The Bond of Three

A mare walked onto the stage, her white coat flaring, her light blue eye shadow and freckles glittering, her dark blue eyes shining and her red and pink curled hair well groomed and curly, highlighting her horn, bearing a red aura. A spotlight hit her Cutie Mark, a red quill writing, and it shone like the sun. The crowd to which she presented followed her path onto the stage with many eyes and a few hushed whispers. The mare cleared her throat, and began to speak, and presented a piece of paper floating in front of her, levitated by red magic.

“Once upon a time, there were two sisters who ruled, yet one of the sisters was unhappy. Once upon a time, there lived a chaotic draconequus, and two sisters who thought his ways were wrong. Once upon a time, there lived three tribes who didn’t agree with each other. Those are all stories you may know. But there is one carved into the mountainside of history, so ancient that few know of it. I am telling you of that story today.” She began with a voice like a spider’s web, silk, beautiful, yet strong, and a German accent flowed through her speech pattern. Suddenly, the mare’s horn flared red, and the scene around the audience began to change, matching the words she spoke with realistic pictures.

“At the beginning of time, there was one wild herd made up of pegasi, earth ponies, and unicorns. The herd was ruled by a fair beautiful alpha mare alicorn, who treated all equally and nicely, yet her mate was a dark, cruel, and poor-spirited alpha stallion alicorn. One day, the alpha female grew ill with a foal, so she had to temporarily exit her duties as alpha female. That made the alpha male responsible for her duties. He took it too far. He didn’t protect the herd properly, he made them fetch food for him, leaving none for the others, and any stallion who challenged him for leadership was killed before everypony else. Those were cruel, dark times. Anypony who tried to leave the herd was tracked down and murdered by the alpha stallion. All the races turned their backs away from each other. They were too afraid to work together. However, in the herd, three beams of hope sparked up. Three mares were the sparks of hope, but nopony had realized it yet.” Three figures of ponies flared in the scene the audience viewed, blocking their view of the mare.

“The earth pony was honest and cheerful, yet protective and strong-hearted. The pegasus was loyal and kind, yet clever and pure. The last one was the unicorn, who was generous and highly enhanced in magic, being taught by the most powerful pony in the world besides the alpha mare, yet resourceful and creative. One day, the alpha stallion grew bored with ruling over the herd, so he took the alpha mare deep into the nearby woods, and planned to send a pack of timber wolves onto the herd. The three mares discovered this plan and went to confront him. The alpha stallion realized this and sent many monsters to kill the mares. The earth pony protected the other mares as they were attacked. The alpha stallion then sent dragons to burn the mares to a crisp. The pegasus sung the dragons to sleep with a clever plan. Finally, they confronted the alpha stallion. He sent tornados at them, but that did not work. The unicorn then combined their friendship, blinded the stallion, and turned him into a constellation, their power creating the Elements of Harmony. They brought the alpha female back to the herd; she then gave birth to a lovely little colt, whom she named Wild Skies. Most of the herd, relieved they were freed from the alpha stallion, left, however some of the herd refused to leave their ancestral land. The ponies that did leave learned the ways of the earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn, thus becoming civilized. However, some say that the ponies that continued their ways still thrive in the wilds beyond Equestria.” The mare on the stage finished, and the scene fell away. The audience erupted into rapid applause. The mare took a bow, her curled mane falling over her face.

“Red Quill! Red Quill! Red Quill!” The audience chanted. The mare recovered from her bow and smiled apologetically.

“Sorry everypony! But that’s all for tonight.” She apologized to the eager audience. The audience gave a collective disappointed sigh, and the mare named Red Quill trotted off the stage. She went off backstage and set her script down, and swiped away some sweat on her forehead. A crazy fan-colt, with a blonde mohawk-like hairstyle, a slight brown coat, and brownish excited eyes, stepped into the room, holding many pictures of Red Quill, all without an autograph.

“Oh my gosh! It’s Red Quill! Will you please autograph my pictures?” The colt asked while hyperventilating. Red Quill wondered if that was even physically possible.

“Well, were you not listening to my speech? I specifically said, ‘That’s all for tonight’.” She replied, and her horn flared with a red aura. “That means, NO AUTOGRAPHS!!!” She screamed. The colt fled in terror, his falling pictures marking his trail.

“Honestly, some colts today.” She muttered, and turned to a desk with makeup and piles of scripts and books. She picked up the books and scripts with her magic, and put them in a saddlebag she levitated off of a chair. She set the saddlebag on her back, did up the clip, which took the form of a red quill, and trotted outside, only to be greeted by fierce snowfall. She passed a mob of ponies waiting eagerly for her to emerge. She galloped past them before she could get mauled by reporter questions. She slowed her pace past the usual snooty Canterlot ponies of her hometown. She was already used to their terrible attitudes. After all, you’d have to be if you have lived with them since you were a filly. She cantered into the Canterlot spa, her spirits lifting at the sound at the jingling of bells. The room was shaped like a square, a counter at the left side of the room, and cushions at the right side, many occupied by other ponies, a door at the back of the room, and a table bearing newspapers sat in the middle of the room. Red Quill stopped at the counter, where a dark navy unicorn mare with a purple and light blue mane waited, her lavender eyes reading a magazine set before her.

“The usual, Blue Belle.” Red Quill requested. The pony smiled.

“Please wait over there until Golden Stream comes to bring you to your first treatment.” The pony at the counter, apparently named Blue Belle, replied. Red Quill nodded and went to a cushion in the corner of the room. She then took a piece of paper out of her saddlebag, a quill, a vile of ink, and began to write.

“Long ago, there existed a race of ponies completely different from those we have today. They bore incredible power, and supreme rule. They lived peacefully alongside the first ponies, and harmony shone like Celestia’s sun. However, one day, the spirits of evil in our world became unhappy. Especially one, named-” Red Quill read aloud as she wrote, but only to be cut off by another voice.

“Miss Red Quill? It is time for your treatment.” Blue Belle announced. Red Quill stuffed her supplies into her bag, which gave her some weird looks from the other waiting ponies, and went to the counter. There, waited a sight to behold. It was a beautiful white unicorn mare, with long flowing locks of a golden mane, and a Cutie Mark of a blue pony that had a long flowing sunlit stream for a mane. The unicorn mare’s sunset orange eyes flashed and she smiled as Red Quill came within the distance to hear the mare whisper.

“Good to see you, Golden Stream.” Red Quill greeted. The mare smiled and led Red Quill past the door in the back of the room, and into a room beyond it, with completely different size and setting. It was a massive spa room, with a hot springs tub in front of the two mares being the highlight.

“So, how did your presentation go?” The mare named Golden Stream, asked with a British accent as she set Red Quill’s saddlebags onto a nearby cloak-hanger, and Red Quill settled into the tub. The hot water was relief from the cold of outside.

“It went just great. Fans were as crazy as ever.” Red Quill muttered as sky blue magic picked up a bucket of cold water and poured it on her head.

“I know, I know! However these days, you can’t fuel them with just one presentation, unlike in the old days.” Golden Stream commented, as her magic controlled a comb as it went through Red Quill’s mane. Red Quill nodded, lost in her own thoughts. Golden Stream smiled, and drew the comb harshly through Red Quill’s mane. The poor mare yelped, and knocked away the comb.

“Aren’t you forgetting to tell me something?” Golden Stream asked, obvious excitement in her voice. Red Quill frowned, than realized with a pang what she had forgotten.

“Oh yeah! They agreed!” She exclaimed, grabbing a note from her bag with her magic, waving it in front of Golden Stream’s face.

“Where’s the house going to be? And who’s providing it?” She asked, continuing combing Red Quill’s mane.

“The house is going to be close to the Everfree, just as we planned, and the house is provided by my ‘biggest fan’, Twilight Sparkle.” Red Quill replied. “Finally! I’m going to be able to see mum again, without any complications.”

“This is good. You didn’t get much interaction with her at first. Now that you practically live beside her, you can properly take care of her.” Golden Stream commented as she helped Red Quill from the tub, and offered her a towel. “Will that be all?”

“Yes please. Here,” Red Quill replied and offered Golden Stream some bits. “I have to go pack.” And with that, Red Quill left the vicinity.

~~~~~

Red Quill had already packed every single ounce of her apartment’s items in several bags and suitcases. Most of them consisted of writing supplies, but others had the necessities for a home, yet the porter, Atlas, didn’t really care. He just wanted to get the stuff to the train, pronto. Red Quill paused as she noticed something left on the floor. It was a list of spells. She quickly grabbed it and stuffed it into her saddlebag, the only relief for the poor Atlas, who had to carry everything except that saddlebag. Then, Red Quill trotted to the train station, snow biting at her face, and passing her former neighbors, who glared at her. They never really liked her, and were glad to be rid of her. Red Quill felt the same towards them. Soon, she arrived at the train station, the exhausted Atlas behind her path. Pitying the poor thing, she picked up all of the cargo with her magic, and then turned her horn towards the item-carrying objects. The aura on her horn flared, and the suitcases and bags shrunk to no bigger than an apple, and stuffed it in her saddlebag.

“Thank you kind sir.” She thanked Atlas and gave him a fair amount of bits. He beamed, bowed, and trotted off happily with what he earned.

“All aboard!” The stallion at the controls yelled, and the train whistled. Red Quill rushed into a train car, and sat contently at a random seat. She set her saddlebag beside her, and her eyelids grew heavy. It had been a long day, and her face felt like ice. Perhaps a small nap wouldn’t be too bad. She finally stopped fighting exhaustion, and found herself three weeks prior.

~~~~~

She had been invited to a secret meeting by Princess Celestia, taking place inside of the Canterlot Mountain. The first thought that had come to her mind was: “Why me?” But then again, Red Quill knew ancient enhanced magic. Perhaps the meeting had to do with magic. But when she had arrived, she had found she was invited to meeting with Changelings, the Tribe Ponies of legend, the mystical wolfponies, and the ponies of Equestria, yet all under a strict truce, that if not obeyed, would lead to being banished from the meetings. Her mother had told her of the meetings with all of those select species, but she had never taken place in one. She had been placed on the Equestrian side.

“Ah, Princess Celestia. How are the Sky Apples coming along?” A large wolfpony had asked in the front of the wolfponies’ side of the room, who Red Quill remembered to be the Alpha of the wolfponies, Varg, who led them when hunting the monsters of the Everfree Forest. Equestria depended on them to keep the monster population of the Everfree down. Red Quill had noticed that Princess Celestia had given them a look of pure guilt.

“I am terribly sorry Varg, but there just isn’t enough Sky Apples this year to sustain both of our entire populations. We only have enough for your foalpups.” She had explained. Many of the wolfponies had growled in a language I don’t understand at that. Varg had given a grave look.

“Well then, I shall have to leave now, I must hunt for my pack for a month.” She had announced, and turned to her three daughters. “Ulv, Vlk, Varu, I am entrusting you with keeping the pack safe, receiving the delivery for the Sky Apples when they are ready, and feeding it to the pups.” With that, the mature adults of the pack meeting had left for west of Equestria. The young adults had left for their base in the woods, but looks of pure rage and scorn on their faces. Red Quill had hoped that they could forgive.

~~~~~

Red Quill woke to the sound of the whistle, and looked out the window, seeing a homely little town, with small buildings and such.

“This is it. Ponyville.” Red Quill whispered to herself, and grabbed her stuff.