A Rose by Any Other Name Would Look Just as Strange

Rosebug had endured countless trials and tribulations in her young life, and this most recent development showed no signs of changing that pattern. Just that morning she had been curtly informed of some very important news, she was being transferred to a new orphanage. This news likely would have been shocking for the young filly, had this not been the eighth time in her young life that such a thing had occurred. She had been shunted all across Equestria, from Fillydelphia, to Vanhoover, and even to the capital of Canterlot, but this newest location seemed different from the rest. It wasn’t a big or prominent city, but the small, rustic town of Ponyville. As Rosebug gathered up here meager possessions, against her better judgment, she couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit hopeful. She’d been burned before, and after having her hopes repeatedly shattered by hatred and prejudice, she’d simply given up on ever expecting things to meaningfully improve. But this time really did seem different, and the prospect of a new life away from the aggravation and bias of the city actually made Rosebug venture to hope. As she shuffled about the confines of her measly room, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and scowled.

Rosebug had always hated her appearance, near every aspect of it was an ever present reminder of why she had been pushed to the edge of society. Her skin was black and chitinous, with rounded gashes littering her limbs and prickling her wings. A small, dagger-like horn composed of the same material sprouted from her forehead menacingly. Her wings were thin and filmy, though they did have a rosier tone to them then her insectoid, changeling kin. Her eyes were wide, composed of only her vibrant green irises with a glowing white shine. Her hair was the only part of her that was distinctively pony-esque at a glance. It was a dark rose color, accented with lighter pink highlights, and it hung over half her face as if shielding it from the world. The rest was pulled back into a low ponytail, tied off with a faded pink ribbon, one of the few possessions she dutifully held onto. Despite her clearly pony adjacent hair, many ponies still mistook her for a changeling, instead of the hybrid - an identity she took no more pride in - she truly was. There was one thing though that demonstrably set her apart, that being her cutie mark. It was nothing incredibly special by the standards of ponies - a rose head framed by ladybug wings - but it was incredibly meaningful to her as a clear indication of her pony parentage. Though they shared anatomical similarities to ponies, changelings, under no circumstances, could ever acquire a genuine cutie mark. Rosebug was broken from her less than pleasant personal narrations by a sudden, rough knock on her old door.

“Rosebug, your escort is here,” the Headmistress rasped, a disdainful venom emphasizing Rosebug’s name.

“Coming, Miss!” Rosebug yelped slightly, casting one final look at her reflection before stepping into the hallway.

The halls of Rosebug’s soon to be former residence were plain and unmemorable. The floors were comprised of pale, creaky wood, and the walls were plastered with cheap floral wallpaper. This same non-descriptiveness held true for the rest of the establishment. The rooms were sparsely furnished, the carpets were coarse and unpleasant, and the whole building emanated a scarce, cold energy that prevented her from ever feeling at ease. She had firsthand experience residing in orphanages all across Equestria, and though the minor details differed between each, they never deviated far from the baseline quality she had become unequivocally accustomed to.

When Rosebug crossed the threshold into the main room, she cringed slightly at the reaction of the other inhabitants. Most of the younger foals didn’t bat an eye, or stared mostly in curiosity and not judgment. Rosebug had always preferred the company of the foals as opposed to the older colts and fillies, finding them far more accepting, if only out of their naivety and childish innocence. The other children, however, didn’t look upon Rosebug so kindly. Most stared with barley concealed vitriol, while others less than subtly shuffled away out of still lingering fear. The room noticeably hushed as conversations were abandoned in favor of incredulously observing the hybrid. The observed hybrid sighed defeatedly - there was a good reason she remained in her room almost indefinitely most days. Rosebug turned her eyes to the floor and crossed the room as quickly as her nervous trot would allow. The Headmistress followed nonchalantly behind her, uncaring of the glares being cast at the filly ahead of her. Rosebug held her breath in anticipation as she pushed open the door, hoping dearly this newest chapter of her life wouldn’t fall into the same arduous pattern the previous had.

It was a surprisingly agreeable day, Rosebug found. The pale blue sky was swirled lightly with wispy, sun illuminated clouds. A pleasant breeze gently rustled the the surrounding leaves. And on the front stoop stood Rosebug’s aforementioned escort. She was a kindly looking earth pony with a clean, cream colored coat. Her mane was long and wavy, colored varying shades of brown, and her eyes, despite being a dark onyx, were gentle and kind. Her cutie mark was a simple depiction of a chocolate cookie shaped like a heart.

“My name is Chocolate Cheer!” She exclaimed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Rosebug was pleasantly surprised by her reaction. She’d been involved in many transfers not exceptionally different from this one, but this was the first time she could recollect the receiver not looking upon her with pity or disgust. Even those she could tell had initially been excited or intrigued quickly turned to harsher emotions when they realized how far she strayed from the appearance of a typical pony. The Headmistress, in contrast, was less than interested in Cheer’s pleasantries, and roughly interrupting her greetings.

“I take it you’ve seen to all of the necessary paperwork?” she asked, her tone less than impressed.

Chocolate Cheer staggered slightly, before recomposing herself to answer. Rosebug couldn’t help but cast her a sympathetic look.

“O-Oh, of course,” Cheer assured, “ I’ve registered and filed all the pertinent paperwork.”

“Well then, best of luck to you,” the Headmistress replied curtly, turning on her hooves and reentering the building.

Rosebug stood quietly for a moment, staring at the door in minor shock, before Cheer broke the rapidly building awkward silence.

“Your name’s Rosebug, right?” Cheer asked.

Now it was Rosebug’s turn to stagger. She quickly recovered though, and answered the posed question.

“Yeah,” She responded.

“Nice to meet you!” Chocolate Cheer extended a hoof to Rosebug.

Rosebug had a sneaking suspicion today was going to be different, but she hadn’t imaged it would be so drastic. The small kindnesses she had been shown over the years had come almost exclusively from the other children, as those in charge rarely looked upon her well. At worst she’d earn their scorn by principle of her species, and at best she’d usually gain nothing more than patronizing pity. Chocolate Cheer, however, looked upon her with a kindness she could only see as genuine. Shakily, she took Cheer’s hoof and shook it, eliciting a bright smile from the earth pony. The two traded simple banter as they finally departed from the orphanage, their destined clear in mind. The Baltimare train station, and the train that would ferry them to Ponyville. As they walked Rosebug seemed ecstatic, and to an extent she was, but she couldn’t help as her mind began to wander. She was overjoyed by Cheer’s kindness, but at the same time she couldn’t fathom why she would show such genuine kindness to someone the rest of society had labeled a freak. Rosebug had heard the old adage “Never look a gift horse in the mouth” many times before, but she couldn’t help but wish to appease her morbid curiosity.

“Why are you so nice to me?” Rosebug questioned, her voice coming out meeker than she’d expected.

Cheer stopped dead in her tracks, whirling around and starring at Rosebug with an equally shocked and concerned expression.

“What do you mean?” She asked, her voice loosing it’s bombastic quality and becoming more comforting in pitch.

“Well,” Rosebug began hesitantly, “most ponies haven’t exactly been very kind to me, most of them treat me like I’m a freak, o-or a monster. . .”

She couldn’t help her voice cracking as she explained, or the tears that welled in her eyes despite herself. As she clenched her eyes shut in an attempt to keep the tears from spilling, she felt her chin being raised by a furry hoof. When she managed to pry her eyes open, she found Cheer’s onyx eyes starring back at her sympathetically. Her mouth, however, was quirked into a mischievous smile.

“I’m not like them kid,” Cheer smooth over the messy edges of Rosebug’s hair “I think everypony deserves kindness, simple as that.”

Rosebug managed a watery smile and a quiet “thanks” as Cheer gently wiped the tears from her eyes. Their remaining walk to the train station was quiet, but it was a comfortable kind of quiet, the kind that gave the overwhelmed filly a chance to reflect. By the time she had worked through her tidal wave of emotions, she had hardly noticed they had already boarded and found their seats. Rosebug, however, couldn’t help but notice, and grimace at, the harsh and horrified looks being cast at her by the the other ponies within the carriage. Cheer, however, cast her a comforting smile, which Rosebug mirrored genuinely. She turned her attention to the window beside her, chitinous hooves pressed to the glass as she watched the landscape begin to whiz by. She could still feel the judgmental stares on her back, but for once they didn’t bother her, she had far more important things to think about know. A serene smile graced her lips as she lost herself to the scenery, the border between the city and countryside swiftly approaching.