*Sorry for the wait, i've had my hands full with schoolwork this time around. Hope you enjoy!*
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"I'm telling you, we were supposed to turn LEFT at the bridge and RIGHT at the central square park! Give me the map!" Turner complained, as he and Quill tried to find their way to the Manehattan Museam Of History. "Excuse me, but who's the traveling writer around here?" Quill asked. "I know how to read a map." Turner rolled his eyes and kept on walking, his hooves echoing on the damp pavement.
"Aha! Here it is!" Quill said suddenly, pointing toward a tall building with her hoof. Turner imediently noticed the architecture, it looked so familiar, almost like..."C'mon slowpoke! You coming or what?" Quill called, snapping Turner out of his thoughts. Turner sighed and trudged into the museam.
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"Now DAT was a good haul." Firecracker said in delight, as she and Ash Brush walked back into the abandoned hotel. "That vendor is just gullible, he didn't know what hit him." Ash ventured, as he stuffed all the stolen food from his saddlebag into a barrel Firecracker passed to him. Firecracker then peered out of the door with a nervous glance down the street, making sure nopony was there. When the coast was clear, she had barely closed the door when a loose flyer blew in.
Ash picked it up curiously. "What does it say?" he asked. Firecracker picked it up and read it. "It's a flyer 'bout da arrival of Queen Ann Lace from Trottin'ham and how she's gonna be at da unveiling of a spellbook dat some archeologist brought in." she explained as she read. It suddenly dawned on Firecracker that if she managed to steal the book, she could sell it to a antique collector and get a lot of bits for her and Ash to live off of. Their whole future could be turned around by a simple peice of knowledge. "Your going to steal it aren't you?" Ash asked suddenly. "So?" Firecracker replied. Ash suddenly smiled. "Will it be risky?" he ventured. "Yep." she answered. "Totally change our lives?" "Most likely." Ash then felt something he's never felt before. His heart that had snapped in two when his brother got hurt slowly began to rebuild at the thought of a new life. He felt stronger, the pain in his side felt sedated and determination burned in his sightless eyes. He turned to Firecracker an simply said "Let's do it."
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Quill and Time Turner looked about the museam, searching for another clue from Wisteria. All they saw was old armor, books, crowns, and the queen of Trottingham. That was cool and all, but it wasn't what they were looking for. As they walked toward the founding of Equestria section (again) Turner suddenly heard a door screech. He turned to see a tangerine unicorn step in, with a small grey earth pony with robotic wings trailing behind her. Turner's heart began to lurch. He began to breathe heavily as thoughts and memories filled his brain. Of Quill being shot, of the scarred unicorn screaming, of his own body being battered and scarred, and of... "TURNER!" Quill cried, helping him to his hooves. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern. Turner lifted his hoof and pointed at the unicorn. "She's the pony we're looking for."
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Everything was going according to plan. They'de snuck in, they're in the display room, and all Firecracker and Ash had to do was wait for the dull and boring speeches to be over. Ash seemed to be more impatiant than usual, wriggling and squirming in his spot on the floor. "Is it time yet?" he asked. "Almost." Firecracker replied, as the Queen finished her speech. Just when all the ponies got up to leave, a pony shouted, "IT'S HER! IT'S A CHANGELING!" Everypony turned to see a grey earth pony and a white pegasus in a fedora shouting and pointing at the queen.
Turner knew the green gleam in the queen's eyes. It had haunted him in his dreams for years since that faithful day. It belonged to the eyes of evil. The kind of evil that changes shape. "Aw well. May as well reveal myself now that i've been discovered." the queen said with sudden hostility. Her horn began to glow an eery green as her body got engulfed in light. She grew taller and more bug like until the evil Queen Chrysalis stood before the crowd. She smiled a menacing smile and said "Go my subjects. FEED!" and a second later, the air was alive with changelings.
Everypony ran this way and that, hoping to ward them off. Ash Brush spread his mechanical wings and headed toward a window as Firecracker ran toward an exit. Quill and Turner ran after her. "AHHH!" Ash screamed, causing both Firecracker and Time Turner's heads to turn frantically.
They saw Ash cowering under the gaze of changelings, his metal wings snapped and broken. Chrysalis lifted his chin with her hoof, studying his dirty face and cloudy eyes. "So filthy, so frightened, my, my what a trooper you are." she inquired, as she moved her hoof toward his head. Firecracker's heart tightened.
She suddenly saw a grey blur run toward the changeling queen. It was that grey stallion from earliar. His golden eyes were filled with rage. "LET HIM GO!" he shouted, until one of Chrysalis' guards slapped him across the face, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Chrysalis continued to study Ash Brush. "Ah, a look of hope not shown in your eyes but in your heart. Definitely a keeper." "NOOO!" Firecracker shouted, her horn blazing a crimson light. A changeling pushed her aside and picked Ash up with magic. "Tooteles." Chrysalis said, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone, taking Ash with her.
Quill ran straight to Turner and helped him up, relieved that he only had a few cuts and bruises. "Turner, what were you thinking? You could've been killed!" she cried, her voice filled with both relief and anger. "I think dat what'cha did was stupid. Why would'ja risk ya life for somepony ya don't know?" Firecracker questioned. "I've never seen that side of you before Turner. What happened?" Quill ventured.
Turner couldn't hold the truth in any longer. "I couldn't let them take him. Not again." he said regretfully. "What do ya mean, again?" Firecracker asked. "The pony they took, they've taken him from me before. Defensless Ash Brush with eyes of hope...gone." Turner continued,his hoof wiping a tear from his eyes. "Wait, if ya know he was taken, then dat means ya..." "Yes." Turner interupted. "I'm Time Turner, and Ash Brush is my little brother."
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*Talk about plot twist! See you next chapter!*
YOU ARE READING
Quill's journal (a.k.a...the journey to the center of Equestria.)
FanfictionQuill is an eccentric Pegasus with a BIG imagination. Being a traveling writer, she's done plenty of wild things, but nothing as big as this! When a mysterious legend is found in the Golden Oak Library, Quill knows that finding the truth would mean...
