Screams echoed through the halls of the hospital, signaling to the other pony nurses that the new foal was about to come into the world. Star Charmer laid back again, trying to catch her breath, watching her husband as he paced back and forth next to her in the room.
" Alright Star, one more push should do the trick so get ready." The nurse patted the blanket smiling at the out of breath unicorn. Star breathed once more and pushed as hard as she could. Charming Thunder watched as his wife screamed for the last time and the sound of a crying newborn foal filled the room.
The nurses and the doctor quickly worked over the foal, wiping her off and wrapping her in a pink blanket. The new mother smiled at the pink bundle and lifted her hooves towards it. They handed her the wrapped-foal who settled into her mother's arms. Charming Thunder walked towards the bed and peered over the blanket to see what his daughter looked like. The foal shifted in the blanket letting both parents see her beautiful white fur and violet mane, curling around her delicate face covering one eye. The parents looked at one another, wondering to themselves how they made such a beautiful unicorn.
"Come on Mom and Dad! We're going to be late!" A little filly bounced down the Manehatten street, following her was a grown blue mare and a yellow stallion looking weary but excited.
"Violet, slow down, you know your father and I can't keep up with you!" called Star Charmer. Violet stopped and turned to smile at her parents with sparkling purple eyes. Her parents couldn't help but smile back. She was way down the street, busy with other ponies, when she saw her parents stopped gazing at the sky.
Violet looked up and saw something hurtling downward towards the big city. She glanced at her parents, hoping they would reassure her but they seemed memorized by the thing in the sky. Suddenly the thing in the sky was visible, a rock on fire, rocketing towards her parents.
Seconds before it crashed, she turned to her parents who were looking at her with terrified eyes. "Mom! Dad!" she screamed as it hit and they were engulfed by the explosion. Tears burned her eyes as well as the force that sent her tumbling away. Ponies began to run and scream in terror of the fire raging through the street, searching for something to burn. Sobbing loudly, she sat in the street, watching firefighter ponies battling the flames, wishing it was a nightmare.
Violet sat in the child services office for hours, waiting for two ponies to come to tell her where she will be living. "What do you mean she has no other relatives?!" A older mare shouted inside the closed door. "Star Charmer and Charming Thunder don't have any brothers and sisters nor any grandparents that can take charge of a young filly like her!" Another female voice shouted back. The door suddenly opened and two mares walked out, hoping the young foal did not hear the argument.
"Violet, is it?" Violet willed herself to nod, "I'm sorry to say that you will be staying at the orphanage indefinitely." said the younger looking mare with aqua colored fur. Noticing the confused filly's face, she reiterated, "That means for the time being." Tears threatened to spill as she looked away, trying to look strong but failing at it.
The mare looked worriedly at the older pony next to her, noticing that ever since the accident, the young foal hadn't spoken a word. "If you need to talk to someone about what happened, we will be happy to set you up with a grief Councilor if you're interested." the older pony spoke with a soft voice.
Violet only shook her head in defiance, thinking no one in this world would understand what she was going through, she lifted herself off the chair and walked out the door towards the orphanage.
Violet sat in class, sitting away from the other ponies like she's done for the past two years. They know she's different from them but can't place their hooves on it. The teacher also knew she was different but she knew why.
Violet knew why they thought she was strange, she never spoke. she hasn't talked since that day her parents died and she planned on never speaking again. The classroom door opened with a bang, revealing two young fillies and the principal to the school. "Why hello Principal Sparks, who are these young foals?" said the overly happy teacher.
"These little ponies are your new students, Miss Sugar, meet Grape and Cocoa." Said the tired yet calm principal. Violet stared at the new students with suspicion. Grape was light purple with a green mane and Cocoa was yellow with a brown mane.
Both had blue eyes which lit up when they noticed Violet staring at them, Grape smiled at Violet which made her frown and turn away from the two happy ponies causing Grape and Cocoa wonder about this filly who seemed cut off from the others.
The teacher noticed the exchange and motion that the two fillies go sit down next to violet, secretly hoping they would make friends with the secluded pony. The new little ponies make their way over to the other pony and sit in the desks beside her, getting out their school supplies.
Violet felt closed in but didn't want to voice her feelings so sat where she was trying to pay attention to the teacher and her lesson on cutie marks. "Hi, I'm Grape. What's your name?" spoke the purple pony, trying to write notes about the lesson. The teacher paused on her lecture and spoke with a smile, "That is Violet Flame, Grape." Grape looked confused at the teacher's words and spoke back, "Why did you answer for her? She can speak, can't she?" Cocoa and Grape both look at the filly with wonder but was interrupted by their classmates.
"She can speak but she doesn't, she's never spoken since two years ago." said a young stallion in the front of the class. "Yeah, she never speaks, not even when Miss Sugar asks her a question, Violet is just weird." Said a filly with a giggle with which the whole class besides Grape, Cocoa and Miss Sugar, broke into a fit of laughter Violet looked down to her desk when tears formed in her eyes when a voice broke out beside her.
"Hey! That's not funny! You never know why she doesn't talk! Do you even know about her? No? Then don't talk about her!" Cocoa shouted over the laughter which made everyone quiet. The teacher smiled and nodded at the pony. "What Cocoa speaks is true, my little ponies. If you must know about Violet, unlike you, her parents died two years ago and know she lives in the orphanage. You would be the same way if you lost your parents when you were six
." Everypony now stared at Violet with surprise. They couldn't imagine losing their parents at such a young age plus having to live in an orphanage while going to school. Violet began to suffocate under the pressure of their stares and jumped from her desk to the door, giving a look back to Grape and Cocoa. "Thank you." The class heard whispered towards the fillies and she went into the hallway of the school.
The classroom was utterly silent as the she walked out then an eruption of whispers engulfed the classroom. "She talked! She talked!" whisper loudly by a filly in the front. Grape and Cocoa smiled at each other and ran after the filly who raced out of the classroom.
Violet sat in the stall of the bathroom, quietly crying to herself. "I can't believe I spoke! And to those new ponies! Plus in front of the entire class!" she thought to herself. Suddenly the bathroom door swung open and two pairs of hooves came into the bathroom.
"Violet? Are you in here?" asked Grape. Cocoa noticed the closed stall door and nudged Grape who now noticed it too. "Violet, you talked. Cocoa and I are so happy you did." whispered Grape to the door. Violet inside shifted, tears paused in their descent from her eyes.
"Violet, you can come out if you want; we just want to talk with you. All you have to do is nod or shake your head." whispered Cocoa. They heard a click and the stall door opened cautiously, revealing a disheveled filly who just had her secret revealed.
Cocoa grabbed her in a tight hug and squeezed. Violet breathed out quickly and reluctantly returned it. Realizing that this was the first hug she's had since her parents died, made her start to cry into Cocoa's shoulder. They stood there for a couple more seconds before Cocoa released her and let Violet moved out of the stall.
"So Violet, is it true?" Grape asked quietly. Violet nodded slowly, eyes brimming with tears. "We are so sorry, Violet. Do you not talk because what happened or do you choose to?" Cocoa asked abruptly, who cringed back at her question, not knowing why she asked but was surprise when she heard whispered, "I choose to."
Violet surprised herself with her speaking and her answer but softly smiled at the two fillies in front of her. Grape and Cocoa were surprised not at the answer but the voice. She had a soft voice but they knew it use to shout and giggle just like other ponies their age.
They talked for a while longer but decided to head back to class. As Violet walked, she looked between her two companions and a new thought crossed her mind. "I made some friends. I made friends and i can talk to them." She smiled at this new thought, knowing she will remember this moment forever.
Cutie marks, branded on each older ponys' flanks marking the special talent of said pony. The lesson became central on this topic, how ponies got them and what they symbolized. Violet glanced at her blank flank with a face of disappointment and fear.
"What if i don't have a special talent? Maybe my parents dying caused my cutie mark to never come out." she thought silently. Her eyes glanced frantically around the classroom spying the other fillies' and colts' flanks, noticing everyone in her class, including her friends, had their cutie marks.
Grape saw Violet's wide eyes and looked at her curiously, wondering what in the hay she was looking at. She followed her eyes and found her own flank with her wine glass cutie mark, Grape met Violet's eyes and whispered, "Are you alright?" Violet's thoughts were interrupted by the question and she focused on her friends' concerned looks.
"O-of cour-rse, I'm f-fine guys!" she stuttered. "W-why wouldn-n't I be?" Grape and Cocoa looked each other and back at the shaking unicorn. "Violet, you are not fine. What are you so afraid of?" Violet's eyes widen in realization. She was afraid, afraid of not getting her cutie mark and being different from the others.
The teacher, Miss Sugar, noticed Grape's and Cocoa's worried looks directed towards their friend. "Is there something you wish to add, Grape and Cocoa?" Miss Sugar asked, cutting through the silent conversation going on in Violet's head. "No, Miss Sugar, we were just wondering how does somepony figure out what their talent is?"asked Grape. Miss Sugar smiled at the question, but wondered why they would be asking, "Well ponies usually find their talent doing something they're good at or what they know how to do."
Violet pondered the answer, "Do I have something i'm good at? The only thing i'm good at is not talking and i have been doing that forever!" She silently shouted. "But why may I ask why you're asking? You two already have your cutie marks." asked Miss Sugar. Grape glanced over at Violet, who looked lost in her mind, wondering if she should tell the teacher or not.
"Well, Violet doesn't have her cutie mark yet and i was wondering if Cocoa and I could help her get her's." Suddenly every pair of eyes were on Violet and her flank. Violet's thoughts were stopped by a feeling of apprehension flooding her senses. She realized that all eyes in the classroom were on her and her flank.
"She's a BLANK FLANK!" shouted a filly in the front, making the whole class laugh. Miss Sugar, Grape, Cocoa, and Violet sat in shock as the laughter echoed throughout the room. Violet sank into her seat, trying to disappear from sight. "HEY!" Shouted Cocoa, "Don't laugh at Violet, you were blank flanks too!" The laughter immediately stopped and everyone just stared at the almost-as-quiet-as-Violet filly.
Violet whispered quietly, "It's okay Cocoa, i don't mind being a blank flank. It just means i can still find what I'm good at." She smiled a fake smile at her friend. Everyone then became silent once more. The rest of the class realized that was their cue to go back to the lesson while Grape peered at her friend recognizing the fake smile and began to question her quietly again.
"So after school, do you want to go try to find out what your good at? It could be anything! Maybe Singing or Dancing or Acting!" whispered loudly by Grape. Violet's eyes moved quickly around the room for an escape but sadly found none.
Violet raced out of the classroom, hoping to beat her pursuers, in the concrete jungle that is Manehatten. She looked behind her in hopes of them being far behind but was met with a sight that surprised her. Her Pursuers were down the street but quickly gaining, Violet willed her eyes forward in an attempt to find a hiding place. What she found was the forest on the edge of the big city, a forest that terrifies young ponies, like Grape and Cocoa.
The Everfree Forest was like her secondary home, besides the her room at the orphanage, this was the only other place that she felt completely safe. She had traveled several times in there, almost reaching the town on the other side, apparently named Ponyville. She sprinted the last remaining feet into the trees, bursting through only to be met by a terrifying sight.
Grape saw Violet jump through the foliage of the forest and knew she must continue her pursuit of the easily scared pony. The only thing that was stopping her from doing so was Cocoa who was absolutely petrified at even the name of the forest. She took a quick look to her accomplice and knew that even though Cocoa was scared she would still follow her friend. They dove through the bushes and quickly found Violet.
Violet stood frozen, staring at some unseen danger, hidden in the deeper part of the forest. She felt bodies beside her and notice her friends had caught up with her. "No, they can't be here! I've put them in danger!" she scolded herself silently while her friends tried to get her attention.
"Violet, what's the matter?" asked a concerned Grape. "What is it? A G-G-GHOST!?" shouted a terrified Cocoa. Violet suddenly began to turn to her friends and as she opened her mouth to speak, a low growl was heard from where she stared. Two white eyes peered out from the shadows, cast by the trees, looking fierce and hungry. "RUN!" shouted Violet and the two friends turned to start but was suddenly pinned by a massive paw that had jetted out from the darkness.
Petrified, Violet stayed in place a couple feet away, staring at the now frantic fillies, trapped under the translucent paw. "A Canis Major!" she gasped internally. A Colossal wolf formed with the paw, shining in the sunlight, now aware of the two young ponies trapped underneath it's paw. Another growl was heard and the wolf began to apply pressure to the paw, squishing the two ponies. Violet began to look around frantically for something to distract the gargantuan wolf. She hoped- no, wished, to find something to make the wolf leave.
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared and a gigantic rainbow filled the sky, making the wolf and the distraught pony look to the sky. The light from the rainbow reflected off every shiny object in the vicinity, making a particular one stand out to Violet.
A sword laid in the grass, a couple feet away from the little pony. Violet thanked Celestia for hearing her wish and began to use magic on the sword to lift it. The wolf, momentarily distracted by the burst of light, now had his focus back to his paw, making the small fillies whimper and cry out in pain. The sword stayed where it sat until a cry from Cocoa drove Violet to lift it with all her might. A purple aura surrounded the sword and it levitated off the ground. Violet smiled and pulled the sword next to her, preparing to swing.
Fear then engulf her heart and made her pause. "I can't do it. I'm too afraid of the creature." she told herself. The sword dropped with a clang. She began to search inside herself for something to make the fear go away. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." she heard echoed through her brain. Violet lifted the sword once again and above her, ready to charge.
"Alright Dad, don't let your words of wisdom let me down!" She shouted out loud which made the wolf notice her and relieve the pressure on the ponies. She galloped straight for him, the sword brought back in full swing, it reached out and hit the wolf on the leg. Pain exploded from the leg which made the wolf lift it in the air in hurt, Violet returned the growl to the wolf who crouched in fear of this tiny but formidable opponent. Grape and Cocoa limped to her side and safely retreated behind her.
"Now Mr.Major, do you have anything you wish to say for yourself?" shouted a enraged Violet who still had the sword pointed at the Wolf. "You attack my friends and hurt them, only to have your leg hit by a sword! I'm sorry for hitting you but you really have to pay attention on who you attack. They were just little ponies who couldn't hurt a fly!" Violet lowered the sword down to the ground. "Now say you're sorry and go back to your family, i'm sure they are worried sick about you." she said at last. The wolf stood and whimpered an apology which afterwards took off into the deeper parts of the forest.
Violet who now no longer had control of the sword, dropped it, her face contorted in sadness and fear. Grape and Cocoa just stood and stared at the brave hero in front of them. "Violet..." She heard her name and turned to see her friends surprised faces. "You saved us! and you faced a Canis Major just to save us!" shouted a shaken but excited Grape. "You use this sword and hit the wolf right in the leg! POW! You even stood up to him and told him to apologize!" Said a ecstatic Cocoa.
"Yes she did." said a calm, regal voice who belong to none other than Princess Celestia, herself. The three ponies gasped at the sight of the beautiful white coat and multi-colored mane which flowed just right. They bowed to the Princess who stood waiting. "Violet Flame, you showed Courage in the face of danger and faced a formidable enemy who threatened the very lives of your friends, your actions will be remembered throughout time." Celestia said to the shaking unicorn.
"You saw the whole thing, Princess?" asked Violet. "Of course, my little pony, I was over in the meadow when i saw the Wolf and your friends. I meant to intervene when i saw you charge the wolf with a courageous look on your face. When i paused to look, you had already struck the creature and told him to go away." smiled Celestia. Violet smiled and stood straighter in pride.
"Violet! Look! Your Flank!" Shouted her friends. Her eyes followed theirs to her flank and there, she saw a sword that looked like the one she used but with a purple flame shooting out from the handle to the tip. "My Cutie Mark!" Violet screamed. "I got it! It's a sword!" She shouted with glee. Celestia smiled and peered at the unique cutie mark as well. "What do you think it means?" asked Violet to her friends who looked on with confused faces. "I don't know." said Grape who scratched her head. Violet looked at Cocoa but she seemed unknowing as well.
"It's a cutie mark to symbolize your ability with swords." said Celestia who scanned the filly's face for realization. Violet's smile widened at the knowledge. She was good at swords, of course, no wonder she couldn't figure out her talent, it was with a weapon! Celestia realized a great opportunity for this young pony. "Violet, with your new cutie mark, it is only fitting that I ask you to come to Canterlot with me and train to become part of the royal guard. Not many places in Manehatten could offer that kind of training to you."
Violet jaw dropped at the offer now presented to her. She could become somepony! She could finally have someplace to belong! She was about to shout yes when Grape interrupted her. "Wait! You want Violet to go away with you?! No way! She belongs here!" Grape glared at the Princess. Violet looked from her friends to the princess. She had to go to Canterlot, it was a great opportunity for a pony like her. But she couldn't leave her friends. She was Torn between the two decisions! If she didn't go, she would be miserable but if she went, they would lose her! "Hold on!" said Cocoa who looked at Violet with wonder and hope. "If she stays here, Grape, she'll be miserable! She lives at the orphanage and she gets made fun of by the rest of the class! It's like asking her to give up on her dream!"
Celestia's eyes widen at the new information. "This filly lives in the orphanage! She would have a much better life, in a home with a the guards." Grape absorbed the knowledge that she would be making Violet miserable, just to keep herself happy. "Violet, don't listen to me. Go with the princess. If your happy there, I'm happy." smiled Grape who eyes now filled with tears. Violet hugged Grape and Cocoa, saying her goodbyes. "Alright Princess, I accept your offer." Violet beamed at the princess who lovingly smiled back.
As the sunset, Violet stood next to the princess who prepared to teleport to Canterlot, Violet smiled seconds before the flash of magic thinking that her life was about to change forever.
