Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria:
There was a country far off in the east, of mountains and valleys. It wasn’t as big as one would expect, but it’s compact size and beautiful untouched nature made it a hidden jewel amongst its surrounding neighbors. For generations, the lay of the land was tended to by earth ponies, shaping it into a farmer’s country. From the sea of mountains in the west to the ocean of land in the east. Its history goes back centuries, its tradition and soul ever so present now as it was in the past. The name of this country is Equaustria.

But this story isn’t about Equaustria, it’s about a small mare with a dream in her heart, ready to explore the wonders of the world. Her name is Connie Bloom and this is her story.
Connie Bloom was a cream-coated earth pony mare with a dark chocolate-brown mane usually tied back in two braids. Even for her young age, she was very tall, easily the same size as most stallions her age, sometimes even above. Yet, she had a tender and gentle build, not unusual for a filly of her origin.

Connie was born and raised on a castle, inherited by her family. The Bloom family has had a long history, dating back to where the land was inhabited by monarchs and kings, who reigned over their respective territory. The castle itself wasn’t as big as one would expect but it had a charm nevertheless. Over the generations many of its thick stone walls were replaced with common brick walls and numerous extensions were made. Connie’s favourite spot was a high tower one could ascend to get a nice view of the nearby towns. She would often go there to appreciate the beauty of Buckingvalley.

Yet, as beautiful as it was, the joy often faded from her and replaced itself with sadness. Connie, as much as she was grateful for what she had, was not happy with her life, because she knew exactly how it would continue. Being a single-foal none of the attention had to be shared with others and all the expectations and responsibilities of continuing the family heir and tradition was bestowed upon her.
Her mother, who had always taught her how to behave, act and speak in a royal fashion, never seemed to consider what Connie wanted to do. To be. Connie loved her, and she knew that she loved her too, but her heart just wasn’t at the same place her mother expected it to be. At young age, Connie learned to play the violin and quickly found passion in it. It helped her relax and the music was able to phase out all of her surroundings and let her creativity come out.

It wasn’t until a certain breaking point that Connie continued to dream and keep quiet. She was getting close to being a mare, but one thing was still missing. Every morning she would look at her own flank, waiting for that one fateful sign of guidance to appear…

Nothing…

Staring at her own blank flank, Connie knew she hadn’t found her calling yet. And her current situation would not improve that. Everypony she knew had already gotten theirs in what felt like centuries ago. She wasn’t mad at this at all, just at a loss of what to do and where to go. It nagged on her mind, she got into more and more arguments with her parents about it as time passed on.
On one particular day, where Connie was already very frustrated, she took a stroll through the castle’s courtyard which had long been stripped of its inherent purpose. From the corner of her eyes she saw an unfamiliar pony sneaking around near the barracks. She didn’t know who that pony was but one thing she knew was the case that he was carrying. It was her violin case.
Bursting into a sprint, Connie quickly managed to catch up to him and drive him into a corner. Confronting the small pony, Connie was furious and demanded the young buck to explain himself. Who he was, and why he tried to steal her violin case. Trembling in fear from the angry mare he quickly handed her back the case and stammered that he had been ordered to do so by her own mother.
At first, Connie didn’t believe him but she managed to put the pieces of the puzzle together and it made painful sense to her. Letting out a scream of anger, she stomped her hoof on the ground and ran. Not to her mother, not to her father, not to her room. No. She ran away from the castle and up the mountains. She needed to get as far away as possible from the source of anger to blow off some steam.

Connie ran for hours, ascending higher and higher on a mountain until she felt a sting in her sides. Exhausted, she flung herself on the grass and looked up to the sky. Her anger had mostly subsided by then and she simply felt lost. Not literally but figuratively. Her emotions were are a chaotic sea, her mind a clouded storm. Opening her eyes, Connie began to scan her surroundings before her eyes rested on a particular white flower. Getting back on her hooves she approached it and was stunned at the revelation of what she had just found.

An Edelweiss…

An extremely rare and beautiful white flower found in Equaustria. Meant to symbolize courage and bravery, it is often taken to display the willpower of ponies. Connie was stunned by the white flower as it somehow helped the troubled sea of thoughts in her mind turn into a calm ocean. She could feel the wind gently caressing her fur, hear the birds chirping in the trees. She could smell the fresh air and feel the warmth of the sun on her coat. As she looked up from the flower, Connie could see the entire valley and even further beyond.

This scenery, in combination with her surroundings and the feeling of true freedom, brought tears to her eye. Never before had she seen something as beautiful as this. The image burned itself into her mind and filled her with confidence and a clearance she never felt before. She had finally found the answer she was looking for.
As she was shedding tears of joy over this beautiful gift she had just received, Connie could see her future in bright detail, and the mare knew excatly what she needed to do. She needed to get out of the castle and write her own history. To do what she wanted, to follow her heart against all odds. The change, willpower and freedom to do as you wish.
And so she took off with her the newfound goal and galloped back to the castle.

Informing her parents of this was not an easy task. They didn’t take it well, yet Connie stood her ground and defended her dream with a passion entirely uncommon of her. And it wasn’t until Connie took a glance at her flank that she realized just how important the events of this day had been to her. Because a beautiful display of an Edelweiss now graced that previously blank spot. She finally, after all these years, had gotten a cutie mark of her own.
The shocked expression of her parents should have been framed. Yet upon seeing their daughter’s cutie mark, they both came to a realization themselves. If this were to be her special talent, who were they to deny her what she wanted. Who she was. Apologizing for trying to turn her into something she wasn’t meant to be, Connie’s parents made peace with their daughter.

The next day, Connie gathered her most important belongings and prepared to leave. She didn’t know where the journey would lead but as long as she had faith she dared to dream. Her trusty violin at her side, she waved a final goodbye to her parents before she set out to Bucking, the capital of Buckingvalley.

Many moons have passed since then as Connie continued to travel across Equaustria. Her skills and talent eventually led her to become known around the countryside. She would often play at town festivals or other occasions and earn herself some bits. It was in heavy contrast to her previous life but Connie was happy to have been able to trade in the scripted life of royalty.
Her path eventually led her to the capital of Equaustria, Vienneigh. A huge and lively city centered far to the east. At first, Connie was overwhelmed by the commotion and quick pace that everycreature seemed to live by. It was as fascinating as it was alien to her. Word of her had been spread around and she was given a chance to perform at one of the smaller theaters. She happily obliged to the chance which had been the sole reason she came to Vienneigh in the first place.

Many ponies came to watch her perform and Connie was happy to be able to attract so many to her concert. She played a variety of melodies, some from her home, others she picked up along the way and even some she composed herself. After she was finished with her play she gave the crowd a quick insight on who she was and how honored she was to be able to play for them.
Many ponies cheered Connie for her decisions and some even wanted to talk to her afterwards. She received many questions about her home and where she learned to play like this but one specific question came up more than once. What made her decide to give up on the wealthy life of royalty in exchange for this. It was a fair question, given that many ponies here in the big city were trying to make a living.
Connie usually answered this by explaining that you should always follow your dreams, even if they mean sacrificing something else to do so. To always stay honest to yourself and pursue the things you like. That change is always possible and that it starts with you.

Connie made a lot of friends with her cheerful nature and soon found herself in the company of a particular orange earth pony named Sunny Rain. She met said earth pony during a carnival where she was playing the guitar. The two quickly took a liking to each other as both shared a common interest in music. And it was Sunny Rain who came up with the idea of combining their talents and forming an orchestra. Connie chuckled at the thought but found it interesting nevertheless.
Connie, together with Sunny, managed to gather some friends and began to form a team which was motivated and passionate enough to make the orchestra a real thing.

Amongst those close friends of Sunny were an assortment of interesting creatures. Two friends from a small village outside of town. One earth pony by the name of Viescra and a pegasus named Stormfire. The latter also brought his pegasus marefriend Sorajona with him. Silverwing Harmony, a zebra, was also showing great interest and motivation in helping them out. Then there was Nohra, a skilled eath pony who had a lot of knowledge concerning advertising. One more filled in their ranks, a changeling by the name of Kryostase. And last but not least, a batpony by the name of Dusk.
Together, the assortment of colorful creatures began to meet on a regular basis, and slowly but consistently worked out a vision and a plan on making a great concert. Some ideas were silly and unrealistic, some others spiked entirely different opinions but in the end they always laughed together.

Connie didn’t know where this project would eventually lead, but as a particulary beautiful white flower once showed her:
You never know until you try…