Twilight found herself in absolute darkness. Her legs were pressed against hardwood on all sides. The musty smell of old wood and stale dust filled her lungs as she tried to breathe shallowly and quietly, hoping not to be discovered. Through the thin slits in the cabinet door, just enough light came in for Twilight to make out the outlines of herself and the few belongings she had brought with her. Her heart beat quickly and irregularly in her chest, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead.

Outside, she could occasionally hear muffled voices and the occasional creaking of the old wooden floorboards as someone walked past. Every noise made her flinch, and her heart skip a beat.

Today was her birthday. Anyone who thought of presents, cakes, and celebrations led a very sheltered and privileged life in Twilight's eyes. For orphans, it was not uncommon to be able to cross their own birthday off the calendar. Who would spend money or time on a worthless and unwanted foal? Certainly no diligent, decent pony. For most, their own birthday was an essentially typical day. Perhaps their friends would spend the day with them or at least congratulate them, but that was all. For Twilight, however, this day was anything but ordinary.

Every year, without fail, Silver would come up with a prank for her birthday. It was his way of celebrating the day. For Twilight, her birthday was a day of humiliation.

A sudden shadow falling through the narrow gap in the door, blocked the light amd made her hold her breath. Someone must have stopped in front of the cabinet. Twilight's ear twitched as she heard a voice.

"Hey Melody, are you going to the party, too?" Twilight recognized Cherry Tart's cheerful voice.

"Party?" Melody sounded confused. "What party do you mean?"

Cherry Tart's voice held a rare excitement. "Silver organized a party in the dining hall. The whole orphanage is invited."

Twilight held her breath. Silver had organized a party on her birthday? That couldn't mean anything good.

"Oh, that's unusual," said Melody, suspicion creeping into her tone.. "Why is he bothering? That doesn't suit him at all."

Cherry Tart lowered her voice. "It's for Twilight. It's her birthday today," Cherry said quietly. "But shhh, it's supposed to be a surprise."

Twilight's stomach twisted. A surprise party for her? And in the dining hall of all places.

"Silver is organizing a party for Twilight?" Melody sounded skeptical. "I thought he didn't like her."

"I thought so, too. I heard he's going to apologize or something," Cherry shrugged. "Apparently, he feels bad for always bullying her."

"Hm, interesting…" Melody pondered slowly. "If I'm honest, I don't know what to think about it. Doesn't that sound a bit odd?"

"You worry too much. Oh please say you're coming," begged Cherryin the sweetest tone.

Melody sighed. "Fine, I'll come. But alas, I have to regret it in the end," She said as she continued her way down the hallway.

"Great! See you later," Cherry Tart called after her, and her steps moved off in the opposite direction.

Twilight remained still in the cabinet for a while, her heart pounding wildly. What should she do now? The party was definitely a trap to pull some prank at her expense. So she would just have to avoid going to the dining hall today, and nothing would happen to her. But what if it wasn't a trap? What if Silver really wanted to apologize to her, and she didn't show up? What if his party was a fiasco because she didn't come? Would the other children resent her even more than they already did?

Twilight took a deep breath. It was a difficult decision. On the one hand, she could protect herself from possible humiliation by simply staying away. On the other hand, she couldn't be sure if this might be a genuine gesture of reconciliation. If she didn't go, she could miss a chance to change things.

Slowly, she opened the cabinet door just a crack and peeked out. The coast was clear. After a brief hesitation, she made her decision. She would go to the party. She had to know if Silver might be serious. She had to be brave.

A few minutes later, Twilight slowly stepped out of the cabinet and blinked into the dim light that filtered through the hallway windows. Her legs were stiff from the long time she had been curled up on the hard floor. With a movement reminiscent of a cat, she stretched extensively and let her spine crack. A soft sigh escaped her as the tension eased for a moment.

She took a cautious look down the empty hallway, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, making sure she was not being watched.

"Be brave, Twilight," she whispered to herself, her voice hoarse from the dry air in the cabinet. A first tentative step brought her out of her hiding place, and she began to sneak carefully through the orphanage's hallways. Every step seemed louder than the last, the soft creaking of the floorboards echoing in her ears.

The hallways seemed to stretch endlessly, like a labyrinth leading to the lair of a beast. The faint light of the scattered oil lamps burning in the dawn cast long shadows that danced on the walls like ghostly figures. So far, the hallway had remained empty, and not a single pony had crossed her path.

By now, Twilight could hear the soft murmur of voices drifting through the hallways. It sounded as if the entire orphanage was already gathered in the dining hall. With each step, her heartbeat quickened, and her uncertainty grew.

Slowly, the large double doors to the dining hall came into Twilight's view. She paused for a moment in front of the doors, hesitated, and once again questioned whether it was a good idea to go into the dining hall. "I can do this," she encouraged herself, clenched her hooves determinedly, and pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted her surprised her. Almost all the foals in the institution had actually come. She could see the faces of Cherry Tart and Melody in the crowd. Someone had even gone to the trouble of making makeshift decorations out of colorful napkins. Some foals stood in groups, chatting animatedly. As Twilight entered, several heads turned to look at her, and the noise level fell momentarily silent.

Silver Gleam immediately ran up to her, a broad smile on his face. "Happy birthday," he said in a singsong voice that made Twilight shiver. "We've all been waiting for you!" He grabbed her hooves and pulled her further into the room.

The sudden attention overwhelmed Twilight. Under the curious gazes of the other foals, she shrank inwardly, feeling smaller and more vulnerable than ever.

"I was afraid you wouldn't come," said Silver Gleam and winked at her. "I've prepared games and even got you a special present." His smile grew wider and wider until it seemed almost unnatural.

Twilight felt a knot form in her stomach. Something was wrong here. She put on an uncertain smile and mumbled, "Thank you, Silver."

"You don't have to thank me." Silver Gleam disappeared into the crowd for a moment, only to return with a large gift on his back. It was a big red box with a white ribbon on top as decoration. "This is for you," he said, placing the gift on the ground before her. "Go ahead, open it."

Twilight looked at the enormous gift in front of her. The red box glowed in the dim light of the dining hall, and the white ribbon was artfully draped. With trembling hooves, she knelt down and began to untie the ribbon. The paper rustled under her touch, and the room seemed to hold its breath, watching her with curiosity.

Slowly, she lifted the lid of the box. She leaned slightly over the edge of the box and caught a first glimpse of her present. What she found inside made her heart sink heavily in her chest. It was a tattered and dirt-covered rag doll. To be precise, it was her former rag doll, which someone had apparently stolen from her room and destroyed.

Her eyes welled up with tears. A mocking laugh broke out from Silver and a few others in the crowd. "Well, do you like your present?" Silver sneered, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"This is not funny at all," stammered Twilight quietly, her voice trembling with suppressed tears. Without another glance back, she turned and ran out of the room.

Her footsteps echoed loudly in the hallways as she ran aimlessly through the orphanage. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her breathing was heavy and uneven. The mocking looks of the other foals and their amused laughter echoed in her thoughts. She would never forget that laughter.

Twilight ran and ran until she reached the kitchen. There, she stopped, her body trembling with emotion. But before she could compose herself, she heard footsteps behind her. Silver and his friends had taken up the chase. She had to find a way out, but the kitchen was a dead end.

Panicking, she looked around and tried to hide in one of the kitchen cupboards. Too late! Silver yanked her violently by her right foreleg out of the cupboard and practically threw her headfirst into the arms of his two companions, who held her tightly.

Silver stepped closer, a sadistic smile on his lips. "You thought you could escape, huh?" he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "But I wasn't finished yet." He raised his hooves to hit her, and the anticipation was written all over his face. He stood tall like a bear and reveled in her despair, like the lousy tyrant he was.

Twilight could only watch helplessly as he towered over her. Years of humiliation and pain filled her mind. Then she did something reckless. With all her strength, she kicked. The satisfying contact was followed by his scream, loud and guttural, as Silver sank to the ground. She had hit him between his hind legs. For a moment, a fierce triumph surged through her. She had fought back. He recoiled on the ground and screamed as loudly as his lungs would allow. His two accomplices grabbed Twilight by the head and pinned her to the floor. Her feeling of triumph disappeared instantly. Her head hit the hard wooden floor, and the air left her lungs with a hard gasp.

After a moment, Silver got up, his face red and swollen, his eyes filled with tears. He glared at Twilight, not with mockery but with burning contempt. "Seems someone forgot their place," he hissed venomously. His left eye twitched.

Without hesitation, he grabbed a knife lying on a brown wooden cutting board in the kitchen. The sharp blade glimmered dangerously in the dim light of the surrounding oil lamps. "Shall we remind you?" His voice was barely more than a whisper, filled with threat and pleasure.

Twilight desperately tried to free herself from the firm grip of Silver's companions. She pulled with all her might with all her limbs, wriggling left and right like a fish out of water. Her efforts were futile. The grip was relentless, and her hope faded with each desperate attempt.

Silver grabbed her left arm and slowly cut deep into the flesh with the knife. The pain was overwhelming, and she screamed throughout the entire procedure. He drew a long red line, and blood dripped onto the cold wooden floor. Salty tears ran down her face and mixed with the blood soaking the kitchen floorboards.

She hoped someone would hear her screams. She wished someone would come to help her. But no one came. No one ever came in time. At that moment, amidst the pain and despair, she swore to herself that one day she would leave this place.

Twilight lay on the ground in a small puddle of her own blood. Her hair was matted, her skin sweaty, and her eyes burned from crying. She felt the world slowly but surely fading away, and her eyes grew heavy. Just as she thought she might lose consciousness, she heard the soft clatter of approaching hoofsteps. The kitchen door opened, and Cozy Crinkle, the matron of the orphanage, stepped in.

"What's going on here?" she called out in a stern voice as her eyes fell on Twilight's lying figure on the ground. Silver and his accomplices hastily stepped away from Twilight. The matron, an older mare with yellow fur and grey mane, knelt down beside Twilight. "What happened here?" she asked, her voice trembling with shock.

"Uh, I'm not exactly sure," Silver said nervously. "We found her lying on the ground like this."

The matron raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "Is that so?" She turned to Twilight. "Twilight, dear, would you please tell me why you're lying on the ground, bleeding profusely?"

Twilight could barely speak. Her throat was raw from screaming, and the pain constricted her voice. She lifted her head slightly. The first thing she saw were Silver's angry eyes. She hesitated for a moment. "I-I was clumsy and tripped. The knife..." The words came haltingly as tears streamed down her face.

"An accident, you say? That looks like a very strange accident." The matron looked Twilight directly in the eyes, as if trying to pull the truth from her. Twilight whimpered softly, too scared to tell the truth.

The matron shook her head, and for a moment, it seemed she might investigate further. But then she sighed deeply. "Alright, if you say so. Let me bandage that up." She carefully helped Twilight to her hoofs and slowly led her to the kitchen door. "You need to be more careful, Twilight," she said as she supported Twilight while they walked. "An accident like this shouldn't happen again."

"Yes, Mrs. Crinkle," Twilight whispered.

Silver grinned as Twilight was led out of the kitchen.

The matron took Twilight to her room and left briefly, returning with a small brown case marked with a red cross. She opened the case, took out some bandages and a small glass vial. With a steady hoof, she began to clean Twilight's wound.

The antiseptic liquid stung Twilight's skin, and she clenched her teeth to avoid crying out again. Her eyes filled with tears.

"It will get better soon," the matron murmured as she carefully applied the bandage. "Try to rest."

Twilight nodded silently, her thoughts swirling. The matron packed away her supplies before quietly leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Left alone with her thoughts, Twilight stared at the ceiling of her room. "Someday..." she thought.

Author's Note

Now we know what happened on Twilight's last birthday. And did I manage to make you hate Silver? I hope so.

Anyone who remembers the original version of the last chapters knows that this segment used to be much shorter... and not a separate chapter. I think it's more emotional that way. Poor Twilight. Hopefully her life will take a positive turn soon.

Remember, I'm an inexperienced writer and English is not my first language, so give me your critique. I love your comments. Thanks also to all who share their theories. I love reading this. You are the reason I keep writing.