Maia

By Drago Ryder

• September 13, 2016




Age: 20

Gender: Female

Species: Non-Pony

Personality: Saying that Maia is stubborn would be an understatement. She is steadfast in her own opinions, for better or for worse. Aside from this, however, Maia tends to be shy around those she doesn't really know, so first impressions mean a lot with her. Not all of Maia's personality traits are negative, however. She is very intelligent and tends to enjoy spending time with the few friends she has. Along with her intelligence, she's also somewhat curious about the world around her. Maia is also musically inclined, tending to spend days working on a single song and is always looking for inspiration.

Backstory: Born in Griffonstone, Maia was the only sister of three brothers, all of which were older than her by at least three years. As for her parents, her mother was a baker while her father taught at the local school, so they were busy most of the time. The fact that the town of Griffonstone wasn't the best place to make friends didn't exactly help in the development of Maia's social skills. The fact fhat she had no older sisters also made it hard to find a base on how Maia should act in certain situations, making her develop a few tendencies that one might find in a tomboy. <br /><br />Before she attended school, Maia would often spend time either exploring Griffonstone, reading what books she could find in the library, or trying to keep up with her brothers in physical ability in any way she could. It was during the former of which that made her know fear for the first time. At the age of five, Maia was walking along the outskirts of Griffonstone one winter when she saw a lake that had frozen over. Being the curious chick that she was, she approached the edge of the ice and gently pressed down on it. The cold ice felt sturdy and the griffon didn't really feel like she had to worry about frostbite. As soon as her forefeet were on the ice, Maia pushed off the snow and slid onto the ice. What she didn't notice was that her claws were dragging on the ice as she moved, weakening the already partially melted ice. After a few minutes, the ice underneath Maia gave way and the griffin couldn't react fast enough to avoid falling into the icy water. She struggled to get out, but her wings were wet and she had yet to learn how to swim. It didn't take long for Maia to exhaust herself and slip into the water, her vision darkening. The next thing she knew, the griffon was in a hospital bed with her parents and brothers in the room. It was evident that they were all worried about her. She probably would've died if one of her brothers hadn't flown over the lake she was at and noticed the hole. It was only then that they learned what had happened and got her to the hospital as soon as possible. The experience didn't come without consequences, though. The nerves in Maia's wings died due to exposure. She'd never be able to fly.<br /><br />After that, Maia's parents decided to put her in school. For a time, the young griffon did well. She made good grades, a few friends, and didn't get into much trouble. Of course, there were a few other students that picked on her due to the fact that she couldn't fly and while she never showed it, the words stung. It didn't really make things better when she had to skip out on most physical exercise classes. That was when she discovered music for the first time. She was walking through the hall when she heard noise coming from one of the classrooms. The griffon couldn't describe it, but it made her feel as if she were actually flying. When she looked through the window, she could see a few students playing all sorts of instruments. Maia didn't know how, but the instructor had moved behind her and placed a talon on her shoulder.<br /><br /> "It's ok if you want to join." He said.<br /><br />Maia was surprised to say the least, but she wasn't about to decline. The griffon didn't really have anywhere to be at the moment so now would be as good a time as any. As she walked through the class, she looked for anything to play. Her eyes eventually landed on a violin that seemed to glow in the light. When she picked it up, it seemed to fit in her talons perfectly and sent a warm feeling through her body. As soon as the bow hit the first string, Maia didn't know she had played a entire song until she stopped to hear nothing. The other students were just looking at her, amazed. Needless to say, she joined the school band after that. Her family knew that music was her own form of flight, so they encouraged it. <br /><br />Aside from school, Maia spent a bit of time with friends. They didn't really do much aside from talking amongst themselves, though, and even then it was only at school. Granted, it was the best one could do in Griffonstone. That's why it was no surprise when the group went their separate ways.<br /><br />Of course, there's a time in every young chick's life where they must leave the nest. Maia's was when she finished school. She wanted to see a bit more of the world before deciding what she wanted to do. She does still keep the violin she used in band, though and does play in public from time to time.