A Filly's New Life

Chapters

Awakening
Learning
Questions...
Unusual Power
Ponyville
Ponyville Pt. 2
Falling (Ponyville Pt. 3)
Finding a Cure
Finding a Cure Pt. 2
Practicing
Visiting
[Bonus] How fillies are born.

Awakening

Read out version- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6TysPtIaVQ

I wake up without any previous memories, my vision blurred, I'm sitting on something soft and green. I smell something bitter in the air, but it's mostly normal smelling. Upon standing, I notice I lack any knowledge of balance and quickly fall over, back onto the ground. Knowing standing is useless, I remain sitting down, trying to focus my eyes on my surroundings.

Everything is so blurry, but I've no idea why. After about a 15 minute span of time spent attempting to focus, I can soon tell that I am surrounded by many thin green blades that are soft. Looking up, I see more green, suspended in air by a hard, rough, brown surface. Raising my eyes even farther, I notice bright things in the sky, still and not moving, yet glimmering with beauty.

Maybe if I try again, I'll be able to stand up. I raise two hooves out in front of me, leaning on them so I can get my back legs on the ground and positioned correctly. My legs are wobbly at first, taking to the foreign position slowly, but as I gain my balance, I feel them strengthen. Raising one hoof in front of the other, I stumble, but do not fall. I lower that hoof slightly father away from me as it was before. I do the same with one of my back legs. Gaining confidence, I slowly walk forward, leaning on different things to get my balance.

These things range in texture, colour, and warmth. Some of these things are brown and hard, yet others are soft and green. I walk around for a small amount of time before I see a figure in the distance.

Something tall and purple, bouncing up and down. As it approaches, I can see it is actually running. Towards me maybe? I look behind me to see if there is anything of interest there, but to no success. All that is behind me is some of those brown rough things and more soft green blades. I look back to find the figure slowing, looking at me in awe. In a very soft voice, it faintly says something that is unrecognizable to me. Sounds like a mare's voice I suppose.

Assuming she is friendly I walk towards her so I could get a better view of her. Her body is covered in soft, purple strands. The top part of her is a dark purple, the same is that of the back end of her. It flows in the wind, beautiful and majestic. I notice her side has some sort of drawing, a picture of a brown square with scribbles on the top of it, and surrounding it is a purple aura. It's suspended above a table with more brown squares and more scribbling on them as well.

She suddenly jumps forward, putting her front hooves around me. Startled at first, I freeze . . . but after feeling the loving warmth from her, I embrace her and wrap my hooves around her. I notice a fuzzy feeling in my belly, and feel my mouth turn into a smile, feeling happy for the first time I can remember. We back away and look at each other, gleaming with happiness and joy.

As we walk I start to notice that walking is becoming easier and more leisure. We pass strange, small things; green stems holding up luscious yellow, red, even purple petals. Looking at them is sort of relaxing, in a way, even tiring. My walk is becoming slower as a blanket of sleepiness falls over me, but then we stop and notice something to my right. A large structure, tan coloured and tall, which looks as though it housed figures, similar to the one I am following. It seems serene as I look at it. It's so calm and peaceful.

A few seconds later, she turns, nods her head and starts walking. I feel strangely compelled to follow her. We walked for a bit, arriving at a place where the soft green blades were short and where the rough brown cylinders were less dense. She stops near a soft, very comfortable, place that was near some hay and a plush white object. She nods towards it, symbolizing that it's safe.

I lay back down, feeling strangely tired after such a seemingly short walk, and I feel my fatigue drift into the wind. I slowly close my eyes, looking at the mare leaning over me. Her kindness and sympathy are obvious. Thinking about her I drift into a deep sleep, letting my body rest and ready itself for a new day.

Awakening on the soft green blades, I notice that I am rested up. The previous dark blue sky has turned into a light blue, greeting everything in warmth. I stand up and look for the figure that greeted me a while back, but to no avail. She must have gone somewhere. I wander around for what seems like a few minutes, looking for something, anything of interest. I must find a purpose to be here. Although I look extensively, I can't find anything. However, I see that the figure is coming back, and she is holding a pouch with something red and round shaped inside. She brings it to me and lightly puts it at my feet, signaling that they are mine. Confused, I roll them around under my hoof, finding that they are hard and have a stem. She takes one into her mouth, showing that I'm supposed to eat them. I quickly chomp on one, tasting it's succulent awesomeness. It creates a satisfied feeling in my belly, and makes me content.

The mare motions me to follow her, showing some importance in it. We walk for a short time, then she starts to speed up, continuing to gain speed. It seems she is testing me, trying to see how fast I can walk. Angered at her, I speed up, and start running. I didn't even know I was doing it, but it felt great. I ran around the field, feeling so free and happy! I felt the wind flowing throughout my body, around my limbs, and in my eyes. The smell of the wind was extremely refreshing and felt great.
I feel a sense of purpose fill me. I feel triumphed. I feel....complete.

Learning

After I finish running, the woman starts to giggle, most likely because I haven't gotten the technique of running down. Me, confused and looking at her, run strait into one of those brown rigid things! I feel the pain in my head, flinching, yet I laugh at myself for making such a silly mistake. Wait...how did I know that I hit my head? I barely even know what a head is! I quickly push the thought out of my head, then stand back up and look at the tree...tree?! How did I know that was a tree? Just a few moments ago I thought they were just colours! This is all very strange to me, learning all the names of these things. After a few seconds, the woman rushes over to me, seeing if I was okay. She says something, but like before, I can't understand what she says. Although I don't know what she said, I feel like I understand what she's trying to say...I feel like she's trying to comfort me.

The woman helps me up, continuing to talk. She helps me onto my hooves, making sure that I am sturdy. When I hit the tree I was going reasonably fast. She looks at me and musters up a worried smile. I can tell she's trying to tell me something important, but at this point, I'm too distracted. So many thoughts were racing through my head. We start walking back to the place where I slept before, attempting to reach any type of solace and tranquility. My leg was around her shoulder, supporting my walk. I must have injured myself when I ran into that tree. Right now I feel I have a serious head injury, my head is aching in pain. The rest of my body is fine, but my head feels like it's being stabbed repeatedly, but even though it was agonizing, I had a strange feeling that I was gaining knowledge. Everything began to seem clearer, everything began to make sense, but the pain did not stop. I do, however, hear the woman mutter something...

Woman's Point of View

"Come on now, hang with me. We're almost home." I keep walking, keeping my child's arm over my shoulder, frantically looking for the place we spent the previous night. There must be something that can comfort her there. Something...Anything. I think to myself, she must be going through her FillyMorphism. I remember when I went through the same thing. It was terrible. It only seemed yesterday that I was going through the same thing, it was my mother who had to explain it to me as well.

Flash Back

"Mummy! Can I ask you a question?"
"Why, of course you can! What do you need to know my child?" The mother says with a smile.
"What is a 'FillyMorphism'?"
"Well, it's something that happens right after you are born. A wonderful time when you learn many things. Not everything of course, but enough to make it through."
"What happened when I had my...'FillyMorphism'? The child says confused.
"Well luckily you were at home when you had your's. Unfortunately, the change requires something different for everypony. For you, it was when you were at your saddest, it was back when your father left for work. It seems silly I know, but you were very upset about it. You were about to go up to your room, when you fell down the stairs because of a sharp pain in your head. I don't remember much more of that, you can blame my old age." Chuckles
"Wow...If I ever have a filly, will that happen to her too?"
"Absolutely, and when it does, you'll have to keep her close to her because when she's having her FillyMorphism she is very vulnerable."
"Don't worry mummy, I will!"

End of Flash Back

"Alright, we're almost there. Finding our home, I started to speed up, thinking that there will be some relief at home. I lower her softly onto the bed where she slept the night before. Seeing she is still in horrible pain, I pour some water on her head. I feel helpless at this point. I feel like I can't do anything but watch my child suffer in pain.

Child's Point of View

AAHHH!!! This pain is worsening, and I can't do anything to stop it! Right now I feel like my head is on fire, like someone is taking a pair of scissors and tearing every part of my head apart! My legs are flailing, hitting things, scattering them across the forest floor. My mouth erupts with an extremely loud sound, similar to screaming but slightly different. Everything is going bright, wherever I looked. As though someone was bringing a torch close to both of my eyes, I was blinded in the light. Then, all of a sudden, everything stopped. The light, the flailing, the screaming, and especially, the pain! It was like everything decided to stop and be peaceful. The woman standing over me no longer was holding me down. Her face brightened, turning into a relieved smile.

I sat there for what seemed like a few minutes, relaxing. Right now I didn't care what I did, I was just happy the pain had stopped. Sitting up I notice the beautiful trees, the flowing grass, the large meadows, the bright blue sky. Everything seemed so calm. The woman opens her mouth, and for the first time ever, I hear her say, "Hello there...I'm your mother."
She smiles kindly. I quickly stand up, startled that I am even able to comprehend her voice. These words sound so strange to me. I felt like I was in a whole new world. "Hey there, calm down. No need to get scared now. It's okay." By now my breathing has calmed. "I was the woman who brought you here last night. Do you remember that?" Passively and without thinking, I say "Yes..." Geez, all these surprises are really getting to me. Erratically, she jumps into the air! "Wow! Your first words! Well, one word I guess." She begins pacing excitedly around the ground, mumbling something about "So many things to do" and "I can't believe this is really happening!"

"There's so much to do!" she says.
"Okay, tell me what you know already."
"What do you want to know?" I reply?
"Holy buck! You already know how to make a sentence! Okay, tell me what you see around you..."
"Well, I see trees, grass, the sky, a couple of flowers...Why do you need to know this?"
"I just want to see how much you've learnt of course!"
"Learnt?" I say confused.
"Oh gosh, I haven't even told you what you just went through. That pain you were feeling a couple of minutes ago was actually your FillyMorphism. It's a stage that every Filly goes through, where she gain much knowledge in a very small amount of time."
"Cool." I said sarcastically
"This is so amazing! I even can't believe this is happening to me!"

I can tell she is very excited about me and my 'FillyMorphism'. I guess I'll try and play along, seeing as I don't really know what's going on anyways.
"Well, is there any other pain I'm going to be dealing with? I certainly hope there isn't."
"Nope, the pain is done, unless you go off and decide to run into another tree." She says smiling.
"Ha, yeah..."
"Well...you must be getting hungry aren't you?"
I looked down at my stomach, noticing that I was, in fact, very hungry.
"Yes I am! Do you have any food around here?"
"Well, we were out looking for fruit when you had your...well...attack. So if you want anything you'll either have to wait here or come with me to find some food."
"I think I'll just stay here for now. I'm feeling kinda tired." I said, yawning.
"I'm not going far, so if you need help, just yell."
"Okay."

After finishing my conversation about 'FillyMorphism' I lay my head on the pillow, feeling the ache and tire leave my body. Slowly drifting to sleep, I think of all the things I'd like to talk to the woman about... all the things I'd like to talk to my Mother about...

Questions...

"I've got so many questions to ask you mother!" I said
"Just start with the first one." She says smiling, preparing a salad for herself.
"Well, what's your name?"
"My Name? Oh, it completely slipped my mind! My name is Rose, Rose Blossom"
That's a nice name, I thought.
"and for you, I decided to name you just the other week. Your name is, 'Cherry'."
At first, I thought that it was kinda strange. Who would want to be named after a fruit, but then I thought about it. I actually kinda liked that name...
"How did you come up with it?" I said.
"Well, I was walking through the forest, looking for food, when I came across a beautiful orchard. It was filled with many luscious fruits and vegetables, extending as far as I could see. I looked around, gazing at all the amazing things, but then I brought my view to something red in the corner of my eye. They were cherries, so shiny and juicy. I took a bite out of one, tasting it. Personally, I thought it was amazing. That's the reason you're named Cherry."
"Wow" I said.
Rose glared at me and my short response.

She finally finished with her salad, sitting down on the picnic cloth atop the ground. She immediately starts eating the salad, nearly inhaling it. She seemed like she hadn't eaten in a week! Probably because she was using a large amount of energy holding me down during my...episode. I decided to look around and take in the surroundings, since I didn't have a lot of time to do so before. I start to notice a vast amount of things now. All sorts of animals, bunnies, foxes, even birds. The leaves are in much better detail, many trees surround me, birch, oak, and elm. Daises and daffodils surround me, filling the ground with beauty and grace. I wonder how I didn't notice this earlier! Even as my eyes drift up I notice some sort of horn on my head! What a strange thing...Does Rose have one as well? I look at her and I notice under her hair is a glorious horn. Although I'm curious, I ignore the thought.
"So, how's that salad?" I question Rose.
"It's *chomp* pretty *chomp* good!"
"Ha, I think I can tell. So what do you normally do on a regular day?"
"Well, I usually just spend my day searching for food, but now that I have you to take care of, I think that will change. I also go to Ponyville every now and then. Mainly just to get supplies, but there's an occasional adventure waiting for me when I get there."
She smiles, thinking about a memory.
"What's Ponyville?"
"Ponyville is a place not too far away from here. It's where most ponies go to do there shopping, eat at a restaurant, or maybe even spend the night at the Inn." She explained.
"Well if Ponyville is somewhere off in the distance, then where are we?"
"We are somewhere between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest."
"In a forest?"
"Yes, my child. I don't enjoy living in Ponyville anymore, but then again, the last time I stayed there was over 10 months ago. It was all fine...until..." She cut-off her sentence there.
"Until what?" I said.
"Nothing you need to worry about now Cherry."

She suddenly looks into the sky, as though she was looking for a star, even though it was the middle of the day. Something doesn't seem right here.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing...I just lost my train of thought." She makes a fake smile.
"Well in that case, let's change the subject. What have you got to do around here?"
"How about we practice your running?"
"Meh...It sounds boring" I reply
"Ooo! I know!" She exclaims "We could practice magic!"
"Magic? What's that?"
"Well, you know that horn up on your head?"
"Yeah?"
"Well that makes you a 'Unicorn'. Same case with me too. Now unicorns have the ability to use magic and do all sorts of things. Amazing things! You can lift things with your spells, heavy things that you wouldn't normally be able to lift. You can also teleport! Especially useful if you need to get somewhere in a hurry. You could even make things change into other things!"
"Wow! Really?" I say, amazed at all the things she's saying.
"Yep, but before you use magic, you'll have to learn to read, and that doesn't come with your FillyMorphism."
"Well I guess we could do that." You could tell my voice was lacking enthusiasm.
"Okay, lets get started." Rose says.

We begin to learn the letters of the pony alphabet. She begins, showing me strange scribbles on a piece of paper. She tells me that they're not just scribbles and actual writing. She continues telling me how to say them, and what sound they make. Fortunately, I learned them very quickly. After quite a few pieces of paper, she mentions that she's going to start showing me words, simple, right? But they Are still words. Keep in mind I only just learned some letters. She holds up a card, explaining to me that this word means 'Hello'. The next card said, 'Goodbye'. The next card, 'How are you'. Strangely, I found I was learning them at a high rate. I didn't know if that was normal and if that happened to everypony, but I ignored it. Next card was a phrase, it meant, 'How are you?'.

After what seemed like hours, my knowledge steadily grew. Rose mentioned I got through at least half of the 44 letters of the pony alphabet. She was apparently amazed at my progress, and said she was going to award me with something tasty. I actually was hungry after all this learning. She reached toward a satchel, hiding under a tree trunk, and pulled out something sparkling and tasty. It was shaped like an apple, but had some kind of coating around it. "Pretty strange" I thought, but I'll go with it.
"It's a caramel apple! You'll love it!"

I take a few seconds to examine it and sniff it. It smelt sweet and tasty, something that smelled mouth-watering good. It looked as though it was blessed by the heavens and was a gift to me! I take an enormous bite out of the side of it, tasting it's wonderful splendors. This Caramel Apple was the best thing I've ever tasted!

Finishing the apple, I wipe my mouth of Caramel and Apple Chunks, thanking Rose for the gift.
"Don't mention it."
"What does that mean?" I say, not knowing any popular mannerisms.
"You're welcome." She says chuckling.
She lightly taps my head, causing me to giggle, which, in turn causes her to start laughing as well.
I eventually find us chasing each other, playing tag and lightly pushing each other around, having fun and being joyful after a hard day's work of learning...and a bit of mystery. I can't help but have a strange feeling in the back of my head. What did she mean "I don't enjoy living there anymore...10 months ago, it was all fine...until..."
What happened then?

Unusual Power

A few days later, walking through the forest.

"When you live in the forest you need to know what plants are edible and what plants aren't. You could get seriously sick, or even die."
Rose is explaining to me different things about plants; what's edible, what's sweet, and what's bitter. She reaches her head down and grabs some grapes, then puts them in her bag for when we get back from camp. Over the last few days we've been running low on supplies. Even though we haven't been doing anything active, we were still very hungry. Rose says it's because I'm growing, but I don't believe her.
"So is there anything specific we're going to get?" I say
"Ummm...not really. I'm just looking for things we could use. Food, firewood, basically anything that's useful."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to see what we find then."
There was a slightly awkward silence whilst she was picking and prodding at some plants, but my thoughts fill the silence. Well, filled them for me at least.

I was still thinking about what happened 10 months ago...Would she ever tell me? Maybe I could learn a spell to find out. Then again I'm not that skilled in magic, or even in reading. I should probably just ask her, that would be a good approach, right?
"Hey, Rose?"
"Yeah Cherry?"
"Well I was wondering...what happened 10 mon-"
My sentence was cut off by a terrible scream! Both of us turned in that direction, then looked at each other. I could tell we both had the same sense of danger. We both dropped out things and started sprinting towards where we heard the sound. Passing trees we heard more struggling from what sounded like a woman, the same women who screamed second before. We begin to run faster and faster, wanting to get to the woman before something bad happened! As we finally come to the edge of the forest we were staying in, we look around to find the woman, being mugged by three ponybandits!

"Stay here, I don't want you to get hurt!" Rose says, running off to help the woman.
I ignore her, knowing that even with my help, they may not be able to fight off the bandits! I start running after her and towards the bandits to help the woman. I'm not quite sure what I'll do to them, but I am too angry to care. Reaching them, I jump on one, chewing on his ear. He immediately threw me off, growling at me whilst he did so. I noticed Rose was using her magic to try and throw things at the bandit, things like large rocks, branches, even a large log! I continue to fight the other bandit, biting his ankle and trying to pull him away from the commotion, which unfortunately didn't work. All I could do was stand back and shout at them.
"Stop! Come on! She doesn't deserve this!"
I don't even think they hear me as they raid the woman's things.
"Seriously!" I screamed
I was furious, I didn't even notice my horn was starting to glow a pale blue!
There was absolutely nothing I could do.
One of the bandits is raiding the Woman's things, Rose and the Woman were being occupied by the two other bandits, and I was just stuck in the middle.
My horn was shooting off sparks, creating an area around me that was nearly on fire! It glowed in different tiers of blue; light blue, sky blue, even navy blue.

In one last attempt to help, I scream "STOP!!!" at the top of my lungs, and right at that moment, the wind picked up, the sky started to go dark, creating a very epic scene.
The Bandits, Rose and the Woman all stopped in awe, amazed at what was happening. I felt myself start to levitate above the ground gaining power, as though it was given to me by some strange source! At that very moment, there was a blast, sending the Bandits to go flying, carrying them far from us. Strangely, it didn't even harm Rose OR the Woman. You might even say they looked better then before. The hair wasn't rustled and the Woman's things weren't all over the place. Instead they were all folded and organized! I fell back down onto the ground, fatigued. My eyes start to blur, and my hearing starts to go, the last thing I see is the Woman and Rose racing towards me, trying to help. Everything goes black.

Later that night

"uuhhhh...Where am I?"
"Don't worry Cherry, you're home now." The voice is soothing and sweet, yet, it didn't seem quite familiar.
"What happened?" I said.
"Well after you passed out Rose and I carried you back here. We thought you had a fever because your temperature was soaring, but after about 15 minutes it was back to normal. We thought it was really strange." She replied
After thinking shortly, I came to the conclusion that this was the Woman getting mugged, but where was my mother?
"Where's Rose?"
"After seeing you in your...state, she ran off crying. It must have brought up some bad memories I guess."
She must have been hiding something from me, because I could tell she put on a bad poker face, hoping I didn't notice it.
"Did she say anything?" I said
"Not directly to me, but I heard her say something."
"Well since your taking care of me, what's your name?"
"For you, you can call me 'Ms. Cheerilee'. I teach at the school down in ponyville." She says. "Has Rose told you about Ponyville?"
"Yes, she also told me she doesn't enjoy living there anymore. I'm not quite sure why in fact..."
"Well that's a story for her to tell. When she's ready, something happened that she doesn't like talking about." Ms. Cheerilee said. "Anyways, it's getting late so we should probably" -CRASH Rain starts to pour down heavily- "go find her..."
"Yeah"
I immediately jumped up, preparing to go find Rose and tell her I'm alright.
"Let's go" I say.

We start off, slightly jogging through the forest, shouting "Rose!" every now and then. We search for about and hour or two, but to no success. We couldn't find any trace of her or her tracks. I suspect she was using some sort of spell to hide them. I thought of the time a few days ago. She explained some spells to me, but she didn't show any of them to me...Then it hit me, could there be a spell to find her? Why didn't I think of that before?
"Excuse me, Ms. Cheerilee, I know your an earth pony, but do you perchance have a spell book? Something that can help us to find Rose?" I try to act excited, although it was hard because of the sadness that was drifting over my head knowing that Rose is gone.
"Well, I don't think so, but I'll check when we get back to your home. I was carrying some books for one of my Unicorn friends."
We start heading back home, disappointed and empty hooved. I am really hoping that we will find that spell book...and that Rose is okay.

Finally getting back, I lie down on the bed of grass, along with Ms. Cheerilee, tired from a long and exciting day. I wonder to myself what happened today. I was especially confused about that thing I did today. Was it a spell? Can I repeat it? Once again, questions are racing through my head, similar to the way when awoke nearly a week ago. While all this is happening, I slowly drift to sleep, forgetting my responsibilities and my worries.

Ponyville

Next Day

I wake up to a very thick morning. The air smells like dew, and the air is humid. Opening my eyes I can see that there is a slight fog in the air. Mrs. Cheerilee is still asleep, quiet as can be. I stand up on all fours, stretching my legs, and giving my hooves a slight shake, then walk over to get a drink from a nearby pond. We didn't have time to gather water yesterday, so this with suffice. Drinking the water, I slowly remember the previous day and the events that occurred within them. The lesson about plants, the bandits, the fight, and especially what happened near the end...What did happen? All I remember is a bright light, a sudden blast of wind, and then I blacked-out. I'll be sure to remember to ask Mrs. Cheerilee later. A sudden, but small, sense of urgency goes through me. Rose is still missing! I guess I'll have to go find her. A bit of a chore, but I don't even know if she's okay...

I pack up a small amount of rations, fill my water skin and set off to find Rose. I start by walking towards the spot where I remember the fight was. I might be able to find her tracks if I start from there, then follow them to her. Walking through the forest, I think to myself, "Why did she run off? Did something happen whilst I was out? Did Mrs. Cheerilee say something?".
My mind is racing, trying to grasp at some solution of why she ran off, but there were flaws in all of them. After about five minutes, I come to the spot of the mugging. As I look around, I find a few things on the ground. Pieces of paper, but blank. A few books, yet non of relevance. Nothing I could find was useful to me, just trash. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I have to find Rose before something happens to her.

I start to think to myself again, where could she be...Ponyville? No, probably not. She doesn't enjoy being there. Possibly somewhere out in the plains? I suppose it's not a very good spot to run off to. The Everfree Forest! I bolt off, galloping at full speed, a sense of dread deep within me. Trees are flashing past me as I dodge in and out of them, attempting to get to Rose as quickly and as efficiently as possible. "Run! Run! Run!" I was telling my brain, pleading it to hasten my travel. My running was getting faster and faster, increasing my hoof speed, decreasing the height that they raise off the ground. My hooves feel as though they were ablaze, with each hoof strike, fire seemingly spat out from them. I think I even phased through a tree! My eyes were frantically searching for some sign of her, hoofprints, markings, a shelter...

After what seems like another five minutes, I start to slow down. My enthusiasm matched my speed, making my face into a worried frown. I start yelling for her, hoping she'll answer back. "Rose! Rose? Where are you?" With my hope depleting, my fatigue growing, I begin to accept her to be gone, but then I hear a noise...It sounded like some type of animal, but I don't think it actually is. "Rose?" I say. The sound repeats! I run towards the sound, expecting to see Rose, but upon getting to the sound's origin, I am greeted by the presence of Rose, although what I see was not as I expected. She was pale, and shriveled up under a slightly uprooted tree. I look at her, trying to make sense of why she was there, and notice that her eyes are shut, and there is a displeased look on her face.
"Are you alright, Rose?"
"Uggghhhhh...." She moans in pain.
"I'll take that as a no." I say sarcastically.
"We need to get you back to home, but I can't carry you. Can you walk?" I question.
She clears her throat. "Cherry? Is that...actually you?"
"Yeah it's me! Now come on, we need to get back and find out what's wrong with you!"
As soon as I answer her question, she brightens up immensely!
"Cherry!" She says, jumping up from her position and gave me a large hug.
Still in her grip, I say "Well, it's a good thing you can walk!"
"I can, but I think I've caught something."
"Well we won't able to find out what ailment you have here. We ARE in the Everfree Forest after all."
"Oh yeah, I kind of forgot." She jokes
We start walking towards the general direction of our home.
"So..." I say
"Yes Cherry?"
"...Why'd you run off yesterday??" I blurt out.
"Well, when you did that thing. When you were floating in the air and did that spell, it brought up some bad memories. I'd tell you...but It's a long story..." She looks off into the distance.
"Don't worry, we're at least half an hour away from home." The enthusiasm in my voice is apparent.
"Okay, fine, but don't interrupt me or ask any questions in the middle. I get off track easily." She smiles.

...I wait in excitement...

Flashback (Rose's Point of View)

"It all started about a year and a half ago, when I moved to Ponyville. I was very nervous and didn't think I would fit in. I was from Lindale, a far off town. So I obviously wasn't updated with the modern clothing in Ponyville, so my clothes were not only out of date, but they were also dirty from hard work on the farm I did, when I used to work there. I walked through Ponyville, trying to find my home. I look down at a piece of paper, my new address written on it.
'Ponyville 539 East'
I didn't even know where that was, or how I was going to get there, but when I looked back up, there was a magnificent Pony standing in front of me! His mane was gleaming and shiny! His horn was glorious! His smile was hypnotizing! He said to me
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
Of course, I nervously replied, "well...I could use some help umm, finding my home...I've just moved here from Lindale." .
"Not a problem Miss, may I have the address?"
"Why of course you can!" I handed the dreamy Colt the slip of paper, forgetting my dirty and outdated clothes.
"Ponyville 539 East is it?" He says.
"Yes" I reply.
"That's just along the way, let me walk you there. If you don't mind of course." He smiles kindly.
"Not at all!"
"Let's be on our way then shall we?"
We started walking along the path, talking with each other similarly to how two people who have just met would talk.

"So do you live here?" I say
"Yes! I live just across the path from you in fact! I heard there was someone coming, but I always thought they would be from Canterlot. On that topic, what made you come here?" He asks me.
"I came here from Lindale because of a great famine. My family and I heard there was well to do in Ponyville, so we all decided that one of us should come here. I guess it just happened to be me."
"Interesting. So you plan to get a job here, right?" He says, his words soothing me like a warm bath.
"Yes, but I'm not quite sure where to start."
"Hmmmm...Ah! I know! You could work at my shop! I own the general shop up in town. We've been needing a teller for a while now, but no one's applied."
"That would work!" I replied
We neared my house while we continued to talk.
"So I'll be talking to you tomorrow?" I said, stepping in the doorway.
"Yep, I'll work everything out for you in the shop, and in a few days time, I'll put you to work."
"See you later then!" I closed the door, waving goodbye at him.
As soon as the door was closed, I sighed in disbelief. Disbelief that this man even exists! He was amazing!

Back to Cherry and Rose, who were still walking back home, about half way there.

"So how does that have to do with what happened yesterday?" I said
"Well that doesn't. I have much more of the story to tell, so don't worry, you'll find out in due time my child." Replied Rose

Ponyville Pt. 2

Flashback (Rose's Point of View)

After I got up from my dazed state, I looked around my new home. I found that the house was quite empty, yet still homely. I also saw a fire, slowly roasting which, although it was burning brightly, wasn't very warm. I walked around for a few minutes, exploring the different rooms. All the possibilities of different arrangements of furniture started appearing in my head. There could be a couch over here! A painting would look great on this wall! Too bad there wasn't actually any furniture in the house. I would have to save up to buy some.

As it got late, I headed toward the bedroom. That was the only room that had any furniture in it. One bed, one single bed. And that was all I needed for that night. I kicked off my traveling clothes, and threw them in the corner of the room. Those clothes were only used to travel, not to do things like walk around in Ponyville. As I slowly drifted off to sleep, I thought of the colt I ran into earlier that day. Would he actually get me a job? Is he as nice as he appeared? All these questions would soon be answered in the following days.

I awoke to the warming and bright sunrise, ready to start a day anew. I stood up, got ready to go out, even though I didn't know what I was going to do today. I had a drink of tea before I set off to find that colt I was talking to yesterday.
"Where did he say he lived?" I thought for a second, then remembered him saying
"I live just across the path from you in fact!"
Then I got slightly sheepish and thought about all the things that could go wrong if I went to his house. Would he be mad if I knocked and he was still sleeping? What if someone else was there and I startled them? I don't think I could be O.K. with me annoying him like that...

So later that day I went out to go talk to the colt. Walking across the path, I noticed that most of the commotion was towards the west, where the shopping part of Ponyville was. I knocked on his door, only to find silence. I knock again, this time slightly louder. I wait...but to no avail. I thought to myself,
"I guess he's not home. I'll have to come back another time." but just when I turned away, the door opened up and shown through the archway was the same familiar colt I was talking with yesterday.
"Hi!" He said.
"Hi." I said back.
"How's it going?"
"Fine thank you."
"What can I help you with?" He said
"Well I'm new here, you already know that" I gave out a slight giggle. "You wouldn't mind if I asked you to, umm, show me around Ponyville, would you?"
"Not at all!" He said

He walks out of his house, and we began to talk about different things.
"So how was your first night in your new house?" He says.
"It was good. Thanks for asking." I reply "I didn't seem to catch your name the other day."
"Oh! I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind! My name is Oak, Oak Blossom."
"Mine is Rose Meadow." I say.
"That's a nice name. I like it." He smiled politely.
We were coming close to central Ponyville when we started to notice the bustle of the town and everypony moving about, buying things, and talking with each other. We walk towards a slightly tall building.
"This is Sugar Cube Corner. You can get all sorts of sweets here. Not only are the sweets here unique, but so are the ponies who own it. Mr. and Mrs. Cake. Make sure to pay them a visit, they'll surely appreciate it" He said.
Continuing through the town, Oak and I see some foals playing, giggling and having fun.
"This is the library. A pony named 'Twilight Sparkle' lives here and owns the library. She's very intelligent you'll find. If you ever want to get a book, she'll know exactly what you want."
We keep walking, seeing a few ponies eating a lunch. They were talking happily.
"That over there is the town square. Whenever there's an important announcement, it'll be there." He said enthusiastically.

We spent the rest of the day joyfully talking and walking. There were many things we talked about, many things we looked at, many things we did. I never have had this much joy since the famine in Lindale. I never had this kind of community. In Lindale everyone was unhappy, they were always working, and the town was always in a gloomy state. Yet, this town was different...almost the opposite. Every one was cheerful, they were doing leisure activities, and the sky was even bright. I was even happy. At that very moment my fears of a new town, a new house, and being away from my family drifted into the wind, never to be seen again. It was him who made me happy again. Looking into his bright eyes made me gleam on the inside. I smiled a wide smile when I thought of this...this magical thing that is friendship.

Falling (Ponyville Pt. 3)

For best reading experience, listen to this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGwmfCLAWfw&feature=plcp It's a piano improvisation. This man is very talented and I give him my respect.

Rose and Cherry are still walking, although slower this time because of their dialogue

Flashback (Rose's Point of View)

The next few days were very nice for me. I talked more with Oak, learning more about his past, present, and what he hopes to do in the future. I can't list off everything, but he lived in Ponyville all his life. He's also been a very happy pony all his life, spreading happiness wherever he goes. Only a few bad things ever came to him, one being his parents death. When he was just 8 years old, his parents died in a great battle. They were the sworn protectors of Ponyville and it's people. It was all fine until a dragon appeared in town, breathing fire and threatening everypony. His parents gave their life to save Ponyville.

His present is very simple. As I said before, he owns the general shop up in central Ponyville. Although things can get hectic being a manager, most days are calm. He lives in a small house alone, but his loneliness never catches up with him, as he is always with friends and family. Everyday passes by regularly. He, the same as his parents, has taken the oath as the protector of Ponyville.

He plans to grow old, eventually retire, and begin a family in Canterlot. He's already decided what house he wants to move into. There's nothing more Oak likes to do then plan for the future.

At this point, I've started working at the Oak's shop. Everyone is very nice to me, and we have become friends with one another too! Many casual days went by where I thought of my past in Lindale. I wondered how my family was doing, if they were receiving the money I was sending them. I day dreamed whilst looking out the window. The beautiful sky, the singing birds...
Then Oak would ask me for something, or a customer would walk in, and I would come back to the real world. Everyday I noticed Oak and his glory. Every night I thought of him in my small house. Every time I saw him, I felt this strange yet wonderful feeling in my heart. We were more then friends, and as every week grew old and a new week began, I realized that I was falling for him. Falling for his brilliance. Falling for his magnificence. His personality. He was seemingly perfect for me.

We did many things together, similar to how a brother and a sister would. We'd share food, he'd invite me over for dinner, I'd invite him to a night out. No day went by that we weren't together, and all of Ponyville started to notice. Many of our friends started to acknowledge 'Me' as 'Us', knowing that Oak and I could not be separated for long. And every day I noticed that feeling inside my heart grow larger and more powerful. I knew what was happening, but I couldn't believe it...

I was falling in love with him...I was falling in love with Oak, and that was the happiest time of my life.

That was when I decided I wanted to be with him the rest of my life.

One night when we were out in the fields, laying on our backs watching the stars, something magical happened...
"These stars are beautiful Oak." I said.
"There's nothing like them...gleaming in the sky." Oak said.
"Do you think they're meant to mean something?"
"Like what?" He said.
"Well, I just thought that they would have some purpose for being up there."
I turned to face him and looked into his eyes. He did the same.
"Well, you could say they have many purposes." He mentioned.
"Give me an example."
He thought for a second, then continued, "One of their purposes is just to be up there, that way Ponies like you and me can enjoy them at night."
"Okay..." I replied, slightly anxious for him to say something else.
"They also are there to look beautiful, and to reflect off of your perfect eyes." He smiled.
Our hooves were slightly touching. We had held hooves before, but this was different. There was some connection between us now.
"Thank you." I said blushing.
I glanced back up, and saw a shooting star flying through the sky. It seemed slower than all others I've seen.
"Make a wish Rose."
"I would, but everything is perfect right now."
We looked at each other, struck with love. We were both smiling, feeling the same thing.
Slowly leaning forward, we closed our eyes, and let out lips meet, falling perfectly in place with the each other's. My heart was skipping beats. This moment was perfect. There was nothing I had ever felt that could ever match what I was feeling at that moment...that magical moment.

We leaned back, and gently opened our eyes. We were both smiling widely, and single tear of Joy ran down my cheek as I looked into his eyes. He pulled me in, hugging me gently. As he did, he whispered in my ear.
"I love you Rose."

Back to Rose and Cherry, who were nearing their home. (Cherry's Point of View)

"And that's how I fell in love with your father." Rose said.
"I think I'm overdosing in 'Lovey Doveyness' for the day." I said sarcastically.
Mrs. Cheerilee sees us, and comes running.
"Are you two alright?" She says.
"Well, I think I've caught something, but other than that, were fine." Rose says.
"Oh dear, let me see...have you been feeling any symptoms? Coughing? Sneezing? Itching? Maybe I should take your blood pressure. How about your joints? Are they okay?"
"Slow down Mrs. Cheerilee! I'm fine. All I need is a little sleep and I'll be all better." Rose says smiling.
Rose goes to lay down, while Mrs. Cheerilee asks me how I'm doing.

Today went better then expected. I didn't actually think Rose would tell me why she ran off, or how she met my dad, but then another question arose. Where is my dad?

Finding a Cure

Chapter 9. Cherry's Point of View.

While I was curious about what happened to my father, Rose needed to be tended to. She wasn't extremely sick, but she did have something that required medicinal attention to cure.
"So what do you think she has?" I say to Mrs. Cheerilee.
"I think it's just a cold." She says. "Do you have anything that can help fight it?"
Rose chimes in "No, I wasn't prepared for any sickness. I was going to go get some supplies from Ponyville after Cherry's arrival, but I didn't really have time to."
"Ponyville is the only place that has the proper herbs to cure a cold." Cheerilee continues "Do you think you can make the trip?"
"I don't think so. I feel pretty tired and I think I need my rest."
Sheepishly stepping forward, I volunteer, "...I could go. I'm healthy, and I want to go to Ponyville anyways!"
"Absolutely not!" Yells Rose. "You're just a foal!"
"Well what else do you suggest?" I say.
"I don't know, but you're not going to Ponyville! It'll take a day at the least! Do you actually think you can survive that?" Rose seems very flustered.
"Yes!" I blurt out.

She calms down after a few seconds.
Mrs. Cheerilee tries to get in the conversation "Well it would do her good to get her slightly independent from you, and this would be a perfect chance to do so."
"I suppose..." Rose looks down to the ground, thinking.
"Plus I can work on my reading while I travel!" I say
"That might work..."
"Cherry will do fine on her own, I could show her the way."
"Maybe..."
"I'll even travel in the middle of the day."

There was a dramatic pause, both Cheerilee and I were waiting for an answer. Rose seemed to be thinking about the 'trip' quite pensively. After waiting for a minute or two in silence, she says.
"Okay, you can go."
Both Cheerilee and I cheer extensively.
"But only if Mrs. Cheerilee decides to go with you. AND you'll go during the morning. No traveling during the night. Even though most of Equestria is safe during the night, I don't want you walking about during the night."
"Thanks Mummy!" I say "We'll leave tomorrow morning!"
"That's fine by me!" Mrs. Cheerilee says.
I think for a second, after calming down from the excitement, and say,
"I think I'll go out for a walk to pass the time."
I start to walk out around in the forest, looking at the beautiful landscape that I've been oblivious to in the previous week. I think about how the earth ponies do it. It's really amazing. Now that it's crossed my mind, we all owe the earth ponies a big favour. All this must be hard work, and yet amazingly, they get it all done.

Around 7 hours pass by as Cherry walks around the forest, learning her surroundings and the general location. She smells the flowers, watches the birds, and even took a nap under a tree.

By time I had gotten back, Mrs. Cheerilee had already cooked up a very nice stew. It had potatoes, carrots, broccoli, all in sweet, sweet apple broth. (Remember that a pony's diet is strictly vegetarian.) We ate nearly all of it, simply not having enough room in our tummies to keep eating was the only reason we didn't finish it!
"That was the best stew I've ever had!" I said, laying on my side because my stomach was too full.
"Thank you!"
"I certainly hope tomorrow will be good. We'll leave early in the morning, after having a nice breakfast, then we'll talk about different things, and maybe learn some new letters and words."
I actually felt excited to start learning. It's strange, yet somewhat soothing. My thoughts form a soft blanket around me as I slowly fall into a deep, calming asleep.

The next day.

"Get up Cherry!"
"uuuggghhhh" I reply.
"Breakfast is ready!" Cheerilee calls out, which causes me to immediately spring up from my position on the ground in excitement. She had already made warm apple sauce with a side of cherry cocktail. I ate it, devouring the whole thing, enjoying every last bite in a nirvana of bliss.
"So are you ready to go?" She said. I noticed Rose was still asleep, so I lowered my voice slightly.
"What am I supposed to bring?"
"Well we're going to need some way to pay for the food and the room."
"We're staying the night there?" I say
"Yes! It is a day long trip you know."
I thought for a second, then continued.
"What are we going to pay with?"
"Well, all of Equestria has this thing called currency. The most important form of currency is a 'bit'."
Mrs. Cheerilee was quite knowledgeable about this sort of things, probably because she was a teacher.
"We can use bits to buy all sorts of things. You could buy fruit, vegetables, furniture, seeds, watering pales... basically anything and everything under the sun." She says.
"Okay, how much is a bit worth." She thinks for a second, then replies,
"Well, you could get a cherry for a bit or two."
"Wow...I'm expensive." I joke.
Both Cheerilee and I laugh quietly, making sure we don't wake Rose.
"Well, I've packed about two-hundred bits, so we should be good. I've also got four apples to get us through if we get hungry.
She mentions.
"Well then, let's be off!"

We start to walk, and although awkward at first, our conversation seems to become interesting. We talk about different animals and what's special about them. Some animals can burrow deep into the earth, making them good hiders. Some can fly at super-sonic speeds, making them agile and quick-witted. Others have there own specific talent, similar to how ponies have their own talent. She mentions that not all animals are good, some only have one purpose, and that is to be evil. Similar to how a cockatrice is. They only cause pain in everything they do, so all ponies must be cautious of what they do around those creatures.

There comes the occasional silence in our conversation, because we just simply can't talk all the time, but every now and then, we will notice something especially bright or something that's just truly amazing, and our chit-chat is rekindled.
The day goes by casually, Cheerilee often times holding up a book during our rest. Inside would be a few letters and their explanation. Just like before, I learn them quickly, memorizing them and their meaning.

I start to realize the meaning behind the 'day long trip' expression, because dusk begins to set in. The birds start to fall asleep, the sun begins to fall, the moon begins to rise.
"Are we almost there?" I ask
"Nearly. When night time arrives, we will be there, then we will rent a room. Tomorrow we will find those herbs we've been looking for."
We continue to walk as the night grows longer. I've never noticed how beautiful it was, the stars, the moon. All of it was gleaming in the sky. Even the clouds looks more sympathetic to the night sky. It was somewhat soothing. I felt tire work into me. Work into my bones, into my muscles, and as I look back down from the sky, I notice that I can see Ponyville and it's wonderfulness. It's street lamps were lighting up the town, allowing ponies from all over to see it. A sliver of relief passes through me, and I start running towards Ponyville, with Cheerilee trying to keep up behind. I felt the wind flowing through my mane, same as before. It only takes about a minute to arrive at a full gallop, and when we do get there, I felt as though I could cry it was so stunning.

There were buildings everywhere. The Town Hall, SugarCube Corner, the Library, all of which were so much better then my mother's description. Mrs. Cheerilee quickly shuffled over to the 'Pony-Inn', hoping to get in bed as quick as she could. Nearly running past the pony standing at the desk, Cheerilee throws a small bag of bits and grabs a key off of the wall behind the counter. She speedily goes to her and my room, unlocking it. She throws her things near the floor, followed by her on the bed... I smile, knowing that she probably hasn't traveled that far in a while. It brought joy to me, knowing that she was getting relief from the stress she was feeling right now. I look around, and notice that there are two beds, one for me, and one for Cheerilee. I set my things down, which were a few books about spells and letters and words, and lay down on the soft bed and started to think about Rose. I slightly missed her. I was saddened, but was also cheered knowing that I was doing something to help her by coming here and retrieving these herbs.

Although the grass at home is very soft, I have never felt anything so heavenly before. It feels like I'm laying on a cloud, made of the finest sheep wool and knitted together with golden yarn, suited for a king. Tonight I didn't need my thought for a blanket or to help me fall asleep. I simply went into a deep daze, dreaming about today and tomorrow.

Finding a Cure Pt. 2

Chapter 10. Cherry's Point of View

I wake up from a good night's rest. I sit up, and see that Mrs. Cheerilee was already cooking breakfast. When I say cooking, I mean taking some fruit out of her bag. We ate it quickly, excited to go shopping today. We start out of the room, our manes combed, and our teeth brushed.
"So what are we going to do today?" I say
"Well, first off, we're going to find that herb. That's the reason we're here, you know."
"Okay...and?"
"Well I don't think we'll have enough time to make the trip back home, so I guess we'll just shop the rest of the day." She replies.
"Sounds fun!"
We walk out of the Inn, and start heading towards the shops. I notice that most of the open area that we passed last night was filled with shops, selling things ranging from food to accessories to quills.
"So I know you're not a unicorn, but you know anything about magic?" I question Cheerilee.
"Actually, now that you mention it, I do know a few things about it." She continues "Magic is the cornerstone for all unicorns. They use it for their daily activities like cleaning, organizing, even finding things. I remember an old friend trying to explain how to use a levitation spell, that way you could hold things suspended in the air."
"Do you remember what she said?" I say excitedly
"Let me think for a second..." She puts her hoof to her chin, looking at the ground.

"Ahhh! Yes, now I remember. But you must be careful with this. She said anytime you use a spell, you use a little bit of energy. It's basically like running. The more you run the greater you tire gets. Same with spells. If you use spells too often, you will get worn out, but also like running, you can grow stronger and do more spells without being fatigued."
"Well go on! I really want to learn this!" I nearly shout at her.
"Okay okay! First, take an object and set it on something like a table. Then imagine an aura around it. Think of that aura lifting up the object. I'm not quite sure what she said after that, but I hope that helped. She explained.
"Thanks!"
We arrive near town square, at a stand that had a sign above it that said, "Herbs and Spices Galore".
I look at all the separate herbs and spices, some coloured purple, blue, red, even yellow! Some had polka-dots, some had stripes. Cheerilee looked at the selection for only a second before grabbing one in her mouth. It was Brown with white stripes. Bending down, it smells like mint, only slightly stronger, and what I would suspect to be spiciness. She puts it on the 'Check-out Counter' and asks the teller how much this herb was.
"That'll be 10 bits ma'am."
"Here you are." Mrs. Cheerilee hands her 10 bits, and we continue walking as she puts the herb in her bag.

"That was quick!" I say
"Yep, and now we get the whole day to shop!!!" She seemed very happy and excited.
We quickly make our way over to the next shop, which is labeled "Accessories for Ponies".
While Cheerilee is fascinated by the jewels and gems, I take a look around. Many ponies are walking about, either trying to get somewhere hastily, or slowly browsing the stores. There were all types of ponies. Pegasi, Unicorns, and Earth ponies.
Cheerilee comes back and I see that a new necklace has renewed her neck.
"Cheerilee, could you tell me about the different types of ponies?"
"Why certainly dear. First off, Earth ponies are the most common, followed by Pegasi, followed by Unicorns."
"More than that. I want to know what they do. What are their responsibilities?" I continue to question her.
"Most important are the Earth ponies. They tend to our crops and watch over out animals. There is an exception of course. A filly named FlutterShy tends to the animals too. In fact, she seems to be quite good at it." She mentions. "Pegasi ponies are relied on to move the clouds, make rainbows, and control the weather. They basically watch over the sky, and there is a quite ambitious pony out there call 'Rainbow Dash'. She will do most of the work in the sky around Ponyville." Taking another breath, she says, "Finally there are Unicorns. They manage many things such as; groups, towns, imports and exports, and transportation. A large amount of them also own shops here in Ponyville. There is a particularly bright Unicorn called 'Twilight Sparkle'. You'd do well to meet her, you being so smart." She smiles.

We spend about another hour or two, looking around, making our way through town square. We picked and prodded at some foods, tried on some dresses, and ate lunch. We came to a store that sold various things, most likely a general store.
I drifted away from Cheerilee, whatever was preoccupying her, was not even entertaining me. It's strange, but I notice a large statue in the middle of town square that I hadn't seen earlier. It was of a Colt, tall and smiling. His horn was glorious, his mane was smooth. He looked as though he could have any Filly in town. I slowly walk up to it, stunned by the height of it. It was nearly as tall as the library! Then I noticed something that was crushing.

A small copper sign was at the bottom of the statue. In fancy script, it read

"This statue is dedicated to the very Colt who saved Ponyville from a terrible evil. May his soul be in Pony Heaven, and may he always be in our hearts. Oak Blossom.

I was stricken. I froze at the sight of my father's memorial. It hit me so fast, I didn't know how to react. Why hadn't Rose told me my own father was dead?! Did she even think this was important to me?! I was only two weeks old, yet I had already lost a large part of my life...It was unbearable, yet undeniable...I heard a crash of thunder as the sky begins to close dense with clouds. Rain starts to fall, mixing with my tears, falling from my eyes. Tears for my father. Tears for all the memories we will never have. Tears for all the times we will never experience together.

"Why did this happen to me?" I thought, "Why does he have to be dead? Why? Why?! Why?!?" I lay my head to the ground in sorrow, tears still streaming down my face. Cheerilee quickly rushes over to me, alarmed by the thunder and quickly growing storm, grabs me by my hoof and pulls my frantically in the direction of the Inn. "Why did this happen to me?" I question myself while running. I never even got to know him.

We got to the Inn just before it started down pouring. We were slightly wet, but mostly alright.
"What got over you?" Cheerilee says, but after she does, she quickly takes back her words, noticing the tears running down my face. She must have remembered where I was laying, because her voice became increasingly soft and ginger.
"...I ... I'm sorry you had to figure out like this dear..." She put a hoof around me, pulling me into her arms.

There was a pause, then she spoke up.
"Let's get back to our room."
We start walking back, both her and I were silent. When we got to our room, she opened the door, and we slowly walked in. She sits down on the bed, but I continue to stand in the middle of the room, staring at the ground.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I'm sorry dear, but it wasn't my job to tell you. Rose was going to tell you, but she fell sick and we had to come here."
I walked over to my bed, still wet, still stunned, still grieving, and laid down. Cheerilee decided that it'd be best if I were alone, so she leaves the room.

I start to think of my father and the sadness that was sitting upon my shoulders. This was a feeling that I've never experienced before, and I didn't know how to handle or cope with it, so I just did what felt right. I laid there for the rest of the day, crying silently into my pillow, falling into a deep sleep.

Practicing

Chapter 11. Cherry's Point of View

I wake up to the soothing sound of rain against the ground and the wind against the outer wall of the Inn. Peaceful way to wake up after an finding solace only in sleep. It's only about 6 o'clock (P.M.), judging by how bright it is, and how long I've slept. Cheerilee must not have come in, because her bedding is pristine and folded. I get up, rub my eyes, and look around a bit. There's a note by her bed, lying there by it's lonesome self. Walking over to it, and picking it up, I read the top.

Cherry,

I've gone out to visit the family since I live here. I'll be back around 8 or 9 o'clock. Be safe and don't leave the Inn unless
it's an emergency. I've left enough food to get you buy, and you can get water from the lobby. I'll see you soon, and I hope you're feeling better! Tomorrow we'll be leaving, so make sure you are ready for the trip, because it's going to be a long one. Heck, what am I saying, you were on the trip here. Sometimes I just forget things, then I start going on really long tangents about random things...Maybe I should wrap this up.... I'll see you when I get back!

P.S.

Practice up on your magic. I've left some books by the table if you care to read them.

Love,

Mrs. Cheerilee.

"Well I suppose I could do some practicing." I thought. I walk over to the books and read the title. In slightly fancy writing, the first one says,
"Spells and Incantations for those who have the talent to cast them."
followed by the next book, which said,
"Anything and Everything Magic."
and finally,
"Mysterious Witches and Wizards."
I pick up the first book and sit down. Then I thought for a second, "Maybe I should try some levitation like Cheerilee said. How did she explain it?"
Thinking about it, I go through what happened today. First we left, then we decided we'll go home tomorrow, then she explained the spell.
"First put an object on something like a table."
I look at the book, and mentally check that off the list.
"Second, Imagine and aura around the object."
I do so, straining to imagine and aura around the cover of the book. My horn starts slightly glowing. After a few seconds, the page started showing a light blue ring around it.
"Check!" I say to myself.
"Third, imagine that aura lifting up, dragging the object up with it."
Trying ever so hard, I think of the aura rising into the air, but I was unable to move it more than a nudge. I try again, but again with out a significant result. "How am I even Oak's son? He was the protector of Ponyville. He was devoted to magic, and I can't even open a book with my magic." I thought to myself.

As I start thinking about Oak and his legacy, the book begins to show that same glowing border around it, only this time it was stronger. I think of Rose, her beauty and her elegance, and the cover begins to rise. Surprised, I break my gaze from the book, causing it to fall back to it's original position. This seems abnormal. I try again, only this time thinking about different things I enjoy. Eating apples, running, talking with Rose, watching the birds. The book slowly begins to shake, outputting what seemed to be blue sparks. All of a sudden, the cover snapped open! I was stunned, but I think I figured out how to make magic a lot more powerful. All I had to do was put a little love into it. It was quite amazing, but I need to get back to my studies. Opening the book to the first page, I read,

"Any Unicorn in Equestria can cast spells, but it's all a matter of what spell, and if they have the experience to cast it."
This interested me greatly, so I continued to read.

"Magic is something that lives in everything. In the air, in the trees, in the ground, even in the walls of your house. Whether you can harness it or not is the question. This book will teach you of all things magic. However, it will not teach you how to do any spells that are dangerous beyond a certain extent."
After a while, I was completely devoted to reading this, entertained to the farthest extent of my reach. I had never known so much about with magic, besides the fact that it can be dangerous in some cases.

I continue reading for the rest of the day, engulfed in the knowledge of this book, discovering many new things. By time Cheerilee had arrived back at our room, I could turn the pages without even thinking. Plus, I completely forgot about Oak!
"Hi Cheerilee. I read one of your books, and I found it really interesting. I learnt that Magic lies within everything! Even the walls!"
"That's very nice Cherry. While I was out visiting the family, I ran into Apple Jack, a charismatic pony. She's the owner of 'Sweet Apple Acres' down near the South part of Ponyville. I told her about you, and she gave me a sweet apple pie for us to share." Without any other way to thank her, I ran over to her and hugged her. It was strange, the feeling of her against my head. I back away, smiling.

We take out the apple pie from her pouch, and the sight of it makes me start to drool. It was a medium sized pie with the filling exposed. You could see the sparkling apples under the top portion, mixed in with apple sauce, with a hint of cinnamon, all topped off with their finest breading, baked at the perfect temperature to the perfect amount of time. After we both finished gawking over the pie, we slice into it, giving both her and me a large piece of cake. Right there, while eating did I finally realize that there was a lesson to be learned today. A very important lesson. The lesson is, whenever you're feeling down, or sad, or even depressed, there is always going to be something, or someone to cheer you back up.

Visiting

Chapter 12 : Cherry's Point of View.

The next few days were fairly unexciting. We made the trip back, gave Rose the herbs, and she got better. Mrs. Cheerilee also left. It was unfortunate that she couldn't stay longer, but she had a young colt to tend to. Some time passed that was very boring.

I found that although my mother and I have similar interests, we have trouble finding anything fun to do. Racing and magic were there only things that we did. Don't get me wrong, magic is amazing! There's many things you can do! Move things, transform things, even teleport! I'm only so experienced, though. I can perform only one spell, and that's just a silly telekinesis spell. It's not even that powerful anyway.

Having nothing to do but eat, sleep, and eat some more, my mind is often drifting towards the time I spent in Ponyville. Even though it was only for a day, it was the most exciting thing I've done in my short life; the shopping, the accessories, and the statue . . . I'm still pretty moved by that whole your-dad's-dead thing. As my mind flies smoothly in and out of the wavy memories of Ponyville, I continually hit a bump.

"There is a particularly bright Unicorn called 'Twilight Sparkle'. You'd do well to meet her, you being so smart."

"I wonder what she could teach me . . ." I stare off in the distance as Rose stirs a boiling pot of stew. After a few days of intense thinking, contemplating, and just plain-old gathering courage, I ask to make a trip to Ponyville to visit 'Twilight Sparkle' to learn more about magic.

"Twilight Sparkle? That name sounds familiar . . . Oh! Yes! I remember, she's a great unicorn, she loves magic, she's responsible, and she nearly never forgets anything. On the other hoof, Twilight's always very busy, and gets distracted easily by tasks presented to her . . . but then again . . ."

The dialogue between Rose and me quickly evolved into a monologue as she kept talking for what seemed like fifteen minutes to a pot of stew.

"Sorry dear, what did you want?" She says, breaking away from her trance.

"I said, Can I please go to Ponyville to learn magic with Twilight Sparkle!" A hint of annoyance rolled off my tongue as I finish my sentence.

"Well . . . I suppose you cou-" Before she can finish her sentence, I jump towards her, hooves open wide shouting,

"Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!"
Prying me off of her, she includes,

"Now, we'll have to send her a letter, I don't want you to show up there without her knowing."
Satisfied with my reward of asking Rose for a trip to Ponyville, I happily trot into a nearby meadow that I recently discovered while doing absolutely Nothing interesting with Rose.

"I'm still a bit upset that we don't have anything in common", but that string of frustration is quickly washed away and replaced by things Twilight Sparkle might teach me.

"Maybe some teleportation! Or perhaps some mustache magic! Or maybe even age-spells!" I day-dream of a young filly flying through the air, wind blowing through her mane, casting spells left and right . . .

About a week later, an envelope arrived from a gray pony with her eyes a bit Derpy . . . Encased within is a small scroll. Unraveling it we read

Dear Cherry

Thank-you very much for sending me a letter. I'm very excited to have a new student! We can learn of many things while she's here too! I'll have everything planned and ready for her by time she gets here. I don't have anything planned for the next few weeks, so she'll be able to stay as long as she wants (or needs).

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle

Smiling, I quickly pack a bag, within is a few emergency bits, two apples, a map, and a single book titled "The Basics of Magic". She wasn't too hasty to let me go there though. For a mother that lived near the Everfree forest, alone and completely out in the open, she was very worried about me.

The next day, I awakened with excitement running through my hooves, up my body, into my mind, and back again. I vigorously shake Rose until she wakes up.

"What?" She says, still groggy from sleeping.

"It's time to go! For me at least." I reply. She gets up quickly, knowing that the trip will be long trip for me to make.
After eating a quick breakfast, I grab my bag and get ready to leave.

She even had a check list before I went.

"Did you get the map?"
"Yes." *Check*
"Did you get enough food?"
"Yes." *Check*
"Do you have enough bits?"
"Yes." *Check*

She was very strict about traveling. I don't know why either. Walking there was just like before. I passed the nice scenery, the blue birds, the tall trees, the bright yellow and violet flowers. It was all very nice, but I was distracted by my day- dreams.

"What is Twilight going to teach me?" I thought. "Will she enjoy my company?" I continued.
Since it was a day long trip, by time I reached Ponyville, it was only half an hour past dusk.
* Knock Knock Knock*
The worn wooden doors creaked open as a purple maned pony with gleaming eyes and a horn peaked her head out of the crack.

"Hi!"

[Bonus] How fillies are born.

Hey guys, I needed to include this in the story for the next few chapters to make sense. Sorry if I don't upload Chapter 8 today. (This would count as Chapter 7.)

When two ponies are in love with each other, are happy with each other, and can't live without one another, they send a letter to Princess Celestia. In the letter will be a request for a new baby foal. They can request a certain type, or they can have their heritage take over. If the Princess sees it fit, she will reply to them, telling them they are allowed to have a new foal. In about 10 months, the foal will be delivered to a location previously agreed on. They foal will have been feed and quenched. A messenger Pegasus will then deliver the foal. The messenger makes sure that the pony who is there, is a suitable parent. They will need to be caring, loving, and be able to hold and tolerate such a burden. After the Pegasus leaves, the parents are then take care of the child, taking it in as their own.