Soon enough, the other fillies and colts in Semiquaver's school began earning their cutie marks. Semiquaver began to wonder, as everypony of that age did, when she would get hers. She had absolutely no idea what her special talent was, and the pressure was on. All of her friends were getting theirs, and the peer pressure was overwhelming.
Earning a cutie mark was important to Semiquaver, but it was never something she obsessed over. When everyone she knew got theirs, she maintained her positive attitude and accepted the fact that she had to wait. Waiting was easy for her, because a more pressing problem arose. Her tiny wings were strong, but not strong enough. She had a lot of trouble flying, and couldn't stay in the air for more than a minute.
Semiquaver voiced her concerns to her parents, who explained that she would get better with practice. Despite their attempts to ease her worries, Semiquaver was anxious to fly better. She tried everything she could think of. She tried to force herself to fly better by jumping off tall things, but it never seemed to work. One time she fell too fast and couldn't stop, breaking her wing.
Camera Flash and Fashion Flair talked the situation over and tried to brainstorm ways to get the flying issue off their little girl's mind. A few weeks after Semiquaver's wing cast came off, a solution to their predicament came to them in the form of a newsletter. "Piano lessons available for children of all ages. Call Mr Breve for more details," read the article in the school paper. Semiquaver's parents showed the young filly the advertisement and waited eagerly for her reaction.
To their relief, Semiquaver grinned and squealed, jumping around the kitchen happily. Semiquaver's lesson were arranged and paid for, and soon it was time for the young filly's first lesson with Mrs Minim. The little filly shook in her boots as she walked up to meet her new tutor, her new books in her saddlebags.
Mrs Minim was a kind-looking, middle-aged mare. She was an earth pony and had a minim rest on her flank. She smiled kindly down at Semiquaver, putting the filly's mind at ease. Semiquaver smiled shyly, and the two of them walked into the music room.
Half an hour later, Semiquaver trotted out of the music room grinning from ear to ear. Her very first piano lesson had been a huge success, and she was bursting with happiness. Seven days later she went back, and the week after that, and every week until the end of the term. She picked up the technique very quickly, and her teacher was very proud. In her excitement over her new skill, Semiquaver forgot all about her flying problem.
Soon it became apparent that Semiquaver's talent lay in music. Her proud teacher organized a recital for all her students, including Semiquaver. The little filly was both terrified and excited at the prospect of showing her new skills to everypony. She prepared excitedly, selecting a piece she was learning to practice until the big day.
A few weeks later, the big night arrived. Semiquaver trembled in terror and anticipation. This was what she had worked so hard for. Some of the older students went first, and they all did very well. This did nothing to help her calm her nerves, as she was younger and less experienced than them. Mrs Minim walked up and tapped the terrified filly on the shoulder, signalling her time to go up. She trotted up to the stage and sat at the piano. She sat in silence for a few seconds to try and still her racing heart.
Semiquaver took a deep breath and began to play. The notes flew around the room, filling every corner with sound. The air vibrated with the musical waves. She continued to play as the audience sat in rapture, soaking in the happiness she channeled through her instrument. As the music washed over the crowd, they felt her emotions through the sound. They felt her joy in playing the piano, her fears concerning her flying, the happiness she felt when she played with her friends, her boundless energy that coursed through the air. Then it was over.
There was a moment of awed silence, then a deafening roar as the crowd cheered. Semiquaver sat on the piano stool as the most amazing feeling overtook her senses, and she felt her body fill with joy. She felt her flank tingle. The young filly looked down and everything seemed to go quiet. A moment passed as the realization set in. She squealed as she rejoiced in her discovery. There, on her flank, was a black semiquaver.
Years passed and it became apparent that Semiquaver was different from the other ponies. She didn't have many friends, and was bullied at times. The other ponies didn't understand her, and didn't want to befriend her. The few friends Semiquaver had were kind, but they couldn't really understand her either. No matter how hard she tried, Semiquaver couldn't explain herself any better than anyone else.
All the other ponies had different interests, and it seemed that nopony could relate to the strange yellow mare. It didn't help that she excelled in school either, that only served to alienate her further. The other ponies called her nerdy and a show-off. Semiquaver couldn't understand why they felt that way. To her knowledge, she had never done anything to provoke that kind of behaviour. The only thing she considered as a possible catalyst was competing in a few academic competitions and receiving high results in class.
It wasn't her fault that she was more intelligent than some, nor was it her fault if the others envied her for it. She progressively became sadder as she realized how her classmates felt about her. Occasionally Semiquaver considered asking Fleur Dessin about it, but her big sister was always too busy with her own issues. Neither could she ask her parents, who she didn't want to bother with such trivial matters.
As a result Semiquaver internalized her pain, and put on a brave face. She put on such a convincing facade that her friends, teachers, family and schoolmates were all fooled. Sometimes Semiquaver even began to believe it herself, and sometimes enjoyed herself and her friends. That feeling couldn't last forever, though, for she could only keep up her guise among friends and family. When she was alone, she became the loneliest filly in the whole world.
Her disguise was so perfect, so practiced, that it became infallible. There was no fault in her armour, no cracks in her wall. She learned to protect her heart, no matter what the cost. Through the eyes of anypony else, she appeared a perfectly normal, perfectly happy mare. On the outside, she hadn't changed from the happy filly she once was. On the inside, her happiness crumbled into dust. She smiled, but it was an empty gesture. She felt no true happiness, only pain.
One beautiful Autumn afternoon in Equestria, when the leaves were turning brilliant orange and a crisp breeze rushed through the streets of Ponyville, a little Pegasus filly was born. Her parents, Camera Flash and Fashion Flair, couldn't be happier. Her big sister, Fleur Dessin, was excited at the prospect of having a new sister to play with. After some careful thought, the two exhausted ponies named their daughter Semiquaver.
The newborn filly had a pale yellow coat, a frizzy lilac mane and big, violet eyes. Her proud parents were bursting with joy, and Fleur was bouncing off the walls. The baby filly yawned lazily, then stared at her parents with her dark purple eyes. A little giggle escaped her, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. She was a tiny filly, but an energetic one.
About two or three years passed until Semiquaver was ready for school. She would be a little bit younger than her schoolmates but that didn't matter. She was nervous on her first day, but her fears melted away with the friendliness of her classmates. Semiquaver made lots of new friends and excelled in school. She was always bubbly and happy, and was the bearer of an infectious smile that beamed everywhere.
The young filly was so energetic and full of life that people couldn't help but notice her. Wherever she went she attracted everyone's attention with her sincere, happy smile. The way she giggled and laughed endlessly charmed her parents' friends, and everyone was her friend. It didn't matter that she was younger and smaller than the others in her class, she was accepted and loved by all, even her teachers.
Fleur Dessin, after the usual period of jealousy, loved her little sister to bits and played games with her all the time. Despite her schoolwork, Fleur always made time for her young playmate and sibling. The two young fillies grew closer every day, and they were best friends as well as sisters. Together they wasted hours of time spending time together playing and drawing. Sometimes when they visited their grandparents, they would play the old piano together. They got a lot of the notes wrong, but it was the companionship that mattered.
Everything was as it should be, and Semiquaver began her life as the happiest little filly in the world, surrounded by good friends and family. In school, she excelled in spelling, reading and writing. Everything she attempted was easy, and even though her classmates were older, she still matched and occasionally passed their marks in school.
Semiquaver was the kind of pony who could be anypony she wanted to be. She had the intelligence and willingness to learn and master anything she pleased. She was outstanding in her schoolwork and enjoyed everything. Soon enough she was top of the class in almost everything, and her teachers adored her. It seemed as though her whole life was set up for her, even if she didn't realize it.
