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.