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Legacy of the Quill: New Beginnings

by Heavenly Quill

Chapter 5: The Invasion

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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.

Next Chapter: Awakening Estimated time remaining: 12 Minutes
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