The Legend of Quill, part 1
It was a quiet morning in Equestria, a soft cool breeze shook the morning dew on the grass of the Everfree forest. The sun wasn’t fully up, but it cast a shining pink and orange sunlight that seemed to bond into a color unbeknownst to our dear hero.
Colorpen Inkwiser was her name. Though she mostly went by “Quill.” Her small wooden cottage at the bottom side of a mountain was a rather odd sight for most ponies. However it was really the only place she could use her magic freely. See her magic was very powerful, but not in a sense of causing destruction, quite the opposite. The repercussions of her magic drove her deep and deeper into the thorns and behind the bushes in life. But here, masked and shaded, she felt free. The only place she could truly create. Her cutie mark sat like a trophy on her grey coat, that complimented her spotted black and white hair. The cutie mark was of two pencils crossing over one another, and a pen in the middle that trailed swirling designs of ink around it. In the in purple and yellow stars lined the black walls of the mark. But our hero was not creating at the moment. No, our hero of this story, still hasn’t finished her morning coffee. As usual she sat outside on the porch, looking disheveled, though her hair was big and poofy. She gave a tired and weak smile at the sky. She loved the sunrise, it was a momentary break from reality. In a sense, her reality. Not like there technically only one, but that comes later. For now, let’s let her enjoy the sunset.
After stewing in thought and drinking her coffee, she pulled out her sketchbook and pencil.
What to make today? What to do with the infinite possibilities of today? Let’s start small.
She drew out a small bunny, which of course popped into existence in front of her, as usual. Yes, she can will art into existence. If she writes it, draws it, or sees it, she has the magic to will it to be. She has done this many times before, made friends she can connect with on more than a common basis. Only problem, when your a filly, a flamboyant pink unicorn skeleton seems like a wonderful idea, when your a mare, it becomes a tiny bit of a problem.
A loud crash fan from inside, just like every morning before.
She sighed and trotted inside to see the damage.
“Get your hooves off of me you creep!” The skeleton shrieked. This is Achrobad
“Don’t touch my collection bonehead!”
A figure retorted. It was a tall stallion that appeared to be wearing a black hoof-to -muzzle outfit with two tiny horns attached to the top. He had large bat like wings and a insignia of a vampire bat on his chest. This was Valtryss.
“Hey guys, quit it will ya? I’m trying to enjoy myself here.” Quill said, placing her things on the counter.
“Quill! Thank goodness your here! He’s violating my right of privacy!” Valtryss said to a very over dramatically offended Achrobad.
“The liar! I was merely giving him his washing! Celestia knows he didn’t do it!”
Achrobad retorted.
“Me, a liar?! I’m a hero, written and made, what are you?!” Valtryss proclaimed.
“Well for starters, I’m under you right now.” Achrobad responded as he examined there position.
Valtryss quickly retracted himself from the pink skeleton, mumbling to himself while he did.
“Look you two, I know it’s been rough lately, I feel it too. Something about this week always makes us a bit... off. Today especially.” The week in particular she was speaking of was the one of March 18 and March 25th. “But like every year it will pass, besides, what’s the worst that can happen?” Quill said.
Never ask that question.
A loud crash erupted throughout the house, shaking it to its core, though it seemed to be coming from outside.
Quill was about to peek out the door, but Valtryss stopped her.
“Quill, stay back, I got a bad feeling about this.” He said, gently pulling her away and walking himself towards the door.
He cautiously opened the door, and tapped his hooves together. They instantly seemed to charge with a black swirling electricity.
He stepped out into the woods, where in a clearing just over a hill, stood a figure on two hooves. Two things about this figure stood out. The glowing purple eyes, and the small, cylinder like, black cannon glowing with deadly purple magic.
“Give her to me, and it all ends here!” It bellowed as it stepped closer.
“Power act 1: super charge.” Valtryss whispered to himself, and the surge of energy seemed to grow stronger.
The figure stepped into the sunlight, revealing its rather grotesque nature. Half of its face was made of metal, along with a mechanical arm with a hoof that split into four claw like parts. On this arm was the previously mentioned cannon. His head had 3 tubes of red liquid that were plugged into sockets on the robotic side. His eyes were two purple glowing orbs in his skull.
“Fine have it your way!” He shouted, blasting a laser wave of energy towards Valtryss.
Valtryss was able to absorb the attack with his hooves, but just barley. He never had to block power like this before. One attack left him sitting like a duck.
“Quill! What the hay?! Did you make this?!” He shouted, looking back at her with anger and fear quivering in his eyes.
“No! This isn’t me!” She responded, turning to Achrobad.
“I want Color! I only want her life, give me her and I’l spare your miserable existences.” It offered.
“Like hay we are! She’s our friend!” Achrobad yelled at it from inside.
The thing shook its head.
“Tsk tsk, then you will die with her!” It said, powering up another blast.
“Power act 5: obliterator.” It commanded, and it’s entire arm morphed into an even larger cannon.
“How does it know my system?!” Quill exclaimed.
“Sayonara sunshine!” It laughed.
But just as curses like this thing, Maltronus, occur, blessings come in the same mysterious way. Even as a different cyborg.
“RIA RIA STUN CARD!” A pony seeming to come from nowhere shouted, as the tail coated ally slapped a strange card onto the back of Maltronus.
“What! What trickery is this?” The now frozen villain declared.
The pony landed in front of the others.
“My name is Gentlemain Wizard, there’s no time, we gotta go!” The pony exclaimed.
He had caucasian fur and a sunset orange colored main and tail. However, half of his face, was blocky, strange, and made of a very shiny light silver metal. On one side of him, a hoof was covered by a white glove that held a tiny on wrist device for dispersing cards. The other hoof was robotic, but more like the inner workings of an engine.
“Hold up! We just attacked by a big purple baddy? What makes us able to trust you?” Valtryss said as he stepped between GW and Quill.
“I’m here to help, please we have not much time, circle round and I can get us it of here!”
Valtryss was not convinced.
Achrobad charged from the house at the slightly moving Maltronus, and gave a mighty kick to him over the hill, making him tumble a far ways down.
“I believe him! We have no choice! Let’s go!” Achrobad said as he raced over to the rest.
GW raised a blue card into the air that swirled with teal clouds, soon they swirled in a storm around them, creating a sort of vortex.
“RIA RIA: TELEPORT!” GW said, as they all began to dissipate into blue oceans of smoke.
“No! No!” The injured Maltronus cried out as he climbed back up.
But they were far gone, yet Maltronus didn’t give up so easily.
They were able to safely teleport inside the winding caves of the mountain. The rock was cold and unforgiving. The crystals the illuminated the way only giving enough light to barely see.
“Ok, now we just need to find the tem-“
GW was pinned by Quill.
“No! You listen to me! What the hay is going on here?!” She said, a flurry of confusion and fear flushing though her.
GW sighed.
“It’s time you knew why this week is unbearable for you.” He said.
He gently pushed her off of him and pulled a card from inside his jacket pocket.
He plugged it into a large metal box she had not noticed on its waist earlier. It had a slot on top, along with a red button. On the front of the thing, a black gem sat.
The words he said next were the hardest to say in his life.
“Ria.. Ria.. Colorblind..”
He hit the button, and from the black gem white streams of electricity spiraled into there heads.
Then everything was white, a calm pure shining light. Then it slowly grayed like it was aging, until it finally turned black.
“Where am I?” Quill called out to the darkness. “Wheres Achrobad? Where’s Valtryss?!”
GW appeared, pulling a card from his jacket.
“They are safe, They are seeing exactly what your seeing right now, just in a slightly different way. You however, are in your mind, but specifically the place she locked up, to keep you from the pain.” He was visibly shaking, which scared her even more.
“What are you doing? Stay away from me!” She cried.
“Ria Ria, unlock.”
And with that, she flooded into a memory.
She was looking at herself, smaller, with a another pony. It looked just like her. They were in a cottage, laughing as she got into a tickle fight with each other.
“Colly stop!” One laughed out as she struggled to get away from her sister.
“Never!” The other said, playfully declaring victory.
GW began explaining.
“Im going to tell you a story.” He began.
“Your story. In the womb, one soul split into two. Two sisters born a blessing to the world. A miracle, two magical ponies without horns, born with the rare powers of Dracummarkus. More commonly known as ‘ink magic.’ In childhood, they were close, happy, and healthy. However, one couldn’t stand her magic, as it grew too strong, It killed her from the inside. She crumpled more and more every day until...”
The memory switched to a hospital bed.
“Your sister, Colorblind, was about to die. She realized the pain she was putting everypony through. Your parents cried with you for hours endlessly, begging that there daughter could be saved. Your sister saw what the future was going to be after her death. This is an ability you lacked called ‘third eye.’ Your parents would grow cruel, hurt, evil, and dangerous. Ale would be scattered in broken glass throughout the house. The life and joy from your eyes would slowly drain over the years. You would stop creating. So In the last moments of her existence, with the last of her powers, she encased these memories deep within your mind, made your parents think they gave a baby the couldn’t take care of up to an orphanage, you. She even changed my appearance to keep you safe from knowing.”
Then Colorblind faded away, leaving only herself, and GW.
He began to morph into what appeared to be half Quill, half a robotic version of Colorblind. Then using a power card that split into two individual ponies. They spoke at the same time.
“This is how she saw your relationship. Symbiotic, creative, powerful. In death she wrote my purpose in reality, to protect you. I was no longer just a avatars for you two, but your guardian in case trouble ever befell you. Her, cool, calculated, robotic. You, creative, emotional, loving. ‘Ria Ria’, in the made up language she wrote, means ‘sister sister’.”
He soon changed back into his former self, as he couldn’t hold that form for very long.
Shock, sorrow, and revelation barely made up what she was feeling. The interwebbed tangled emotions and thoughts, memories and knowledge, would take pages for me to fully explain. The best way one can describe it, is like knowing a half has been ripped away from you, that you never knew you had until now. Half a husk. Half a pony.
“When she did this though.” GW began to finish.
“Her subconscious birthed the horrible monster that lay buried deep in her head. It created her manifestation of death itself, Maltronus. It was an accident, but there no use dwelling on it. He will stop at nothing to what remains of her life, end her story, and whoever dares try to remember it.”
“Why does he come now?” She managed to gag out.
“Because your memories are false. It had to find you. It took a while for it too but it did. And...your sister died one week ago.”
GW could barely hold her as she released oceans of tears into his jacket. Into the safety and comfort of what remains of her sister.
An uncountable amount of time passed before she finally was able to compose herself.
“I will stop him. I promise you I will stop Maltronus.” She said weakly.
“Lucky for us, I know how.” GW said.
They disconnected minds, and there was a moment of silence.
Then GW stood up.
“You and your sister made many characters, they are locked away inside a temple in this mountain. She wrote it in a way only you can navigate. She said you’d know the way by instinct, or sisterly premonition. At the center lies all of your works, all your drawing and characters that you made together, find them, and we will have an army on our side.”
“O-ok.” She said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“Alright!” Cheered Achrobad “An adventure!”
“Have some respect will you?!” Said Valtryss as he slapped the pink skull, sending it spinning like a top on its spine.
GW and Quill giggled.
Then a blast from the outside of the mountain stopped the laughing.
“We must go, now!” GW cried, as they all began to race to deeper into the heart of the mountain.
Meanwhile, Maltronus kept at his attack on the mountain.
“I can feel your energy! I’m coming for you Colly! I’m coming for you!”
End of part 1
