Sierra Nova a message. As I've said to others I am not an editor, and I don't care what others have to say about grammar or spelling. They have a problem with it, they can move on to something else, I write stories, not write for advanced literature stuff, so as I said to others. NO criticism. Do not question what I write. Thank you
Chapter 8:Look Before You Sleep
All day he was working, from the start of dawn to the afternoon the prince worked. Preparing for the storm to come, thanks to the mistake of the town's Pegasus. They had skipped a small drizzle for yesterday and allowed for a sunny day instead. Now they were forced to make it up with a strong thunder storm to balance it all out. He couldn't complain, but he did not like that their mistake now had him outside working to fix the town up before they get hit.
He was heaving old logs, and tossing them into the woods so they wouldn't be blown into any windows or damage house walls. It was after slicing down all the jagged branches on trees to avoid head injuries and puncture wounds should they fly off the tree. Three hours of heaving logs served as a solid work out for his chest and arms. He was sweating, tired, and low on energy from today. He couldn't wait to get home and sleep.
"Finally...! That's the last one. Just in time to see the Pegasus finishing their powerful creation,"Orion looked up to see gray clouds covering the blue sky,"Not bad, but I've seen Thunder Blitz make those by himself plenty of times...!"
He chuckled and kicked the last log to send it rolling down the hill to the dark forest. He let out a strong sigh and shook himself out before he looked around to the town to see the ponies. They were all taking cover as the rain began to arrive in small drizzles to start. He felt the cooling water hit his face within his hood even, while the ground grew wet under his feet. The air grew cooler and the humidity felt stronger as the wind had then began to blow.
"I need to get back to Twilight before the storm picks up strong."Orion turned to rush back to the library for cover and the chance to sleep.
Only to then hear two voices squeaking and groaning, they appeared to be fighting. He looked to his left, and that's where he then found Applejack and Rarity. They appeared to have just finished their clean up and were now fighting before the rain began to hit.
"Oh no! My wondefully styled mane shall be ruined!"Rarity was now in a panicked that made the man roll his eyes.
"You should have hurried up and finished the job already!"Applejack commented on the complaining unicorn.
Orion shook his head as Rarity continued to whine, mope and scream at her mane getting drenched. He continued on towards the library, when it was in fact just to his right. He sighed with relief and rushed over while looking back to see Rarity denying the idea of hiding under a table. Hearing only about Rarity not wanting to get her hooves muddy, he groaned in response. Finally he heard the door open, and Twilight was waiting for him to get inside as the rain pelted him harder.
"Hurry! Get in!"Twilight moved as the prince just made it inside before a stab of lighting struck the sky and rattled Twilight from within.
"Thanks. I just finished work in the nic of time before the storm hit,"Orion sighed and quickly found the couch to fall on before he could relax,"Ugh...! My hooves are killing me...! So tired..."
"I know you went out early to help set us up for the storm, but you could have taken a break you know."Twilight reminded and was given a groan in return.
"I needed to do some work for the place. I gotta protect the ponies of Equestria some way,"Orion unraveled his cloak, but kept his hood on before noticing a missing link in the library,"Where's Spike? He go to bed already?"
"Nope. He went over to Canterlot on royal business for the princess. I'm all by myself...!"Twilight answered only to hear the commotion outside between two friends.
"Well in that case... You might want to do something about your friends out there. They haven't stopped fighting since the storm was put together...!"Orion pointed to Applejack and Rarity outside fighting in the rain.
"Don't worry, I get them. You can get some rest a while,"Twilight offered and ran to the door as she opened it and called to her friends,"Applejack! Rarity! Come inside girls! Quick!"
Orion in the mean time was more than wiling to do just that for himself. He put his hands back and rested on the couch, shutting his eyes to go to sleep. Trying to block out any voices that may disturb him as he slumbered away. Yet he could already here Rarity entering the house, professing deep gratitude for the invitation to safety. He simply turned away and did his best to sleep the noise away, while Rarity simply continued on.
Finally he put a pillow over his head to block her out, and found slight comfort in doing so. Only to suddenly hear a window open before he was being hit with a ice cold gush of water. Orion lit up his eyes and lifted his head in time to take the blast of water to the face. He shielded his face with his hands and fixed his hood before spitting out water. He looked out the flipping window and spotted Applejack messing around with a hose while trying to clean off the mud on her hooves.
He growled and jumped off the couch while the girls watched him with worry. While grumbling to himself, he quickly grabbed and began turning the couch completely the opposite way. He then crawled over the couch and did his best to get some rest, blocking off by the noise.
"Oh yeah... Sorry. He's gonna want us to keep our voices down a bit. O is a bit tired,"Twilight informed Rarity before reading a bit of her slumber party book,"So, I hear there is something about make overs in here..."
Thirty minutes later he could hear hoofs entering the tree library from behind. Orion lifted a pillow up and covered his face with it to block out all noises. Finally he felt himself drifting off to sleep once more, and the idea of being in Luna's realm felt all too good. He found himself within a world of grassy hills surrounded with flowers. With an old looking castle in the distance, but he knew the place all too well as his home he shared with his family.
He remembered all the memories that were shared with his parents and sisters. The rough training he went through under his father's watchful eye and his comrades. The bonds with the warriors he grew up with and kept away from his sisters. Some of those friends were not exactly the most composed or self controlled at times. One that came to mind was even violent and always searched for conflict in all the right and sometimes wrong places.
"Sigh... Beautiful... For a moment you could almost forget this all went away,"Orion sighed and started to walk to the castle,"Tia and Lulu played together in the hall ways... I'd be the one to break them up for dinner. So much has changed..."
"Indeed it has brother... Yet we all still stand strong as a part of it's history..."There it was, the sweet voice of Orion's baby sister coming to his ears.
He turned around and saw nothing, but heard her giggles that traveled all around him. He chuckled and looked around before he then saw a sign from below at his feet. He saw her shadow in place of his and raised his eye brow before crouching down to her. With an extended index finger he aimed it down ward and boop the shadows small muzzle. With a sniffle and a giggle the shadow raised from the ground and faded into black mist to reveal a giggling Luna.
"Your silly tricks again Luna?"Orion commented as he then noticed her growth spurt a bit more.
Her coat was a darker midnight blue, and she looked a bit more grown up even. Her wavy mane and tail reminded him of the black night sky mane their father had. Though hers was more blue and far more beautiful. She appeared to have traded out her blue horse shoes for a pair of silver ones that sparkled like her stars. She had her necklace and crown still, but now she was almost at his chest in height.
"My my... You've been growing up a lot... Suppose you were due for a few growth spurts after a thousand years."Orion complimented as he took up her hoof and rubbed it with the utmost affection.
"Thank you my dear brother... You on the other hoof appeared to have barely change at all...!"Luna tried to compliment while taking her hoof back.
"I will take that as a compliment Lulu. I simply took my time away from the madness of Tia is all,"Orion sighed and walked by Luna to look to the dream sunset,"I needed the alone time. Gave me time to think about what I'm fighting for, and what I was ready to do. Ever since that day I felt like I forgot."
"You are a prince to Equestria. It's greatest warrior to have ever existed, and you're our brother,"Luna took his hand as he gazed out towards the horizon,"You have defended us endlessly, and conquered feats too daring for anything else to imagine...!"
"Yet... It feels like I've gone nowhere with my own life, and what I was truly meant to do before death...!"
"Maybe you weren't meant for death...! Maybe you were meant to live till the end of days,"Luna worried all the time when he spoke in such an ominous manner,"You shouldn't speak like this Orion... Yes you are a warrior, but you are also royalty..."
"But I am the only warrior left...! There are no others from my old group...! They're all gone..."
"Oh really...? Is that what you think?"
A smile began to grow on her face as the sun began to set by the castle. It began to cast a long array of shadows around the area, and brought forth some pony else. Luna looked down, and saw her shadow changing, going down two sizes and losing its wings. It then suddenly opened purple and black eyes before it winked at Luna and looked to Orion with a gleeful stare. He took notice of the silence and looked around to see the shadow suddenly shoot away from them.
Disappearing into the growing shadows with a tiny and ghostly laugh that felt too familiar. The man himself began to smile partially as a chuckle leaked from his lips. He shook his head and looked to Luna as he tightened his hand around her hoof.
"I stand corrected... I didn't know she had survived the last war of Saddle Arabia...!"Orion admitted before Luna giggled and trotted to the flowers.
"She's been watching you since you passed by the Ever Free forest Orion,"Luna admitted as she jumped into the sky and pointed behind Orion,"I must go now! You're about to get a rude awakening!"
"Rude awakening? What is she talking about,"Orion asked before he was then smacked by a random pillow in the back of the head,"Hey...! What the hay?! A pillow?"
"Oh I get it! Pillow. FIGHT!"Came the exclaim of Twilight's voice that shattered the world around the prince.
He awoke to bright lights that flared from the ceiling of their library home. Though shadows fly over his head before he rolled over and fell from the couch he slept on. He groan as he fell flat on his back, getting a good view of the ceiling and a tipping couch. His eyes widen to the couch as it tipped over and finally fell on top of him, blotting out all light. The man's groans turned into flowing growls ans he wiggled and forced his head to the end of the couch arm.
The moment Orion managed to poke his head out from the couch, he saw the white fluffy carnage. Pillows in every direction, being thrown from every direction at him, and Twilight. Rarity and Applejack were in a pillow war that was consuming the whole living room. He was seeing red rather than white, seeing such pitiful mare fights causing chaos in their own friends manage to flip the couch off himself and get up to take a breath and collect himself before he got a pillow.
"Uh... Girls? You think we could tone it down a little bit?"Twilight emerged from a pile of pillow's dazed from the damage.
"She started it!"Rarity was shouting as her and Applejack continued to battle with pillows.
"Well I certainly don't care, I'm ending it,"Orion growled as he began battering both mares with his one pillow hard,'Because...I...! Am...TRYING...! TO SLEEP! AND I! CAN'T DO THAT! WITH BOTH OF YOU FIGHTING ALL NIGHT!"
He laid into the mares with wild and hard swings that made them yipe and cease the flurry of pillows. He spat his words with each hit he through while Twilight finally got her head on straight. She shook her head and sighed before deciding the obvious.
"Maybe we should just call it a night, and get some sleep..."Twilight decided the obvious and best suggestion Orion could hope for.
"Sounds like a plan to me...! No more noise would greatly be appreciated...!"The man grumbled under his breath before throwing the pillow to Applejack's head.
He was the first to slump his way grouchy like up the stairs mumbling to himself. Spitting about the loudness of the mares and the chaos of pillows now all over the living room. He made it to his bed, and could only sit on his bed before seeing the mares watching him. Waiting for him to go to sleep before they could clean up and get prepped for bed. He snorted and laid on his side before mumbling to himself again until he was finally able to sleep again.
He sighed, and found himself drifting back into his world of dreams once again. Only there was no Luna awaiting him in this dream, just a ghastly stench. The stench that was a old warrior he once knew before treachery came to pass. Within a green fog Orion had opened his eyes to, his vision blurred until his eyes grew red and crystal like. Piercing the green fog with their sparkling mirrored visions, and magic.
He looked to the slimy dark green walls littered with bones belonging to ponies, griffons, and yak alike. He felt his feet find solid, yet very rickety ground as he let his glowing red hands push away the fog. He looked down, and was force to see the bones of his fallen royal guard, the crests on the armor marked them as such. The prince let his fists clench in anger he hid well as he listened to the clang of swords that rang his ears. He kicked a skull away and turned to his left to find the source.
He spotted in the distance of the remaining fog, a guard in iron armor in battle with an assailant. Garbed in a green and black lined cloak, he wielded a large blade of bones, the hilt being that of chest bones. Spiraling dragon bones surrounded the metal of the blade itself as it blocked the attacks of an iron sword. A long gray mustache and beard swung in the wind with the enemies movements. Before he head butted the guard, wrapped a hoof around the stunned stallion's arm, and ramming the blade through the guards chest, armor and all.
Orion never looked away as the blade was pulled so gently from the one it had slain. The prince's breath was all it took to alarm the gray ears of the mysterious stallion. Who had then chosen to slowly lift back his hood and reveal his face to the human pony.
"I should have known you would be here...! My mind is the only place you exist in any more,"Orion spoke as black hollow and green colored eyes met his own,"Necrid Ghoul... My old...FRIEND...!"
The old gray stallion let out a haunting dead breath with teeth crooked and sharp. Swiftly the old one lifted his blade, and pointed it directly at Orion as his breath struck the ground. Causing the bones it touched to shake violently like and slowly rise from the ground they rested on. They converged together like a puzzle, putting legs and arms together, and attache them to forming torsos. Skulls reconnected to lower jaws and teeth before also attaching to the bone bodies.
With a swing of bone made sabers flying into hoofless bone nubs, the skeletons were made. The living pony skeletons were rattling their bones before their master and aiming their swords at Orion. The prince simply opened up his fists and let his blade slide slowly from his palm. His eyes switched to focus as all three jumped to the prince with their weapons at the ready to skewer. Only for the prince to tilt his head and bring in a swinging red pillar of crystal blasting through the wall and slamming the skeletons against the wall.
Their bones shattered and separated from their form, falling to piece at the hoof of their maker. Necrid looked to the bones and watched his green magic fade away from the bones like smoke. He groaned and looked back to the prince he once served and lifted up to his back legs. Posing in a heavy attacking pose while Orion rested his crystal blade on his shoulder for a fast slash. He spat and narrowed his eyes as they connected with the old stallion.
"Your dark magic is not new to me...! I know your powers of the undead inside and out,"Orion yelled before he suddenly began charging at the old one,"And this...! Will be no different!"
Necrid charged at Orion with a huge downward slice coming for the prince. Their blades slowly about to connect and begin a battle of mass proportions. A necromancer equestrian warrior vs the prince of Equestria, and a master equestrian warrior. Battling till deathly blood spilled the to the ground and stained what precious soil remained in such a dark place. However such a thing would not come this day, as a blast of shattering glass rang Orion's ears.
Next thing he knew, a strong force slammed into his chest and forced him away from Necrid. Going right through the wall like a ghost and falling back into reality. Before the man knew it he had fallen out of bed and was gripping his chest in pain. A pillow fell gently on his head before he grabbed and tossed it. He growled and stumbled to his feet, rubbing his chest to find the bedroom in chaos.
A tree was rammed right through the window and covering a third of the bedroom. Twilight was in a mess of tree branches and brush, while Applejack was trying to push the tree out. Rarity on the other hoof was simply putting books back, BOOKS of all things!
"What the hay just happened?! I go to sleep for five minutes and already there's a tree through the window!"He fixed his hood and hollered as Twilight poked her head out again.
"I know right! I don't see a tree being in the book of slumber parties any where!"Twilight yelled as she skimmed through her manual to slumber parties.
"What the hay are you doing Rarity?! We have a TREE in our house!"He roared at the perfection crazy unicorn.
"Applejack started it! She just brazenly broke off the branches rather than gently trimming them back!"Rarity argued while putting more books back on the shelf.
"Will you stop trying to pertify everything and help me!?"Applejack yelled as Orion kindly sliced the jagged top of the tree clean off.
"Applejack! Rarity and you are correct, but now we need you both to do what must be done,"He cracked his back and lifted up the tree to even it up with the window,"Clean up the branches around the room!"
Applejack thought about it, and worried that it was too minor a detail, but when Orion means it, he means it. She nodded and quickly began cleaning off every part of the floor littered with water and branches. Orion began moving the tree towards the window and looked back to Rarity. He growled at her lack of attention to the important thing here, and scooped a book up. He tossed it, and smacked Rarity in the head before he had her full attention.
"YOU! Applejack has the minor issues taken care of. Shorten the remaining branches here that you missed and help me!"He demanded as branches met the windows and had the prince in a struggle.
Rarity sighed and threw down the book before running to the prince. Only to stop when meeting a muddy puddle under the tree. With a flash of magic she managed to take care of the branches by turning them into pony bushels. Now she was met with her worst fear, the filthy mud and grime, she could not believe what she was forced to do. It took only a mean glare from the man before she was slowly dipping down into the mud and helping him shove the tree out of the house.
She whimpered being all muddy and gross, but it all paid off as the tree was finally heaved out of the house. Applejack herself gathered the remains of the tree and began chucking them out. With Rarity and Orion's help, they all checked out the branches and wipe up the water. Applejack was almost about to buck a hanging piece of branch stuck to the window. A stare from Rarity managed to relax the earth pony and get her to be detailed and gentle.
An hour later, everything was returning to normal, and once again Orion was on the couch. Being forced to be a part of the slumber party, but at the least he could rest without being disturbed. Yet he chose to leave an eye open and watch the mares getting along. All it took was a peak into another pony's world for two different beings to understand each other. He smiled and watched them all laugh and smile at each other with their issues buried, and friendship growing stronger.
In the end, the three mares were playing guessing games and having the time of their lives. Orion couldn't help but smile at the sight he was seeing. After all that drama Rarity and Applejack were actually being tolerable of each other. "About darn time" He thought to himself.
Applejack and Rarity were sitting beside each other and were trying to guess what Twilight was thinking about, but their efforts were in vain. "Is it... a six-legged pony with a purple polka-dotted mane and shootin' stars comin' out of his eyes?" Applejack guessed with an sigh.
"Who flies through the air all over the world to hide magic, sparkly eggs?" Rarity said with hopeful eyes. Twilight who was quiet the entire time finally relented.
"That's it!" Twilight said with a smile. Applejack and Rarity's faces shot up with excitement.
"IT IS!" They both said in unison. Twilight chuckled at the twos excitement.
"No, its not," Twilight laughed,"But it was just so nice to see you two finally getting along, I wanted you two to be able to win together," They all laughed with happiness as Orion simply rolled his eyes with a smile.
"I officially declare my first slumber party a success!" Twilight said with excitement.
Applejack and Rarity cheered and stomped their hoofs. Twilight got a quill and a piece of paper out and began writing what she has learned tonight with her friends.
"Dear Princess Celestia. It's hard to believe that two ponies who seem to have so little in common could ever get along. But I found out that if you embrace each others differences, you just might be surprised to discover a way to be friends after all." Twilight finished with a proud smile on her face.
"So, who's up for another slumber party tomorrow night? How about a week from Thursday? Oh, how about two weeks from Saturday? A month from now?" Twilight said quickly with excitement.
Orion rolled his eyes, while Applejack and Rarity laughed heartily at their friends antics. Orion was finally able to shut his eyes and get the quality sleep he was hoping for all night.
"If you're aching for another Slumber party. You better take it to some pony elses house...!"He announced before finally going to sleep.
Hey every pony, well I know this story has been a long time coming but here it is, I hope it isn't too short, but this story has been hard to do. I even needed the help of a good friend to feed me some transcripst and a bit of writing to finish this. Give Billykilly some love for helping me write this small but sweet chapter, and if there are any out there with skill in writing, I wouldn't mind some help with this one, but it's your choice. Stay pony every one.