Hi everyone! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry that I couldn't update! I was really busy for the last two days and I just didn't have time. I'll try to make it up by posting a double update today.
I've gone my story and it seems that I can probably fit ten more OCs in. Can some of you give me some OCs that aren't with Luna?
Also, I've got another request for a royal OC. How about I put some rules for OC submission here?
1. Your OC must be a pony, a zebra, or a changeling.
2. No princesses/princes. (Your OC can, however, be a distant relative of the princesses. Like a cousin or something.)
3. Your OC must have a reason as to why they haven't been mentioned in the show before. For example, Skyla wasn't in the show because she wasn't born yet. Nightingale wasn't in the show because she wasn't one of the characters. But alicorn princess would have mentioned some time in the show. I don't want to pull A Canterlot Wedding on you guys. It kind of spoils the story.
4. If your OC has a special power that isn't related to his/her race, then there has to be a good reason for that. For example, Twilight was able to go Dragonball-Z on Tirek in the Season 4 finale because the other princesses gave her their magic.
5. Have fun submitting!
Here's the first chapter for today:
Crabapple takes his lunch tray and looks for an empty table. If there isn't one, he'll have to eat with his family on one of the Soldier Tables. He hates how those adults at the tables would mess up his already messy mane and squeeze his cheeks, calling him cute. But he doesn't want to sit around the ponies his age.
He sees an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. Yes! Crabapple dashes towards the table.
Slam!
"Hey, watch it, you little freak!" a mare about sixteen or seventeen snarls at him.
The mare is pink with a lavender colored mane. Crabapple can't tell if the white streaks in the mare's mane are natural or dyed on. Beside her, a grey mare with a light grey mane done up in a braid giggles.
"Sorry," Crabapple mutters, "I just wanted to get to that table."
"No, you don't," the pink mare says quietly. "This is our table, so back off, you dumb little orphan!"
"Excuse me, what are you doing?" a voice says behind him.
A bright yellow colt with a band of black on his neck approaches the mares. Crabapple remembers him as one of the foals his age in the farming division.
The pink mare turns. "I'm just telling this little freak to back off. Why should you care? You're no better than him. You're just one of the homeless orphans who are dumb enough to help with this stupid war!"
A hoof gently pushes Crabapple aside. An older filly that looks about twelve glare at the two mares.
"I suppose we are dumb enough to help with this stupid war," she says calmly, "But I think that some of us have good reasons to help. But if you watched your mother get killed by Celestia and starved on the streets for months, you'd help the pony who gave you a safe place to live.
"We are the ones that made the food that you're planning to eat today. We are the ones who cleaned your living compartments this morning. We are the ones that made the clothing you currently have in your closet, and the blankets that you sleep with. But if you don't like what we do, then I guess we won't do them for you."
The mare rolls her eyes. "Wow," she says sarcastically, "inspiring speech. But who's gonna back you up?"
A white unicorn filly with a long red and black mane steps up. "I will," she says.
Two cream-colored ponies that looks like twins (except that the colt is a pegasus and the filly is a unicorn) steps up. "We will," they say in unison.
About fifty or so foals step up. The two mares' eyes widen.
"W-well who do you think you ponies are? You have no right to interfere with our business!" the grey mare stutters.
"And you have no right to insult our mother," the unicorn with the long mane says.
Crabapple looks at the yellow colt confusedly. Didn't the mares just point out that the foals are orphans?
"As for your first question," the filly that pushed Crabapple aside says with a mischievous grin, "we are Luna's children. The Children of the Night!"
-Line break-
"Do you wanna have lunch with us?" the yellow colt asked Crabapple.
Said foal hesitates. The group of foals that calls themselves the Children of the Night seems kind, standing up to those mares and all, but really, Crabapple is painfully shy. He hates being the center of attention. But the foals have done him a favor, and it would be nice not to get his cheeks pinched by adults at the Soldier Tables.
"Yeah," he says, "sure."
The Children of the Night, as Crabapple finds out, actually have over a hundred members. He spends most of the lunch hour trying to remember names. Moonbeam, Pound, Pumpkin, Cinnamon-the only names he can remember well is Meadowlark, the six-year-old colt that invited him for lunch, Nightingale, the twelve-year-old sister of Meadowlark, and Libraria, (yeah, she's named after a library) the thirteen-year-old filly that has a floor-length black and red mane and piercing red eyes.
"Don't worry, Crabapple," Meadowlark whispers to his guest, "I don't remember all these names either. Just don't address these ponies by name. Nopony needs to know."
"Crabapple," Nightingale asks, her mouth full of mashed potato, "I know that you have a mom, but how would like to be one of us? Princess Luna would be your honorary mother. You would be a Child of the Night."
Crabapple wonders about this for a second. These foals are the nicest ponies he'd ever met. Plus, it's always very boring at the Soldier tables. He has no friends there his age. Maybe, if Crabapple accepted this invitation, he'd get some good friends.
"Alright," he says, grinning at Meadowlark, who grinned back, "I'm in."
-Line break-
The initiation ceremony, as Crabapple is told, doesn't happen for another week. During that time, fillies and colts that want to help with the war (and there are a lot of them) ask Nightingale, which apparently is the leader of the huge group, for permission to join. Most of the foals get accepted.
When the day finally arrives, Meadowlark stands with about twenty other foals in one of the giant living compartments. It's very crowded, since most members-and Princess Luna-come to watch.
A foal that's about fourteen (Crabapple tries to recall his name- Clock Music?) taps lightly on a homemade drum-a wire hoop with parchment spread over it.
"Hello, everypony," Nightingale says. "Today, we will accept new ponies that will honor our mother, Princess Luna. They will become members-in-training, and in a week, if they prove to be faithful enough, they will become our siblings. They will become true Children of the Night!
Crabapple panics. What if he doesn't prove to be faithful enough? If they accept him as a member-in-training and he messes something up, what would they do? What would Princess Luna do?
Nightingale takes out a scroll. Meadowlark has told Crabapple that the scroll has all the names of the new ponies written down in alphabetical order according to last names. Since Crabapple's last name starts with an A, he will be one of the first ponies to go up.
"Crabapple Apple!" Nightingale reads. A few ponies snicker at his name. Crabapple blushes. Why did his mother have to name him after that particular fruit? Ponies always laugh when they hear his full name.
Crabapple steps up nervously.
"Do you pledge yourself to Princess Luna, to accept her as your honorary mother, to be loyal to her for always?" Nightingale asks.
"I do," he replies.
Nightingale hands Crabapple a scarf with a silver crescent moon on it. "Welcome, Crabapple," she says, "You will be a member-in-training. We will teach you how to fight for when you are old enough to join the army. You will also learn the etiquette of being a Child of the Night. If you pass, you will become a true member next week."
Crabapple nods and goes back to stand with the new foals. He hopes that he isn't trembling as much as he thinks he is. He sees Meadowlark winking at him from the other side of the room.
Good job. Meadowlark mouths.
Crabapple smiles and nods. His smile grows bigger as he thinks about the possibility of the new friendship he's made.
I just established the Children of the Night. (Come, little children...)
Don't worry, the action is going to start next chapter. Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnn...
