously, he sat back up and tried to find a source of light.

Finally, after ten seconds of fruitless searching, his right hand caught hold of a metallic object. Feeling around it, he sighed in relief when he figured out what the object was... a lantern.

He lifted the handle up with his right hand and felt for the lever at the bottom with his left. Then, when he found it, he slowly turned it clockwise; instantly filling the room up with light.

Looking around in circles, his eyes widened when he saw greenish white stone bricks all around him... the walls, the floor, and the ceiling. Stretching one foot away from the walls, a small moat filled with water six inches deep circled the round room. On one corner, however, there was a brick bridge that connected the floor Quill was standing on to a dark green wooden door that arched upways in the center.

Slowly, he walked up to the door and gripped onto the handle. Then, when he turned the knob, he slowly opened it, and gasped at the room before him.

A huge stone circle floated in the center of a pitch black room. Around the circle, several lit torches rested. Connected to the circle were countless stone bridges that led to many other rooms in the massive cave. Below the circle, a stone spiral staircase led down, with even more bridges connecting it to other rooms below.

Standing in the center of the stone circle were a group of strange-looking creatures. They each had either tan, brown, or yellow furless chests and faces, but they also had features that could best be described as animal-like. Some of them had hands that were the same color as their chests and faces, while others had the wings and talons of eagles. Some had the legs and paws of a lion. Those also had huge manes on their heads that lowered below their chins similar to lions.

They all turned towards Quill when he opened the door, which caused him to gasp and back away...

That is, until his back bumped into someone. When he turned around, his eyes widened when the same gargoyle that carried him there looked down at him.

Before he could say anything, however, the gargoyle lowered his knees to look Quill in the eyes from his height. Then the gargoyle smiled and nodded his head. "At long last, you've awoken, Quill. Please, do not fear us, for we mean you no harm."

Quill's heavy breathing started to slow at the reassurance. "S-sorry, sir... I... w-where..."

The gargoyle shook his head and stood back up. "Fear not, Quill, for all will be revealed to you, soon. For now, you must prepare." He walked past Quill and began crossing the bridge to the circle.

"Prepare? Prepare for what, exactly?" Quill asked as he followed the gargoyle down the bridge.

"To fulfill your destiny, of course!" the gargyle answered matter-of-factly.

Quill tilted his head in confusion, before deciding to drop the subject. He looked around the area, more specifically, at the creatures that roamed about, conversing with each other, reading books, and/or sparring with a sword, club, or spear.

"A-am I... dead?" Quill finally asked before looking back at the gargoyle.

The gargoyle hummed for a moment before shaking his head. "No... but you were dead when I found you, though. Fear not, for you are not in Tartarus, either."

Quill sighed again in relief after hearing the last bit. "So... w-where are we, exactly?"

The gargoyle, after stepping onto the circle, chuckled before continuing towards the center of it. Then, when Quill reached the circle and stepped on top of it, the gargoyle turned to face him. "You are in Nexus. It is one of the few remaining cities where the Cursed Ones live."

"C-CURSED Ones?!" Quill nervously asked baffled.

The gargoyle nodded his head before turning towards the figures around the city. "Indeed. The curse that they all share is very... unique, in a way. They have all lived a life before, but have lost any and all memories of those lives. Taking on a new form, and a new body, they live on in small communities once they leave Nexus, or any other places. What they seek is entirely for themselves to decide, whether it be a sign of the life they lived before, or a new place to start over in. No matter what, however, they are all bound to follow the Nymphari, should they require them to do something... and they hear them, even when nobody else can."

"Wait... did you just say the 'Nymphari'?!" Quill asked again. His eyes were widened even more, now.

The gargoyle nodded his head and replied, "Indeed... and this may come as a shock to you, but after you have woken up, now you have the capability to hear them, as well."

Quill's jaw dropped, and he stood speechlessly. Then he shook his head, blinked a few times, and asked, "B-but... how do you know?!"

The gargoyle chuckled again before stretching his arms out. "Because you are speaking to one of them right now, of course!"

Quill stood there silently, before turning towards the Cursed Ones around them. They walked up to the circle and nodded their heads in agreement at the gargoyle's words.

Slowly Quill looked back up at the gargoyle and asked, "W-who... who are you?"

The gargoyle crossed his arms over his chest and replied, "I am the King of the Nymphari, but you may call me... Scorpan."

Side Story part 1: Fallen Friend

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