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.