//------------------------------// // Acceptance // Story: Spirit // by Crystal Shard //------------------------------// Alright let's start off, first i own nothing My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Chapter 1 Adoption day It was early morning in Canterlot as two mares walked up both smiling as they got closer to their goal, one a grey earth pony with a black mane, the other a white unicorn with an electric blue mane. “I can’t believe we’re going to actully do this.” the earth pony said, excited and nervous at the same time. “Why not we would both be totally awesome parents.” the unicorn said, as she looked at her friend. “Come on Octy we got this in the bag.” “Vinyl this isn’t like any of are shows, this is a living pony we’re talking about, we really don’t know what we’re getting into, I mean will they like us, will they grow up to hate us, will we.” Octy didn’t stop until Vinyl grabbed her and started to shack her slightly “Octavia listen to me, you have to calm down.” Octavia calmed down slightly but Vinyl kept shaking her. “Everything is going to be alright, we’re going to make this work.” “Alright I’m calm you can stop.” “We’re going to rock as parents and our foal is going to be super awesome.” “Alright I get it,…. You can stop shacking me now.” “But it’s so much fun.” Vinyl said, with a smirk as she started getting Octavia to smile slightly. “Oh ha-ha, I bet you’ll have the dear sweet foal we adopt corrupted before the end of our first day of adopting them.” “So what are you hopping for?” “What do you mean?” “I mean a colt or filly.” “I hardly see what that matters.” “Oh so it doesn’t matter to you?” “Why? Does it matter to you?” Octavia looked at Vinyl who seemed to blush slightly. “Not really, I mean if it’s a girl I’m sure you could help her with all that etiquette stuff, and teaching her how to be a proper mare.” “And I’m sure you could teach her how to grow up and be a really awesome DJ.” “Well yeah, but I mean if it’s a colt.” “Vinyl are you scared of adopting a colt?” “No,… of course not, I’m not scared of anything,…. It’s just we know more about fillies then we do colts and I figured it might be better if.” Octavia stopped Vinyl and looked her friend in the eyes. “Vinyl listen to me, colt or filly we aren’t going to know what to expect, we know a few of the major things with both but no pony knows everything, as long as we love the foal and do are best to teach them right from wrong,… Maybe I’ll teach them right from wrong, you teacher them how to get out of trouble.” Vinyl smirked slightly knowing that Octavia was joking with her. “Deal.” “Then I’m sure they’ll grow up to be a great pony, Mare or Stallion.” with that the two started to walk once more before Vinyl looked at Octavia and smiled. “So are you happy that we’re finally doing this?” “I couldn’t be happier.” with that the two reached their destination and smiled as they walked into the Prince Blue Blood orphanage. They had expected many things foals running around playing, adult ponies loosing their minds, even a school kind of environment, but as they entered they found the entire place more like a strict juvenile hall all the foals dressed in uniforms walking around in single file lines, in halls as white as Blue Blood’s coat. “Oh I see we have guest, foals, we have guest.” with that all the foals turned and looked at Vinyle and Octavia their eyes seemed almost like voids. “Please to meet you.” all the foals said in unison sending chills down the two mare’s spines. (*1) “This is totally creepy.” Vinyl whispered, as she leaned close to Octavia. “Agreed, what’s happened to all of them.” before Octavia got an answer Vinyl’s ear twitched slightly and turned her head. “You hear that?” Vinyl asked, as she started to walk down one hall. “Hear what? Vinyl where are you going?” Octavia followed her long time friend, and house mate, down a hall, both being followed by one of the caretakers of the orphanage, until they reached a door where the caretaker quickly rushed in front of them and blocked it with her body. “Sorry you can’t go in there.” “And why not?” Vinyl asked, as she gave the pony blocking the door a confused look. “This is are silent room, naughty little foals get sent here, and are punished for breaking the rules.” with that Vinyl looked at the pony. “Excuse me, but we are interested in adopting a foal, and shouldn’t the foals that are in trouble currently have just as equal of a chance to get adopted as those that aren’t.” Octavia said, as she looked at the pony who shook her head. “Sorry rules are rules.” While Octavia was slightly shocked by this turn of events Vinyl was more angered by it. “And who makes up these rules?” “Our founder, he makes the rules and we have to follow them.” with that Vinyl nodded and then looked at Octavia, slightly stunned by this information, as well she stepped aside to let Octavia try to reason with the mare before them. It had become a kind of agreement between the two first Vinyl would let Octavia have a chance to reason with who ever was bothering them, and if that failed Vinyl would convince them to listen to reason. (*2) “So you’re saying, that because a few foals get into trouble, we can’t see them, to adopt them.” Octavia asked, trying to get the mare to see the error of this rule and hope that once she was able to start up this conversation she would be able to lead it in a direction that would help her better. “Oh it’s only one foal, a colt, by the name of Spirit, but he has been quite a hand full,… well ever since he’s been here.” “Oh I see, and just how long has he been here?” Octavia asked, smiling knowing that she was just given two chances to win this argument, one because it was only one foal, and two they might make an exception to the rule, so they wouldn’t have to deal with the colt anymore. Ignoring the voice in the back of her head trying to warn her that the foal might be to much for even her and Vinyl. “About five years now, but he refuses to follow the rules.” “And just which rules does he break.” Vinyl spoke up only to stop short of going into a rant as Octavia put a hoof on her shoulder. “Well mostly proper table manners, remaining clean, and music.” “Wait your founder has banned music?” Octavia shocked by this, to ban music form a child in both her eyes and Vinyl’s was just short of a crime to pony kind. “Oh heavens no, we have music but only classical music, none of that new trash that you hear now a days.” Octavia winced slightly as she slowly turned and saw Vinyl clearly angered by the last comment from the mare before them. “TRASH!? I’ll have you know a lot of that music has very dedicated ponies putting their hearts into it.” with that the caretaker rolled her eyes. From the other side of the door the sound of a piano playing could be heard getting a surprised look on the caretakers face. While both Vinyl and Octavia smiled, it was a pleasant melody being played. “Th-that’s not possible.” with that the caretaker turned and opened the door nearly being knocked back by the very volume that erupted once she opened it the door, but as the sound slowly started to die down Vinyl and Octavia looked into the room to find a faded lavender blue coated unicorn colt with an ice blue mane sitting in the middle of the room, horn glowed and a haunting piano melody coming from thin air. “Time flows Nobody knows The years go by Where we go Alone from here night falls stranger colored walls My eyes perceive what is wrong with me Deep in the night you think everything’s alright Tell it to yourself, say it’s just a nightmare Something is telling you Nothing can change where you are, again Why should it matter my dreams have all gone Innocents is gone only fear resides here Faces keep are changing but nothing changes the pain to late” The melody remained haunting as Vinyl and Octavia walked into the room and looked at the colt as he stood up and then kicked up on his hind legs and started to dance slightly to the melody. Vinyl looked at Octavia and could see the smile on her face, while Octavia pointed at the Colt’s eyes getting Vinyl to look and see that they where closed. “Two steps I take getting closer and closer And one more breath I take sends me further back Aahhhh, aaahhhhhh Aahhhh, aaaahhhhhh. Over and over it calls to my soul Say it isn’t so Emptiness surrounds me no one can help if the angles refuse to come here.” “GET YOUR FLANK BACK IN THAT CORNER!!” The music stopped abruptly as the colt opened his eyes and stumbled backward crashing into Vinyl before landing on his flank. As he scrambled to his hooves he looked at Vinyl and then Octavia and his face turned beat red as he lowered his head in shame. “What did I just tell you, get that flank in the corner or you’ll get another six strokes.” both mares looked at the pony yelling and saw a stern looking Unicorn, with a white coat and a black mane, looking coldly at the colt as he ran to a corner and sat down with his head facing it, then looked at them warmly. “Well you two must be the two looking to adopt one of our more well behaved and less foolish foals. Allow me to introduce my self, my name is Hard spoon, and I am the head mistress of this orphanage” “Yes please to meet you, and we wanted to give a foal a good home, and make sure that they’re happy.” Octavia said, as she addressed Hard spoon “Oh well by all means we have a long list of well behaved and well mannered foals that don’t go around making total fools of them selves.” Vinyl and Octavia knew that this line and the previous wasn’t really directed to them, but to the young colt sitting in the corner. “All the foals here know that they should be seen and not heard, they will only speak when spoken to, and most importantly have been well educated in proper manners and etiquette, something I can see you care about a lot miss.” Hard Spoon said, as she looked at Octavia. “Well yes that is very nice to know, but I think we have already made are choice.” with that the head mistress was stunned as she looked at both mares. “I’m sorry I was unaware that you had already been shown around, may I ask what little darling you wish to adopt today.” with that both mares looked at each other and then pointed at the colt sitting in the corner. “Him!” Hard spoon was almost stunned as she looked at the colt sitting in the corner that was even more shocked as he sat up straight and ear’s shot up and started to listen. “But Spirit is nothing but a trouble maker, a foolish little show off, and most of all did you not notice what he was doing, most unbecoming of any civilized pony.” “What singing?” Vinyl asked, as she looked at Hard Spoon, though is she could see past the DJ’s glasses she would see the contempt that Vinyl had for her. “No that thing with his hind legs, it’s so unnatural.” “Hey I’ll have you know a friend of ours likes to do the same thing.” “REALLY!?” Spirit turned around and looked at the two only to turn back around and shiver slightly as the Hard Spoon shot him a cold glare. “I’m sorry he can’t be adopted today, as I’m sure my caretaker has already informed you, he’s being punished for breaking the rules, and are provider has a strict rule about naughty non obedient little foals shouldn’t be give a reward like a loving family.” “What kind of rule is that, it’s cruel and wrong.” Octavia said, as she looked at the principle. “Those are the rules of the provider of this orphanage, and I will not break them.” “Yeah will see about that, Octy you hold down the fort while I go have a talk with a pony, I’ll be back in a few hours.” with that Vinyl walked away. “Vinyl what are you going to do?” “You’ll see.” “Promise me no fires.” “Not if they listen to reason.” “Vinyl!” As the white unicorn ran off down the hall and out the orphanage. Hard spoon turned her attention toward Spirit. “As for you, I warned you what would happen the next time you broke a rule, and instead you break three, so that’s three times the punishment.” As Hard spoon levitated a yard stick towards her, Octavia ran over and stood between her and Spirit. “Don’t you dare.” Octavia’s eyes narrowed, as she glared at the principle. “I’m not going to let you harm one hair in his mane.” with that Hard spoon returned Octavia’s look and then noticed the colt behind her almost stunned at the fact that any pony would ever protect him. Octavia stood her ground and kept Spirit safe from the wrath of the cruel head mistress well past night fall, and as the colt started to doze off he laid down next to Octavia and smiled softly. “You get some rest, I’ll stay right here.” Octavia said, as she stroked Spirit’s mane getting the colt to smile softly. “A-are you really going to take me home with you?” Spirit asked, slightly scared the response might be no. “That’s our intent.” Octavia said, as she smiled at Spirit who tried to keep his eyes awake not wanting to close them in fear that he might find this to all be a dream. “Want to hear some music?” Octavia didn’t even answer before Spirit’s horn started to glow and the room was filled with a melody that started out sadly, but as the sound of a saxophone reached Octavia’s ears a smile spread across her face, but was slightly shocked as she looked down and could see two small illusions of ponies dancing a little ways away. “That’s amazing.” Octavia said, as she looked at Spirit, just before the tune started to fade away as Spirit’s horn started to dim. “Please,… please don’t go.” Spirit pleaded weakly just before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.