Once Upon A Time . . .

Opening Credits

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Flames

                  Blank awoke to the smell of burnt pancakes. At least she thought it was pancakes. The silver filly opened her eyes to see her house engulfed in flames while a dragon slept on the floor next to her. She rubbed her head and found her ear was torn and bleeding. Blank sighed as her mind went into stress mode. The unicorn trotted over to the dragon and poked his side. He started to stir but went back to sleep. Blank rolled her eyes and kicked him in the stomach.

"Wake up before it's my hoof hitting your crotch!" she yelled over the flames licking at her hooves.

The dragon shot up at the sound of her command. He looked at her through the smoke before getting up and waddling towards the door.

                   Something clicked in the back of the dragons head and he fell in step beside Blank. The filly sighed and started running from the terrible flames licking at her legs. It hurt but she just dealt with it, like everything else in her life. Living her lie at school, hiding from it at home, then having to deal with it felt terrible. Blank ran out the door with the dragon at her heels. She started coughing the moment she escaped the burning building.

"She's alive?!" Blank heard her mother shout.

"Why did you start that fire, Aunt Dusty?" Diamond Tiara asked.

"Why does she have a dragon next to her!" Dusty shouted.

Blank turned and noticed that the dragon stayed by her side the entire time.

"H-hi." the dragon said before Blank collapsed in complete exhaustion and surprise.

                                                                       ~~~~~~~

                The dragon had put a cold rag on Blank's head. After a while he found a book on geometry and started reading. Blank's mother continuously shouted at the police who were questioning her.

Diamond Tiara was a bit more cooperative with them and told the authorities what had happened. Apparently, Blank's mother set the house on fire while knowing her daughter was inside. She was being sent to court next week. In the meantime , Blank Stripe had to find a new home.

                 The days dragged on. No matter what happened, Blank still put on her bravest face, and went to school. All the taunts from her classmates hurt but she just kept moving on. She named the dragon, Takasu, after a stuffed toy dragon her mother tore apart and stuffed bread inside.(can you guess?)

Days moved on and Blank's mother was sent to jail for attempted murder. Blank Stripe still moved on with Takasu at her side. He seemed entertained by geometry and demon summoning. The young filly honestly didn't care until it was decided that he would go to school with her. Being already less popular than the moss in the bathroom, Blank really felt left out of everything and having a dragon as a classmate wasn't going to help.

The dragon followed the silver unicorn filly through the halls. Ponies whispered and talked as Blank passed with her head held high. Takasu wondered how she kept her cool with all the gossip and lies floating around like smoke. Takasu saw a white pony with red mane and a ruby on her flank. She looked at him in disgust and Takasu just shrugged it off, like in the memories of Blank.

              Takasu had the strange ability to travel through one's memories. When Takasu looked into Blank's eyes, he had seen the pain only she experienced but still, he never said anything.

                                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                            Blank walked into the cafe and heard the familiar welcome.

"Welcome home, Milady."

The filly had grown and was now in high-school. The maid cafe was her only choice of work because of the high pay. 150 bits was a lot more than the stores gave her.

"I'm here to apply for a job." Blank said.

"Well, follow me then. Chief is in the back, she'll ask you some questions!" the maid said cheerfully.

             The two walked into the back and met up with the chief.

"Hello! Welcome to Maid Latte! I know you have a blank flank but I'm sure your personality is mature enough to be here!" A white pegasus with light blue hair said cheerfully.

Blank smiled at the kindness floating off the mare.

"I am Blue Rose, but you can call me Chief like every pony else!" Chief exclaimed.

"So, when do the questions start?" Blank asked.

"Right now!" Chief said in her cheerful tone.

                The sun was setting when Blank exited the Maid Latte. She was smiling to herself as she walked down to her small shack in the woods where she lived. A single bed she made herself sat in the corner. The almost mare put her bag on the ground and took out her books. Tomorrow, she'd go to a great now job on the other side of town. Blank smiled slightly at the money in a large jar, she had been saving it to go to college and study magic.

                 Her cheerful face darkened as the bandits came tumbling through. They thought they were so stealthy but the honest truth was that they couldn't be quiet to save their lives.

"This time we will get the money!"

"She'll be so surprised and angry!"

"I wouldn't want to see that!"

"Why not!?"

"I heard the last time she got angry, she made a dragon grow and it burnt down the house!"

"Not true!"

"Yes true!"

"Hey! You mind keeping it down out there! I can even tell what your plotting! Stop being thieves and try to do something with your miserable lives!" Blank yelled out her window before slamming it down.

"We got caught again..."

"Damn it!"

"We should go home."

"Good idea."

The two morons flew off , back to their mothers. Blank sighed and put the bits she earned in the jar. She covered the windows and hid the jar behind an old floorboard.

Using her magic, Blank silently put the rusty nail back in it's exact place.

                      Takasu moved away to Manehattan and found a job, Diamond Tiara had gone back to Ponyville with the same attitude, and her mother had died in jail of a terrible sickness. Blank lived on her own and had her mailbox exactly one mile from her home. She had grown into quite the figure but never really noticed others staring at her. Wrapped in her studies and work, Blank would do her best everyday. Blank took the letters she gathered that morning and flipped through them.

Manehatten

                    Blank stopped dead. Se read the letter quickly. Her neon green eyes widened. "Takasu is coming here!?"

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