The young citizens of Ponyville all experience the throes of puberty in different ways. Testosterone and estrogen surged in crashing waves of hormones, tears, fights, harsh words, odd emotions, and incredibly weird bodily changes. But Athena, despite being half-pony, very obviously leans more towards her draconequus heritage in her biology. And thus, puberty was quite a weird, horrid, gross, and rather embarrassing period of time for Annie. Within weeks, she went from a comfortable, pleasant size (about the same height of her friends, slightly longer in the torso) to this giant, noodley creature with a huge tail. The soreness from her sudden growth spurt wasn’t even the worst part.
 
 
Aside from the normal biological changes all females have to endure (draconequus females and mares mostly share the same reproductive system), the changes to her outside was just as gross. Her ruff became coarse and clumps of fur began to come out in the shower. Her feathers began to deteriorate and fall out. The scales on her legs and tail became dry and cracked. She woke up one morning, lifted her head from the pillow, and left her antlers behind (and this wasn’t a prank by her father this time around). No matter how much she groomed, or preened, or brushed, nothing helped and she felt just….ugh.
 
 
However, her dearest parents took it all in stride. Fluttershy stocked up on all creams, shampoos, brushes, and everything else needed to keep Annie feeling like her normal self. She and Discord were never short on words of encouragement (though father dearest rode a rougher roller coaster when it came to Annie’s teen years). But her draconequus da always reassured her that her antlers will grow back, her scales will become smooth and shiny again, and her wings will be full and beautiful.
 
 
Despite such, sometimes she still ends up feeling just a tad down about the whole situation. Athena is not a creature who is obsessed with looks. In fact, she is adamant that every creature on this planet is beautiful in its own individual way. However, she is not naive to the past of Equestria (after all, she has to study rigorously so she can be ready to be a Royal Adviser one day). She knows that ponies are not familiar with draconequui…outside the villain that used to be her father. She knows what he’s done to turn everything around and how hard he has indeed worked to not only prove to Equestria that he is no longer who he used to be, but that his species and ponies used to be quite close, many a millennia ago. While most have seemed to accept him (and eventually his daughter) as Royal Advisers to the country, the memories of the past can still feel fresh. Though her parents have always encouraged her to just be herself, and that she deserves love no matter what, Annie prefers to just…make it easier on herself. Keep her wild appearance as tamed and refined as possible. This whole puberty thing pretty much throws most her attempts at such out the window, even after all the lotions and potions. She’s still a gangly, fuzzy thing that’s getting longer by the day.
 
 
However, despite her frustration over the situation, she does have a solid support system behind her. Her friends are always quick with a reassuring remark (or a reprimand over obvious overreactions to one little zit), or a silly joke over these weird lumps in her head that never fail to make her laugh. Nevertheless, there’s still a part of Annie, despite all the encouragement and love from her friends and family, has that internalized fear of being alone. Alone in the sense of being the only draconequus left in Equestria besides her (already-married) father. A creature with a big heart and a deep adoration of romance, Athena is the gal that dreams of her future one-true-love - a handsome fellow who is strong, kind, and willing to endure a forever-and-ever marriage to a creature of chaos. Mostly neutral chaos, but chaos nonetheless. She has a deep admiration of her parents’ strong and everlasting marriage, and how such different creatures just so naturally mesh - despite such polar personalities. And each of her “aunts” and “uncles” provide beautiful examples of romance themselves as well.
 
 
But, deep down, it just hammers in those insecurities even more. Yes, Sugar Belle is the first unicorn to join the Apple family. But she’s a pony. Professor Sandbar is a pony, and Professor Yona is a yak. But they went to school together. And with her parents, Athena knows her mother is an extraordinary mare, and that anypony outside the Element of Kindness wouldn’t have been able to bring Princess Celestia and Luna’s adopted brother back to the light (for the most part). All of her friends are beautiful, amazing ponies, each with such wonderful souls and lovely pony features. Quite a few, she has quite a feeling will end up pairing together (and she will help throw the most beautiful, amazing wedding of course). Sometimes, though, when she sees Mistfeather and Turnback getting ice cream at Sugarcube Corner, or Big Mac and Sugar Belle having a picnic in the park, or Rainbow Dash and Soarin having another race, a longing rises up in Athena that makes her wish that there was somecreature out there who would make it a little more well-known that she was…desirable as a partner, a companion, and, maybe one day, a wife. And wouldn’t flirt with her only because she will, one day, hold a high position of power.
 
 
While her sadness over her lack of romance does wane as the hormones ebb into something a little more manageable, Athena does still have a small little pocket in the corner of her heart that gives a little pang from time to time. She forges along as a friend and companion to all. She loves as many creatures as she can and keeps her heart open. However, there’s still that little section that she keeps locked away - hoping that one day there will be a stallion, or yak, or changeling, or hippogriff, or somecreature that will want to join in her weird, wacky, and amazing adventures and love her for just who she is.
 
 
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fun fact: you can always tell what age range Athena is in my doodles by looking at the size and curvature of her antlers <3