Valiant Effort

--5 Years Later--

"Mom, Mom its the first day of school!" Valiant Effort exclaimed excitedly from his bedroom. It was a small bedroom painted in a very dark blue almost black color, space themed with glow in the dark stars Valiant and Isabelle had stuck to the ceiling with a large moon shaped light that changed phases in the night.
"Val, We don't need to leave for another hour, go back to sleep," Isabelle replied from her room.
Valiant was too excited to go back to sleep, he hopped out of bed giving his little black wings a flutter (even though they did nothing to slow his descent) before landing on the soft carpet of his room. He looked over to his saddlebags that were pre-prepped from the night before, the saddlebags never fit Valiant correctly so the straps that held them on were slightly modified. Valiant picked up his small drawing sketchbook off of the carpet he had fallen asleep drawing again and it had slipped from his grasp along with the pencil he had held. Unlike other pony-folk he could actually HOLD items in his claws, only unicorns had such a talent being able to hold things with magic, other ponies had to use special tools and modified horse shoes to hold things correctly. Valiant loved to draw, he had drawings pinned all over his bedroom door. Drawings of himself, drawings of creatures he had made up, and one big drawing he had spent several days on of himself and Valorous and Isabelle running together through a big field with smiles on their faces, the drawing was surprisingly accurate despite Valiant's age, he had even heard Isabelle whispering to Valorous that drawing was his special talent although Valiant wasn't quite sure what that meant. He placed the sketchbook in his saddlebags and sat on the carpet.
"I wonder if I can make any friends at school?" Valiant pondered. "Maybe I can draw pictures of them," Valiant's eyes lit up. "MAYBE somepony can draw really good too and we can be drawing buddies! We can make a club and everything it will be great!"
"Valiant! Breakfast is ready!" Isabelle called.
"Coming!"

Isabelle rubbed the morning from her eyes.
"First day of school, better make Val a big breakfast, he's going to need it," She said to herself.
Isabelle turned over expecting to see Valorous but where he should have been was an just empty bed space. Isabelle sighed.
"First day of his son's school and still rushing off to work, you would think that the royal guard would at least get a late start for their children," she grumbled getting up from bed.
Looking at the vanity Isabelle preened her feathers and straightened her fur giving her tail a swift flick to start the day.

Valiant ran into the kitchen where the carpet turned into tile and his front claws made soft clicks and his back hooves made clops.
"I made you a big omelette Val, since its your first day of school I'll let you have the whole thing this time," Isabelle said smiling to her young hybrid.
"Really?! The whole thing?" Valiant said excitedly bouncing on his claws and hooves.
"Yes, as long as you don't eat it too fast and get sick, that would ruin your first day," Isabelle cautioned.
"I won't!" Valiant promised jumping onto a chair to see the omelette.
It was big alright, at least for Valiant's size. The omelette left a small steamy haze above it as it sat on the green plate Isabelle had placed it on. Valiant loved his mother's omelettes, she always made them just right. The omelette was cooked to a slight golden brown with diced tomatoes and onion cooked into it and a nice thin slice of cheese melting on top. Valiant remembered the time Isabelle tried to teach him how to make his own omelettes, he tried to flip the omelette without a spatula like his mother did but only ended up hitting himself in the face with a hot omelette. Valiant smiled at the memory. He picked up a fork lying next to the plate and dug in.

After giving Isabelle the dishes left behind from Valiant's breakfast, Valiant ran back to his room.
"We need to leave in a few minutes!" Isabelle called after him.
Valiant grabbed his saddlebags and ran back to his mom.
"Is dad going to walk with us to school?" Valiant asked.
Isabelle sighed.
"I'm afraid not Val, he rushed off to work this morning as always," Isabelle said.
Valiant hung his head.
"They were going to be soo impressed," Valiant said to himself.
"Who was?" Isabelle asked.
"The kids at my school, seeing me being walked to school by a royal guard, they would think I was royal or something,"
Isabelle laughed.
"There is no need to worry about that Val, you can impress them with your amazing drawing skills," Isabelle reassured him.
Valiant lit up.
"Yeah, I had an idea for a club of me and my friends!" Valiant exclaimed.
"You have to make the friends first," Isabelle reminded him.

Valiant put on his saddlebags and walked out the door with Isabelle. Canterlot Elementary School was just a few miles away. Doors to other homes opened up and stallions and mares began to walk along the sidewalks with their fillies and colts. As Valiant and Isabelle passed a red bricked home the door opened up and a small white unicorn filly ran out to greet them.
"Hi, I'm Dizzy Spell!," the white filly exclaimed excitedly.
"Hi," Valiant said shyly backing behind Isabelle.
"Cool costume, too bad its not finished though because I can still see the rest of you," Dizzy Spell giggled.
"What costu-" but Valiant was cut off by a call coming from the house the white filly had burst out from.
"Dizzy!" the voice called.
Valiant, Isabelle and Dizzy Spell turned to see a light blue unicorn mare come from the house and apologize to them.
"There you are, I'm sorry if she caused any trouble, she's just so excited," the mare said, "We just moved into the neighborhood and Dizzy here is trying to make new friends,"
"Oh, its no trouble at all," Isabelle said with a little laugh, "My son is trying to make friends to, right Valiant?"
Valiant peeked his head out from behind Isabelle at the mention of his name.
"Oh, what a cute hatching you have and with such a brave name," the mare said with a huff on the word "brave".
"He's just a little shy is all," Isabelle said stepping away from Valiant blowing his cover.
When the mare got a full look at Valiant she blinked in confusion as if her eyes were deceiving her but regained her composure quickly.
"Isn't his costume cool mom?" Dizzy Spell said.
The mare looked down at Dizzy Spell as if unsure to protect her or let this play out.
"Yes, it sure is, now we need to get you ready for school or you'll be late," the mare said rushing Dizzy Spell into the house.
When the door shut behind them Valiant looked back to Isabelle, she didn't look too happy.

Isabelle watched as the door shut behind the mare and her filly. She didn't get the name of the mare but she was sure she wasn't going to like her. The way she looked at Valiant with the slightest tinge of disgust just set her off. Isabelle glared at the door they had come from for quite some time before realizing Valiant was watching. Any form of anger melted from her face as she looked down to her hybrid child. Isabelle gave him a smile.
"Come on Val, we got to go or you'll be late"

Valiant and Isabelle approached the Canterlot Elementary School, other mares and stallions rushed their young fillies and colts into the building. The double doors leading into the school intimidated Valiant.
"Mom, I'm scared," Valiant admitted
Isabelle looked down at Valiant, he was beginning to tear up.
"Val, whats wrong?" Isabelle asked covering Valiant with a wing pulling him close.
"That filly earlier, Dizzy something," Valiant said through choked tears.
"Dizzy Spell," Isabelle corrected him, "what about her?"
"She said I had a cool costume, but I'm not wearing a costume," Valiant said, small tears streaming down his face, "am I weird?"
"No, no Val your not weird at all," Isabelle comforted him, "your valiant just like your name, you need to prove to those fillies and colts in there that you can be valiant,"
"but I've never seen any other fillies and colts like me, and their moms and dads are both ponies. My mom's a gryphon and my dad is a stallion."
"Val, that's what makes you special you're not like everypony else, in fact nopony is like everpony, they may look the same and act the same but everypony is unique in their own special way, you can just be yourself and if that's not good enough for them then they don't deserve to be your friends. Besides its only the first day you shouldn't cry you have friends to make, today is going to be great,"
"Thanks mom," Valiant said reassured, wiping the tears from his eyes.
Isabelle gave Valiant a tight wing hug and they walked into the school together.

Isabelle pushed open the doors to Canterlot Elementary for Valiant. The school was deceptively large on the inside despite it's small outer appearance. Directly across from the entryway was the cafeteria where all the fillies and colts were being gathered and told where their teacher's rooms were. Isabelle hoped that was the last time that she would have to give a reassuring speech to Valiant, sure it cheered him up, and Dizzy Spell said they had just moved in, but Isabelle had hoped he could just go through school like any other colt would, make lots of friends and have a good time. Maybe that was just hoping for too much.
"Lets go meet your teacher Val," Isabelle said.

Valiant and Isabelle entered the Cafeteria through the double doors. Mixed and mashed conversations hit them like a Sonic Rainboom, it was loud in there. Isabelle recognized lots of the parents and their fillies and colts as the ones who lived on their street and around the neighborhood. In here almost everypony had seen or heard of Valiant, there were however some families she did not recognize. As Isabelle looked around the room, the families she did not recognize gave her looks of interest or questioning glances, as if they weren't sure what to think of a gryphon. When they saw Valiant however some had gaping mouths or widened eyes with shocked looks. Isabelle gave one of the mares in an unknown family a sharp glare at her disgusted look, she quickly turned away and hugged her filly tight as if Isabelle would snatch her away. Valiant appeared to be enjoying the barrage of conversations echoing all around them, at the house it was usually quiet with Valorous working all the time, and he recognized lots of the fillies and colts from his street. Valiant waved at the ones he recognized, and a few of them waved back, some must not have seen him.

Isabelle could feel the tension building in this obnoxiously loud room, Valiant had waved to some ponies he recognized but something was wrong. The ones that didn't wave back were held back by their parents. Isabelle had feared this day, as one colt was raising his hoof Isabelle saw his parents hold it down and whisper something into his ears, the colt replied with widened eyes and turned away from Valiant. The social engineering had begun, parents were worried about what group or category their filly or colt would fall under, and apparently Valiant was the "un-cool". Underneath her feathers Isabelle was beginning grow red with rising anger at the cowardly families who had shunned Valiant, they needed to get Valiant's room number and leave before she snapped on sompony else who made another wrong gesture.

At the far end of the room sitting at the undersized cafeteria tables were mares who were taking names and giving out numbers to the rooms where that student's teacher would reside. Isabelle brought Valiant to the line led by the letter 'E' and explained to him that the lines indicated their last name 'Effort'. Valiant asked why not go to the 'V' line and Isabelle replied with something to do with organization and taking last names was easier as everypony had different last names unless they were family. During the explanation the line had disappeared in front of them, they didn't notice until the impatient mare called out to them. "NEXT!"
Valiant and Isabelle approached the table, "Tell her your name," Isabelle said to Valiant.
"Valiant Effort," Valiant said with a smile, he couldn't wait to meet his teacher.
"Let's see here," the mare grumbled running her hoof through multiple papers, "Ah, yes, Valiant Effort. Room 243, second floor, we ask that the parents stay with their children on the first day to go through orientation,"
"Thank you!" Valiant exclaimed to the disgruntled looking mare, who winced at the sudden outburst. Isabelle gave the mare a smile, silently saying she was sorry and followed an excited Valiant out of the room.

Valiant took a seat at a small table in his teacher's room. The room was decorated with a rain forest theme, paper trees were stapled to the walls and small tree frogs sat in clear plastic pockets on a board labeled "Attendance". In the corner of the room a small hut sat on a carpet that took the appearance of grass, the opening of the hut was just big enough for a filly to walk into without having to duck their head. Inside the hut a couple of bean bags were set. In the center of the room were 5 tables each with 4 chairs and at the front of the room a chalkboard. Valiant placed his saddlebags on the table relieved he no longer had to carry them. Within just a few moments of arrival other fillies and colts began to arrive with their parents, some recognizing each other and taking seats at the other tables together while their parents began idle chatter.
"ANOTHER GRYPHON!" a voice shouted excitedly.
Valiant turned to see a gryphon his size running towards him.
"I thought I was the only one!" the small grey gryphon exclaimed when he approached Valiant, "My name's Cory, what's yours?"
"Valiant, Valiant Effort" Valiant said.
"So Valiant, what do you do for fun?"

Isabelle watched as Valiant conversed with the gryphon who had outbursted in excitement. Valiant never really made friends of his own, his "friends" on his street sort of grew up with him. This however was monumental, school defined who your friends REALLY were as individuals, at least at this age, she hoped Valiant wouldn't blow it. Isabelle saw Valiant take out his drawing book and flip it open to the various drawings he had made. The gryphon was amazed at what he saw in the book and pointed a claw at a few as Valiant flipped through them. It appeared to be going well. The gryphon took a seat next to Valiant, then it dawned on Isabelle, the gryphon hadn't seen all of Valiant. How would he react? The other filly thought he was wearing a costume, but this gryphon, who knew? She just hoped it wouldn't ruin his potential friendship. "Excuse me, is that your son?"
Isabelle jumped, she was so worried about Valiant's potential friend's reaction to him that she was almost biting her claws, she turned to the voice in question to see a blue hued gryphon waving at her.
"Um, Hi," Isabelle said still nervous for Valiant.
"Is that your son?" the gryphon inquired again looking past her.
Isabelle followed the gryphon's gaze and sure enough it landed on Valiant and the grey gryphon.
"Yes, his name is Valiant, Valiant Effort," Isabelle said, quickly glancing back at Valiant to see if his "friend" had run away in horror yet.
"Are you ok dear? You look a bit nervous," The gryphon asked.
"Well, Its his first day of school and--," before Isabelle could finish the blue hued gryphon let out a hearty laugh, which caught the attention of nearby parents.
The blue hued gryphon dismissed the attention she had gathered and pulled Isabelle close to her in a side-hug "Darling its all their first days of school, relax, let them be kids. I'm Sapphire, Cory's mother,"
"Isabelle," Isabelle said, forcing a slight smile.
"Don't be so nervous, looks like your son and mine are getting along just fine," Sapphire said, pointing over at Cory, "He's my little valiant effort," she said with a laugh, less hearty but still warming.
Isabelle couldn't help but smile, a real one this time.
"What's got you so worked up dear? From the looks of it you were about to bite your own claws off,"
Isabelle didn't know why, but she felt that she could tell this gryphon anything, so she did. She told Sapphire about the Cafeteria and the Social Engineering, and Valiant wasn't really 'fully' gryphon, his father is a stallion, how she worried he wouldn't make any real friends when everypony and gryphon realized he was different.
"Whoah whoah, slow down honey. Did you say his father is a Stallion?"
"Yes," Isabelle said with a blush, now she felt ashamed she had said too much.
"AND he's different? He looks like any healthy gryphon to me,"
"Well he's--" Isabelle said turning to look at Valiant. Sapphire followed her gaze and her jaw dropped.

Valiant was standing, and Cory saw him for what he fully was, half pony half gryphon. "-and all AWESOME!" The parents heard Cory exclaim. Isabelle exhaled loudly, he hadn't freaked out. Sapphire burst into another hearty laugh, louder than before and was met with some glares from the surrounding parents, which she ignored. "Looks like Cory approves," She said through her laugh, "I wasn't going to judge you, you just looked so worried that you needed a good laugh off,"
Isabelle was relieved that Valiant had made a friend.
"Come here dear," Sapphire said, pulling Isabelle into another hug, "My son hasn't seen another gryphon his age since he could remember, anything close enough will sure do it for him. I don't mean to brag or anything but Cory's a great kid, he's always wanted a friend he could relate to, your little Valiant Effort sure lit him up!"
Isabelle shed a single tear, but ducked away before anypony or gryphon noticed. Valiant had done fine on his own, he made a friend who'm he had just met and he was sharing laughs with them.
"There's no need to hide to hide your happiness," Sapphire said, "How about this, after orientation you and Valiant come over,"
Isabelle looked up and was surprised to see Valiant and Cory standing before her.
"CAN HE REALLY?!" Cory exclaimed excitedly.
"Well, it's up to Isabelle," Sapphire huffed.
Isabelle sniffled, wiped away the tear, and smiled.
"Sure, I'd like that,"

After some time, the parents in the room were beginning to question the whereabouts of the teacher. Even Valiant and Cory wanted her there, just so they could get orientation over with. It wasn't until Dizzy Spell, the little white filly Valiant had met, had burst into the room did her mother follow. Isabelle was slightly angered to see the mare that was so daring as to give Valiant a disgusted look so close to her claw swiping range. The light blue mare made her way to the center of the room, with each hoof-step Isabelle began to question who this mare was.
"My name is Rain Spell, I will be teaching your young Fillies and Colts this year," The blue mare proclaimed.
"What..." Isabelle thought aloud. She couldn't believe it, this mare had something against Valiant. The look she had given him, it wasn't just any look of disgust, it was a look of hated disgust. Almost as if she knew him before she knew him.
"What is it dear?" Sapphire inquired.
"Nothing, let's just sit through this and go, I'll tell you later,"

"Hey Valiant," Dizzy Spell said, taking a seat on the other side of Valiant. "My mom said you didn't have a costume on, so how do make yourself look like that?"
"Look like what? I've always looked like this," Valiant replied confused.
"You look like, well..." Dizzy Spell paused for a moment, then raised her hoof in an 'a-HA' expression. "You look like him," she said pointing a hoof at Cory, "with the claws and feathers," she continued, lifting up Cory's claws and wings to indicate her point. "But also, like me,"she said, shaking her rear legs back in the air, and ran her hoof through her bright purple tail, to indicate the rest of her point.
"I know, I've always looked like this," Valiant said again.
"But," Dizzy Spell jumped, then continued after another pause. "He has paws," she said pointing towards Cory's hind legs, "and you have hooves,"
"Well, I'm a Gryphon," Cory stated, "of course I have paws,"
Dizzy Spell quickly looked over Cory, which earned a confused and slightly annoyed look from him, then looked over Valiant.
"So...What are you?" Dizzy Spell asked Valiant uncomfortably close to his face.
Valiant backed up from the sudden closeness, "Well, my Dad is a Stallion," he mumbled, beginning to fear how this was going to end.
"So, what are you?" Dizzy Spell repeated putting lots of emphasis on 'you', poking Valiant's beak with a forhoof.
"I'm-" Valiant began, but stopped, he really didn't know what he was and it was beginning to scare him. "I-" he began again, but was lost for words.
"He's whatever he wants to be," Cory defended, "So what if he's like part me and part you. He's my friend,"
"Humph," Dizzy Spell snorted, "My mom said he's some sort of mistake, a mishap between a great stallion and some gryphon,"
"What's THAT supposed to mean?!"
"It means Valiant is some sort of FREAK!"

The room dropped dead silent. That white filly had said it, the one thing Isabelle had feared to come, and she shouted it to the whole classroom. Sapphire's beak had dropped into a gape. Cory turned to Valiant, who just stared blankly at Dizzy Spell's outburst. All the fillies and colts in the room turned to Dizzy Spell. Isabelle's shock turned immediately into furious anger, Sapphire noticed this and quickly covered Isabelle's beak, muffling a phrase that was best left to older ears. Rain Spell turned to her daughter with a glare, "Dizzy Spell! Outside NOW!" she demanded. Dizzy Spell made herself as small as possible, and slowly exited the room, her purple tail dragging behind her. Rain Spell briefly apologized to the parents and rushed outside to Dizzy.

Isabelle quickly made her way to Valiant's side. Before she could even comfort him, he mumbled something inaudible. "What Val?" Isabelle asked.
"She's right Mom,"
Isabelle gasped, it couldn't be true, "No Valiant, she's not right,"
"YES! SHE IS! Look at me!," Valiant lifted a foreleg up, "Claws, feathers, wings!" then he raised a back leg, and grasped his tail in his talons, "Hooves and pony tail! Its NOT RIGHT!"
"Val-"
"LOOK AT YOU! LOOK AT THEM!" Valiant surveyed a claw across the room, indicating all of his classmates and Cory. "PONIES AND GRYPHONS, WHAT AM I?!"
"You're my Son, and I will always love you no matter what anypony thinks of you,"
Valiant dropped his talons to the floor, and hung his head, small darkened drops began to form on the carpeted floor. In one quick burst Valiant looked back up to Isabelle, tears streaming down his beak and matting his feathers, then bolted from the room. He ran past Dizzy Spell and Rain Spell in the hallway and pushed the doors open from one of the side-exits in the hall and ran outside. "Valiant!" Cory exclaimed, and bolted after him. "Cory!" Sapphire called after him, stopping him at the door to the classroom. Cory looked back to her with pleading eyes, "He needs a friend," She finished. Cory didn't need to hear anymore and continued through the door to find Valiant. Isabelle took a step after him, but was held back by Sapphire, "He needs a friend," she repeated.

Cory exited the room, and turned to the sound of double doors closing, seeing Valiant's tail wish by through the glass. He ran towards the doors, passing still confused Dizzy Spell and Rain Spell, and pursued Valiant. Through the doors Cory exited outside into a field, in the distance he could see the school playground, and Valiant sitting on a bench. He quickly ran across the field, approaching Valiant, and took a seat next to him. "Go away,"
"I'm not going away," Cory said, pulling Valiant close to him, "You're my friend, friends don't leave each other,"
"I'm a freak, who wants to be friends with a freak?" Valiant sniffled.
"I do," Cory replied, "You are the coolest 'freak' I know, you can draw better than anypony I know, and the only friend I've got. Don't leave me over what some dumb pony said, we gotta stick together,"
"You're a gryphon though, there isn't even a name for me," Valiant said, wiping away tears.
"Well, what do you want to be?"
"Normal,"
Cory laughed, "Well, you can't be that, but what do you want to be called?"
After a pause Valiant turned back to Cory, "I'm a Hippogryph,"