Chapter 1
The chilled autumn breeze whistled through the sunset coloured leaves of the apple orchard as clouds drifted lazily overhead. One cloud however, was not like the others, as resting upon the top was a sleeping figure. His snores blended perfectly with the sound of the wind, disguising him from the outside world, just as he had planned. His dark blue wings had curled themselves around his body as he slept, instinctively protecting his blue shirt clad chest from the cold.
Not awakening from his slumber, he rolled over; the edge of the cloud breaking away under his weight. Under his own design, that particular cloud was significantly lower than the others around it, but still high enough to make it look like a stray. However, under the volition of no one but the wind, his makeshift bed had drifted over a lake, leaving the unlucky man with a rude awakening as he hit the cold water and sunk beneath the surface.
When he arose, the first thing he did was to curse the cloud for being faulty; swearing to himself that he would discuss the weather patrols budget cuts with the mayor. The second thing he did was blush uncontrollably at the sound of hysterical laughter that hit his ears.
“Wow Quill, good job there,” said a light female voice. Quill Scratch dragged his soaking wet form out of the lake, the tips of his now useless wings dragging in the dirt. It took a moment for him to realise that he had lost one of his shoes in the confusion.
“Luna damn it,” he muttered as a woman with a mint green jacket walked over to him.
“That’ll teach you to skip out on work,” said his housemate-slash-landlady Lyra. Not far behind her was Lyra’s girlfriend Bon Bon, who had been the original source of the laughter, and indeed, still was. Lyra scratched the tip of her horn that was protruding from her light green hair as it sparked in reaction to the cold.
“But Ink Blot is such a slave driver,” Quill moaned, shaking his wings feverishly in a futile attempt to dry them out.
“I know, but if you want to keep paying my outrageous rent, you’re going to have to go some time,” she joked, grabbing Quill by the shoulder and forcibly turning him to face the lake. “That also might help.” Quill followed the path of her outstretched finger to a spot right in the middle of the lake, where a black leather wallet was bobbing up and down on the surface.
“Celestia damn it,” he muttered again, giving his wings one powerful flap to propel him further into the centre of the lake.
Grumbling as he pulled himself back onto the bank, wallet in hand, Quill walked over to the park bench where his friends were resting and slumped down, breathing heavily.
“Dude, you really need to exercise more,’ said the lithe unicorn Lyra.
“Yeah, you’re so out of shape,” continued the not-so lithe Bon Bon. Quill gave her a look which seemed to let her know what he was thinking.
“Yeah well, as a writer, I don’t really have to be all that fit,” he replied dryly, raising himself off the seat and leaving a sizable wet patch behind. Quill Scratch had initially moved to Ponyville three years ago in an attempt to find some peace and quiet in order to continue his writing, only to be robbed on the way there and left with nothing, aside from a broken wing. Lyra and Bon Bon had graciously offered their home to him once he had recovered, under the premise that he would reimburse them when he had the funds. Since then, he had barely kept up with his end of the bargain with the residual royalties from the books had had written in the past, such as ‘The temple of the Pegasus monks,’ ‘Six sacred elements,’ and his pride and joy, the book that Princess Celestia had commissioned him to write; ‘Super Naturals: Natural remedies and cure-alls that are simply super.’
“Look Lyra, I know you want what’s best from me, but I can’t keep writing fluff articles about the Apple family cider season or Rarity’s new fashion line for fat people. I can feel myself going insane. I need to write something with more bite,” he explained, giving the two girls a look of frustration mixed with sheepishness. Lyra sighed, looking a Bon Bon and then back to Quill.
“I understand Quill, really I do, but let’s face it, ever since you got attacked that time, you haven’t written anything original.” It was true; Quill had been so traumatised by the event that he wasn’t even able to pick up a pen until six months had passed.
“True, but last night I had an idea,” he said excitedly. “How about an epic adventure story about a girl who must find a cure for vampirism as she is hunted to the ends of Equestria by her former doctor, who in reality is a retired monster hunter?”
Quill HAD been expecting an excited look or two, only to receive straight up laughter instead.
“That’s the best you could come up with?” Bon Bon laughed. “That’s terrible!”
“And a little cliché, I mean, Vampire stories are kind of on the down turn at the moment anyway, saturation of the market and all,” Lyra added. Quill considered this for a moment, clicking his fingers as an idea sprung to mind.
“How about a Lycan instead?” he suggested and the girls gave each other a look, before shrugging and nodding in agreement.
Upon realising that his fingers had lost all feeling and were starting to turn blue, Quill headed back to their house in town, ignoring the amused looks on the faces of those around him. In the distance he noticed a young woman walking toward him. If the distinctive purple sweater-vest and black rimmed glasses hadn’t given the unicorn’s identity away, then the sheer fact the she was one of the most famous people in Equestria would have.
Twilight Sparkle raised an eyebrow as she studied him, noting his drooping wings and blond hair firmly stuck to his face.
“Let me guess; the weak cloud broke out from under you and the mayor needs to give more money to the weather factory so they can make stronger clouds,” she joked, her voice deepening as she imitated him. He just rolled his eyes and nodded.
“I maintain that it isn’t my fault.”
“Strange, that’s what Derpy said that time she dropped a piano on my head,” Twilight replied. “But hey, I actually had something to ask you; Princess Celestia made a point to tell me that I spend too much time reading books and not enough time writing them, and since you’re the only one in Ponyville who’s actually had anything published, I thought…”
“Say no more, I’d be glad to give you some tips,” Quill said, giving her a wide smile. It had been Twilight had had discovered his unconscious and profusely bleeding body lying on the road outside Ponyville, and the only person who had come to visit him in hospital, so he felt like he owed her at least that much.
“Actually I was hoping you might be interested in a collaboration, it might help me get into the swing of things better,” Twilight corrected, surprising him greatly.
“S-sure, that sounds like fun.”
“Awesome, how about you come around to the library sometime after lunch tomorrow so we can brainstorm?” the unicorn suggested, receiving a simple nod in return. “Great, I’ll see you then.” With that, she turned and walked away, leaving Quill with a stunned look on his face. All of a sudden he was aware of someone beside him.
“Look at you making dates with the librarian,” said Lyra in a high pitched voice, giving him a wink and a nudge. Quill furrowed his brow and gave her a frown.
“It’s not like that; she just wants some help writing.”
“If that’s the case, why are you standing there looking like you just saw a cockatrice?”
“Because you were right before; I’m still too freaked out to write a single word.”
***
The following morning, Quill Scratch woke up and simply lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. While he was excited to spend some time with Twilight, the prospect of writing any kind if fiction was terrifying. The desk in the corner of his room was littered with pages of half started stories and quills broken in half in frustration.
Quill threw the covers of himself and got dressed, baggy jeans and a long sleeved shirt emblazoned with his cutie mark; a red quill writing in an open book. He made his way over to the window and pushed it open, sighing calmly as the wind brushed against the feathers of his wings. Just as he was putting his leg through the window, intent on taking a shortcut to his morning fly, he heard the sounds of muffled shouting coming from downstairs.
“Use the front door! I’m tired of closing your window for you,” shouted Bon Bon. Quill chuckled at the level of routine that they had gotten used to. Deciding to surprise her, he did what he was asked, closing the window and making his way to the kitchen, where he found a large plate of hay bacon and eggs waiting for him, still steaming hot, something Quill was not used to.
“What time is Twilight expecting you?” Bon Bon asked, ever determined to meddle in his love life. In the past she had tried to set him up with multiple women, which was a nice gesture on her part, but ultimately fruitless. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in women; he just found talking to them extremely difficult. Ironic, given his career as a wordsmith.
“About lunch time. It should leave me enough time to proofread that article on the school fete and get it to Ink Blot,” he replied, referring to his job at the local newspaper. He didn’t mind the work, the sheer fact that it had gotten him back into writing to some degree meant that he was ever grateful to Ink Blot for giving him the position. What he didn’t like however, was that he was always assigned the articles none of the others wanted to do.
“Well you’ll have to tell me all about it when you get home,” Bon Bon said, giving him a sly wink and making him do a spit-take with his cup of tea.
“Why does everyone think that me and Twilight are dating? We really don’t spend that much time together,” he coughed, eyes watering as his body tried to evacuate the tea from his windpipe. Bon Bon just turned back to the kitchen and started to hum loudly.
“Cadence damn it,” he muttered, knowing full well that he had been caught his friend’s trap.
***
“And just where the hay were you yesterday?” asked the gruff voice of Quill’s boss; Ink Blot. His grey moustache twitched as the older man’s mouth curled into a scowl. He suddenly shot to his feet, pointing a stubby finger out the door at one of the staff photographers.
“You, I want pictures! Pictures of Mare Do Well! Go!” he shouted, making both of them jump. The photographer hurried away, leaving the now scared Pegasus alone with his enraged boss.
“I uh… was working on something,” he lied, smiling in the hope it was convincing. Ink blot grunted, sitting back on his large chair and pulling a cigar out of his jacket pocket. Quill felt himself tense up at the sight of the cigar, bad memories appearing in his mind’s eye.
“Look Quill… I like you, I really do, but you can’t keep doing this to me,” Ink Blot said, his voice returning to its usual softness. Quill hung his head low, sighing as he waited to be fired.
“I know sir, and I’m sorry, but I’m just getting so frustrated with the fluff pieces that no one else wants,” he told him, feeling the need to tell the truth.
“I understand completely, which is why I’m sending you to Canterlot to interview Princess Luna,” said the elder happily. Quill paled at the sheer mention of ‘interview’ and ‘princess’ in the same sentence.
“W-what?” Quill stammered, flabbergasted at Ink Blot’s complete one eighty. “But why me?”
“Because you are one of the best writers I have. I gave you the fluff pieces because you were the only person with the skill to make them interesting. Did you know that our sales have gone up thirty per cent since you joined my staff and I don’t believe in coincidence,” he explained, placing his chewed up cigar in the ashtray. “Your relationship with Celestia’s prized student helps as well.”
“Now hold on there, Twilight and I are-“
“So it’s decided; Twilight Sparkle will help make certain you get the interview with Luna,” Ink Blot finished, getting up from his chair and ushering Quill out of the room, ignoring his protests.
***
“How did you get hit in the face with a door?” Twilight asked, placing and ice pack on Quill’s upturned forehead in an effort to help stem the blood rushing from his nose. He had already stuffed a rolled up tissue up each nostril, hoping to speed up the clot.
“Well let’s just say that Ink Blot is not a man open to hearing the other side of a story,” he replied, his voice made funny by the paper intruders in his nose.
“Strange given his choice of career,” giggled Twilight, placing a shirt she had levitated from the bedroom onto the table next to him. “Here, this is one of my brother’s shirts, it might be a bit big, but at least you won’t look like you just went three rounds with a timber wolf.”
Quill thanked her and got to his feet, pulling the bloodied shirt over his head, giving his wings a slight flutter to smooth out the feathers that had gotten ruffled. The white shirt Twilight had given his was meant for a person with a much broader chest then he, meaning that it was large enough to cover half of his thigh.
Just as he was about to put it on, he felt a cold touch in between his wings, and more specifically, the three long, evenly spaced scars that crossed his spine from his shoulder to his lower back. The results of the bandits that had attacked him.
“Wow,” breathed Twilight, gently caressing the lumpy, pale skin.
“Come on Twi, it’s not like you didn’t know they were there.”
“I know, it’s just that I haven’t seen them since they were still open wounds,” Twilight explained. Beginning to get a little uncomfortable, Quill took a step forward and put the shirt on, before realising something was amiss.
“Hey Twi, maybe we didn’t think this whole shirt thing through,” he said dryly, his wings bunched underneath the fabric with nowhere to go. Twilight giggled again, a purple light starting to form around her horn. Quill felt the tingling touch of magic make his back hairs stand on end as two holes just big enough for his wings to fit through were cut out of the white cotton.
With his wings free and the strange feeling of wetness in his nose starting to subside, they sat down at a table in the centre of the library got ready to brainstorm ideas for Twilight’s project. In typical Twi fashion, she had carefully laid out enough stationary for the both of them, notebooks included, making Quill feel very self-conscious about his trashed desk at home.
“Before we start, you said something about needing my help with your assignment at work?” Twilight enquired and Quill hesitated before replying.
“Okay, but bear in mind sections of the story may get a little… awkward.”
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I'll just point this out before I toss this into my favorites... (it's how I track things) Give it a look see later
2244036
Thank you. I don't know how I keep missing these little mistakes.
I like this, it has potential. It is gramattically sound, even though it has a little trouble with pacing. Things happen kind of quickly, and I missed the 'ink blot being Quill's boss' the firrst time you wrote it.
Also, backstory and 'show, don't tell' , but you aren't messing up, so have a
2246685
Thank you very much.
Quick little typo here ^_^
Haha, nevermind lol... Just read entry 20 of the Luna Diaries
2249983
Thanks for catching that.
2250001
Thank you, and I'm pretty sure you can find it. I wrote almost a paragraph as a clue.
2250025
That isn't the reference, but you are close.
Awww YEAH!!
I enjoy human stories, and having Lyra in a humanized fanfic is always fun. She does seem to know an awful lot about humans. I almost wonder if she'd sit like a pony if she were a human? hmm...
Besides, it's got Luna! Can't go wrong there.
2251509
Thank you. I'm ecstatic that you're enjoying it. And if you like Luna, have a look at my other story; The Luna Diaries.
2251665 I already have it saved under "read later" so that I can get around to it once I've caught up on all the stories I've marked. I love this site, even once the show draws to an end, I will still be reading fanfics for years to come.
2251704
Exact same reason I love it.
2251715 I'm glad that I won't be the only brony around in five years. Some of us are just kinda...well...bronies. Ya know? Why stories like My Little Dashie hurt so much is because we know that one day it's going to end, just like his relationship with Dash, and that we will never see this again. I would rather postpone that day as long as possible.
2251742
I think that in a few years we will be self sustaining enough that we won't need the show. We have already started the process by having full fan-made episodes.
2251769 So the Double Rainboom is out? Yes, Hasbro is starting to chew on their nails at this phenomenon that is conquering the marketing world. I hope they drop all those stupid cease and desist orders. Both fighting is magic and friendship is witchcraft have felt the brunt of it.
Oh, well, we are unstoppable!!
2251789
No, double rainboom's not OUT yet, but the trailer just came out. But did you hear that Lauren Faust has joined the FIM team?
2251824 Yes, I did, actually. Their called the mane6 and Lauren has been a brony since before bronies, so of course she joined in!
2253551
I'm so excited. I love fighting games.
2253582 I still remember Mortal Kombat, and after that they started to really appeal!
2253631
I managed to pick up Mortal Kombat 4 for my N64 about a year ago, and it's a lot more fun then you would imagine.
2253662 I'll have to give it a look. I've played Mortal Kombat vs. DC, and that one was pretty fun. I enjoyed whuppin' superman's flank with a good solid can of Baraka. (sorry, but he's my fav.)
2253711
I usually went with Flash or Green lantern in that game.
2253763 LOL! I would regret fighting flash, too many fast moves.
2253798
I troll my friends by using a teleport move just as they are about to hit me. They get so frustrated.
2253905 Probably. I would too, if I was them.
2254127
Did you ever learn how to do any of the heroic brutalities?
2254165 Of course. If your into Flash, his is like this whirlwind thing where he levitates his enemy and uses him as a punching bag at hyper speeds.
Everyone has one, and they aren't that hard to come by. To actually perform it, right, right, left , circle is pretty standard, but not for everyone. Wait until they're almost dead. Wait, yur talking n64, right? I don't remember those too well...I basically only mario karted with that system. That and starfox. 
2254190
No I mean in MK vs DC and the one that I learnt for flash is where he superfast puches from a few different angles and then when they fall over, he super fast gutterstomps them.
2254203 Okay, yeah. I know Baraka's by heart! I especially like the one where he slashes their face twice, then impales them, and finally throws them over his shoulder like a used rag!
2254229
Wow, that's great.
2251088 Hmm.... The part where it talks about Quill haveing the interview with Luna?
2260305
Nope. To be honest, you are thinking too far into the story, its more at the beginning.
Sorry it took me so long to do a review on this.
I guess first thing I'd say to do is to try and find a cover art--that'd help immensely on drawing in viewers. The punctuation could use some sprucing up too--there was at least one or two times you had dialogue for two different characters in the paragraph.
Other than that, seems alright so far--characterization looks pretty kosher, anyway.
Hmmm humanized. This will be new for me lol.