//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Birthday Mares (Edited) // Story: Light in the darkest hour // by DerpyEngi and Redd //------------------------------// Luna and I finally made it to the party room where Celestia told Luna to go, it was dark, at least as dark as it can be when a walking light bulb is standing in said room. As I walked further in I lit up a banner that said, HAPPY 289th BIRTHDAY! "Dammit Ori! why do you glow? It ruins too many surprises!" Philomena said as she flew towards me pulling some sort of string. "I don't know, why do you have wings? They fly too much," I answered with a grin "Touche," she replied with a grin of her own. A second later Luna walked in after a talk with one of the solar guards, And philomena yanked the string. The lights turned on and confetti flew everywhere. I covered my sensitive ears from the noise the canons were making as they shot confetti all over the place. Luna noticed my suffering and she unarmed the party canons. I sighed in relief "Damn those things are loud," I said. "Yeah I never liked those things, me and Tia took one out for a test drive, when she fired it i had a headache for the rest of the day!," She said as she took out two earplugs that I somehow did not notice. "Wait, how could you hear me with those earplugs on?" I asked. She simply shrugged as she flew away "Happy birthday Luna," Celestia said as she walked up to Luna with a gift in her magic aura. Oh shit! I need a gift for Luna! But what?i thought, then i got an idea. I poked Luna's left hind leg, as she looked down I pretended I needed to go to the bathroom, she bought it and I ran of to her room. I stopped at Luna's front door, opened it and went under her bed and retrieved the project me and Philomena made for Celestia, but I was pretty certain that Celestias is fine with sharing this with her sister. The project was sphere model of Earth sitting on a small pedestal with a note on the front of it saying, my old home, it was the only memory I have from before Luna found me, I took the letter that was tied to it with a small string and I started to write. After what felt like hours I finished now I looked at a note I turned into a gift card which said: TO CELESTIA & LUNA. Thank you for my new home. From: Ori. I put the letter pack back between the string and the globe and carried them off. I knocked on the door to the party room, a solar guard answered and looked at me like i was some pest but eventually let me through. What is with these Solar Guards? I don't have these problems with the Lunar Guards. I thought. "Oh Ori, what do you have there?" Luna asked I smiled and pointed at Celestia then Luna then at the poster. "Is it a gift for me?" I nodded and took the gift card and pointed at it. "for the both of us I see," Celestia said as she walked up to us. I nodded eagerly smiling the biggest smile I could. as Luna read the note she smiled, not one of her signature goofy smiles, but a small genuine smile. I looked over to Celestia only to see her looking at me suspiciously. "How did you know that my birthday was tomorrow? you seem to know a lot about us Ori." Luna looked at Celestia clearly irritated with the question, "Celestia Morning Star!" She shouted at her sister. Celestia, Shocked by her sister using her full name looked at her with shock clearly on her face. "Ori just crafted a model of her old home and she just gave it to us with a letter that said Thank you for my new home and you thank her by asking her how she knew about your birthday!" Luna said an angry scowl on her face. Celestia's only response was a face frozen in shock. "Did you not think that maybe, just maybe she just made a gift for me and you, noticed my birthday was today and decided to give it to us today! Huh! Did you!" Her scowl intensifying. "Luna I,--" Celestia's reply was cut short when Luna interrupted her "NO!" she shouted even louder than last time, "I don't want to hear it!" Luna looked at me, my ears drooped and my face clearly saddened. "I'm going to my room," She announced to the shocked faces of Celestia Philomena the Solar/ Lunar Guards, the only ones that did not carry a shocked expression were me and Shadow Dagger, who was grinning. Luna stormed out of the room and the Lunar Guards followed. "That was odd" after a while of intense silence Celestia's shocked face turned into a frown, "Shadow Dagger," she said with authority "yes your majesty?" The unicorn stallion asked, all the while grinning. Celestia pointed a hoof at me, "take her away" she said in an angry tone. "What!" "What!" Me and Philomena said in unison. "Of course your highness" he said as he grabbed me in his magic, "where should I take her?" "To the dungeons," Celestia said with no emotion whatsoever Shadow Dagger nodded as he left, with me still in his magic Philomena just stared in shock at what just happened and whispered, "I'm so sorry." Just as we entered the dungeon cell where I would be held I heard Shadow Dagger say, "Perfect," as he through me in and locked the cell. I whimpered "What did i do?" As I began to cry openly. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shadow Dagger's (POV) 1st person Perfect everything is going according to plan, The little rodent almost ruined everything but I managed to fix that by planting suspicion in Celestias mind. Now when Luna succumbs to the darkness Celestia will blame the rat instead of anyone else and eternal night shall reign upon Equestria! though i'm not in it for the eternal night, I will become king! And I shall prove that unicorns are superior to those Mud Dwellers and Barbarians! I will have my kingdom, a kingdom as pure as crystals! "Now just to plant the seeds of darkness into Luna's mind" I said as I began to laugh like a mad stallion, "muhahahaa, Muhahaha, AHH HA HA HA HAAA! Ah... its good to be me." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Luna's (POV) 3rd person Luna was in her room still fuming from earlier in the birthday party Why does Tia not trust her! It's been a whole month! she lay down on her bed, it isn't fair she's done nothing to earn your distrust Tia, "why can't you just trust her Tia?" she asked herself as she began sobbing. As she did she heard a knock on the door, "what is it?" She asked sternly. "after today's events I thought you might enjoy some relaxing tea your highness," The light coated unicorn Guard said. Luna thought about it for a moment then accepted, "very well leave it on the table." The guard smiled and put the tea on the table next to the door he then turned around. "Your Highness if I may" he asked "yes privet...?" Luna Started. "Light Hooves your Highness" he replied. Luna nodded, "yes privet Light Hooves, you may" Luna stood up and walked towards the table with the tea. "With all the respect Princess, but didn't you overreact a little?" he asked simply. Luna stopped and thought about it, it was true, she reacted rather harshly towards her sister for no real reason, so why did she react like that? And why is she so angry about it? Luna sighed "you're right privet, I did overreact, I am just going to finish my tea and I will go and meet my sister to apologize" she informed him. He smiled and walked out with no more words spoken. Luna took the tea with her magic and began to drink, she felt relaxed for a moment, then everything went to hell. Luna felt a splitting headache, she rolled of the bed in pain, she felt her anger amplify tenfold, as her fur turned pitch black. Another guard walked in, "how was your tea?" he asked with a evil grin. "wh,-- what did you do to me!?" "nothing much, everything that was in that tea was cinnamon, sugar and a little bit of a corruption potion," he said his grin not faltering, "now, now don't worry the potion will only corrupt you til you're nothing but a shell of what you once were, actually," he said as he put a hoof on his chin,"do worry!" he said with a toothy smile. Luna was now completely black and her eyes slitted like a lizards "y,-- yo,-- you monster!" Luna growled angrily, her voice not her own anymore. "Why thank you, now sleep," he hissed as Luna started to black out, "sleep and when you wake up you will not be Luna, you will be Nightmare Moon!" he said as he turned away from the unconscious black alicorn and towards the door. as he noticed a orange and red blur speed away from him, growled but kept heading towards Celestias chambers as he wore a mask of worry he ran and kicked the door open. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Philomena's (POV) 1st person As I flew through the corridors of the dungeon, my mind racing to answer the questions that filled my head. What did that creep do to Ori? Why is he doing this? is Ori ok? Did she end up like Luna? I started to fly faster and faster, until I noticed a cell with light pouring out of it. "Ori, Are you okay?" I asked as I slipped through the bars of the cell door. And there she was fine physically fine, but an emotional wreck. "*sniff* What did i do?" she asked her body slumped on the floor still crying "I don't know Ori I,--" I didn't get to finish when I heard some one teleporting behind me. I turned around to see it was Celestia holding a chicken dragon? no... "Ori! Run!" but I was too late Ori had already looked at the cockatrice's eyes. And her feet started turning into stone. "No!No!No!No!No!No! This isn't happening! This isn't happening!" I started to panic, then a sickening crunch was heard, "NO!" I cried but all celestia heard was a loud squack. "The only one who can break a cockatrices' curse is the cockatrice that cast it," Celestia stated Bluntly, as she threw the body of the cockatrice she had used. "Ori?" Ori just looked up at me with sadness in her eyes. "But i don't want to go," she said tears running freely from her eyes. I hugged her "and you're not going anywhere, yo,-- you're not leaving me!" Ori hugged me back "Thank you phi,--" she was cut of her body now fully encased in stone. I started crying "she was my only friend..." I said quietly. "Come on Philomena ,it is done we shall go now," Celestia said as calm as ever. "SHE WAS MY ONLY FRIEND!" I screamed, "AND YOU TOOK HER AWAY FROM ME!" Celestia only stared in shock, her pet bird squawking angrily at her. "HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY TO YOU! you just lost the only family you had left!" I was angry so so angry if heard another word come out of her mouth I would.-- "what is it Philo,--" She was cut of when a fireball shot her straight in the face. I flew away, as far away from that monster I could get then sighed. "Goodbye Ori."