Robin Featherlight
Yup, a brand new character that I plan to write stories for (think of her as the third main character of my lore, next to Emmalyn and Mel) named Robin Featherlight. No, she is not related to Featherweight.
Edit: Changed her bio.
Bio:
Robin Featherlight was the only child to a family of wealthy slave breakers in Marelin. She wasn’t like most pegasi in her hometown, never being the competitive or aggressive type due to how she was raised and the fact that she’s mute. She had a very hard time making friends with other kids her age because most of them could never understand her signs and she was always too scared to participate in any extreme or rough games and sports. Not that her parents would allow her to take part in anything like that, anyway, due to being overprotective of her.
Her loneliness wasn’t isolated to school, though. Her parents were always too busy with their work, and if they weren’t, they would do everything in their power to protect Robin from anything that they perceived to be dangerous, mainly keeping her away from other people that isn’t her immediate family. This only resulted in Robin growing more lonely and resentful of her parents, to the point where she would often sneak out of the house to try and befriend others despite her handicap. Her only glimmers of companionship was her grandfather and, ironically, some of the slaves her parents owned.
Robin was forbidden by her parents from talking with the staff they owned, but with Robin being so starved for companionship, she often went against her parents’ wishes. Some of them were actually pretty humble and nice people, willing to talk with Robin and read whatever she had to say if they didn’t understand sign language. Some would watch her dance and cheer her on, some would offer advice on life, and some would help with any signs she didn’t know of previously to help her communicate better.
Her grandfather was her only real parental figure during her childhood outside of her family’s nurses and maids. He was kind, caring, and supportive to Robin, but not to the same overbearing extent as her parents. Unfortunately he would not be around for long, as he passed away while Robin was 13. He was also the one that introduced Robin to the dying art of ariel ballet, or sky dancing as it was also called, by telling stories of his deceased wife (Robin’s grandmother) and showing some of her performances that were archived.
Sky dancing was Robin’s only real passion, taking every opportunity she could to dance upon the clouds. She loved dancing, but unfortunately for her, pegasi have lost interest in the art form. They were content with leaving it behind for the insects and birds to pick up in favor of more competitive-oriented athletic sports. As a result, Robin couldn’t exactly pursue dancing as a full-time career, nor could she pursue much else since most other lines of work require being able to speak.
Once when she was 7, she had gone to the woods with her grandfather to practice dancing. During her run, she felt an icy chill down her spine and the overwhelming feeling that she and her grandfather are no longer alone. She found that the source of the feeling was a tall, pitch-black figure with glowing white eyes watching them through the trees. Her grandfather told her not to be alarmed, that the guardian was just appreciating her dance and making sure she and him stay safe. After she finished her run and the two packed up to go back home, the guardian disappeared. This moment stuck with Robin her whole life, and it would eventually inspire her to get a tattoo based on the mysterious audience member at the age of 16.
It was at the night of her 18th birthday that things would change for Robin. After spending the day dancing to get away from her parents, she came home to find them at the dining room table. They told her that since she had become an adult, and because they believed she wouldn’t be able to keep herself safe due to her disability, they took matters into their own hands. They had her arranged to be married to a rich stallion to secure her future as slave-free, to which Robin was very upset about. She didn’t want her life to be dictated by others, never had when she was a kid, and she never will. So the last thing she wanted was to spend the rest of her life being under the influence of some stuck-up wealthy pegasus that would no doubt try to “protect” her like her parents did; no freedom to dance, no freedom to be herself. To escape possibly living like a bird in a cage, she waited until her parents fell asleep, packed her things, and ran away from home.
Even though it had been two years since she took off and is now living where neither her parents nor the SS could force her back, she still lives in fear that they would still try to bring her back home, especially since her parents and “fiancé” still send her letters asking for her to come back. She is a timid soul who has a hard time trusting others due to her current situation and because she’s aware of how easy she could be taken advantage of, since she can’t exactly say anything if something goes wrong. Despite her shy and distrusting nature, she loves to be free to do as she pleases as well as help those that need it. As grand as her financial status is thanks to her family’s wealth, she still treats others with respect and only uses the money her parents constantly send her for necessities and to help others that aren’t as fortunate. Unfortunately, she still lives a bit of an isolated and lonely life due to people either not understanding her form of communication, or trying to take advantage of her either due to her inability to speak or her money.