Bloom, now Cherry Blossom, didn’t know how long she had been in that forest. She was too busy admiring it than anything else. There were lots of birds flying and singing around. The sound was so pleasant that made her forget her problems.

She then found the road. She joined it and followed it, already beginning to hear sounds approaching who were not sounds of the forest, but motion. Cherry Blossom then left the forest and was speechless for what she was seeing.

It seemed really a human town like the ones on Earth. There were lots of wooden houses with thatched roofs whose doors appeared like the stables ones and had several bridges crossing the river that ran through the town, connecting roads. In the center, it could clearly see a large building that should be the town hall and the building should be built better than the others. There was also a large orchard of apple trees surrounding the town full of beautiful and juicy apples and endless fields. It seemed like a place out of a fairy tale. Incidentally, the only spot that the magnificent landscape had was certainly a scary forest that was nearby.

What was even more impressive was there were ponies instead humans. While Cherry Blossom walked around the town, she saw that their life was the same like humans’. There were shops, markets, ponies shoppings... Others pulled wagons which carried belongings or food and others had saddlebags that served as backpacks. They used hooves or mouth to catch on objects. Others even dressed themselves. The more sophisticated ones had fashionable jackets and shirts with top hats, but also had other ponies who had more quotidian hats to protect themselves from the sun perhaps. By air, there was flying pegasus, moving or undoing some clouds. The Lord of the Order had already told her about the fact that pegasi were the ones who dealt with the weather. She was so delighted with what she was seeing around she didn’t see where she was walking and bumped into somepony, seeing the books fall to the floor.

“I’m sorry” Cherry Blossom said, rushing to go pick up the books.

“It’s all right” a female voice said.

The books were surrounded by a raspberry aura and then they rose into the air and ended up inside a saddlebag. Cherry Blossom then noticed the mare who she had just shock and saw that she was one of the alicorn princesses that the Lord of Order had shown her, the youngest.

“But you're Princess Twilight" Charry exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness."

“You don’t have to apologize” Twilight replied with a friendly smile. “I’m the one who was distracted reading a book. And, please, can you be more informal with me? Everypony in Ponyville do that."

“I'm.. I'm new here” Cherry Blossom said shyly.

“I see” Twilight said. “Well, be welcome. If you stay here, you'll see that you'll never get bored.”

She then looked over Cherry Blossom’s shoulder.

“And I can prove it to you right now” Twilight said.

“Hello, Twilight” a voice greeted.

An earth pony appeared there, pounding. She had a light pink coat and a puffy, curly and bright pink mane. On her flank, she had three balloons, two blue and one yellow, as Cutie Mark.

"Hello, Pinkie Pie" Twilight greeted, while the pink pony bounced around her and Cherry Blossom.

"Who's your friend?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"This is Cherry Blossom" Twilight presented. “She is new here in Ponyville.”

“Yes” Cherry Blossom confirmed.

Then Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared right in front of Cherry Blossom, though she didn’t know quite how.

“Uhh, you don’t say” she said with immense interest. “And you're gonna stay here?”

“Ah, I supose” Cherry Blossom answered, a bit uncomfortable by that Pinkie’s interest.

Then she took a huge leap and gave a strong squealed and said, when she landed in a way so energetic that Cherry Blossom shrugged:

“Oh, I have to prepare a "welcome to Ponyville/I have a new friend" party for you! You'll see it'll be the best party that you ever had. Now I just have to find my party cannon and load it. I just hopte to have enought streamers. It seams that I have to add "shopping" to my to-do list. I have to go. Bye!"

And she walked away at full speed.

Cherry Blossom looked puzzled at what had just happened. Twilight laughed and said:

“Well, that's our Pinkie Pie. Don’t worry, you’ll end by liking her... and get used. Hei, if you want, I can make you a guided tour around Ponyville.

“Oh, it’s not necessary” Cherry Blossom answered. “I don’t want to bother you.”

“It’s not any bother. In fact, it’ll be a pleasure. Let me just leave all these books in my house and we can go.”

Although she used to be a princess until some minutes ago, Cherry Blossom felt herself uncomfortable. After all, now she was nothing more than a common pony and Twilight was a princess. But she couldn’t disrespect her sympathies.

“Okay then” she answered.

Cherry Blossom followed Twilight by the town. She expected Twilight, being a princess, lived in a large and luxurious place. However, she was in shock when she saw Twilight’s house was a large oak turned into a house that was much more than a house; it was a library.

“Do you live here?” Cherry Blossom asked, stunned.

“Yes” she answered. “I know it's not a palace, but it's my home since I arrived to Ponyville, and long before I became a princess. I just can’t leave it.

“Well, there are many princess I know who will disagree with you” Cherry Blossom said with a smile.

“What, do you know any more princess?” Twilight asked, turning to her, in a tone somewhat interested.

“No!” Cherry Blossom replied, trying to mend her one little slip. “How could I? I'm just making an assumption. There must be many princesses wouldn’t hesitate to live in a castle rather than a library.

“Well, maybe, but the princesses from here are much less pretentious” Twilight replied with a smile. “Well, you shouldn´t be from Equestria by your assumptions.”

“Yes, I am not" Cherry Blossom said nervously.

They arrived at the entrance of the library and Twilight opened the door with her magic and entered and Cherry Blossom followed her. She got stunned when she saw the inside of the library. There were huge shelves full of books of various sizes and shapes. In the background, were stairs to the upper floors and the basement.

“Spike!” Twilight called, placing her saddlebag full of books on the floor, using her magic to do it. “Are you in home?”

“I’m coming, Twilight” a voice answered.

Coming down the stairs, appeared, to the great surprise of Cherry Blossom, a small purple dragon with moderate harlequin spikes, a pointed tail, a light spring budish belly with light lime green "ears". he had no wings, was bipedal and had moderate pistachio eyes with constricted pupils like cracks.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“This is Cherry Blossom” Twilight presented. “She's new here. Do you could arrange these books, as I show her the town?”

“Don’t worry, Twi” Spike answered, making a continence. "After all, I’m your number one assistant."

“Thanks, Spike” Twilight thanked. "You’re a sweet. Come on, Cherry Blossom."

So they exited.

“That dragon is your assistant?” Cherry Blossom asked.

“Yes, but Spike is much more than my assistant” Twilight said. “He's my best friend. He's like a younger brother.”

“I see” Cherry Blossom said. “But dragons are not ferocious creatures?”

“The majority are, but Spike is different. So, what do you want to see first?”

“Well, I’m new here, so I don’t know very well what there are in Ponyville. What do you suggest?”

“What about Sugarcube Corner?” Twilight asked. “It’s the best bakery and confectionery in Ponyville, if not in all Equestria.”

“Sounds great” Cherry Blossom answered.

Twilight and Cherry Blossom led by the town until they arrived to a store/house that looked like a gingerbread house. They entered, making the bell sound.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Cake” Twilight greeted as she and Cherry Blossom approached of the counter.

The couple of earth ponies behind the counter should be the owners of the store. Mr. Cake was a tall and slender pony with an amber coat, a bright orange mane and three pie slices as Cutie Mark. He wore a confectionery hat and a red and white tie on the neck. Mrs. Cake, on the other hand, was lower and plump with a very light cerulean coat, a pale, greyish light crimson and light crimson mane combed in a way that seemed the cover of a cupcake and three cupcakes as Cutie Mark.

“Hi, Twilight, darling” Mrs. Cake greeted. “How goes our princess today?”

“I’m very well, thank you” answered Twilight.

“Who’s your pretty friend?” Mr. Cake asked.

“This’s Cherry Blossom” Twilight presented. “She’s the newest inhabitant of Ponyville.”

“Well, be welcome” wished Mr. Cake to Cherry Blossom.

“Thank you very much” she thanked heartily.

“It must be the reason why Pinkie was so excited” Mrs. Cake said. ”She came here and asked us to do our best cake and was gone in a flash.”

“She must be organizing your surprise party” Twilight said to Cherry Blossom.

“But she hasn’t to do that” Cherry Blossom said. “I don’t want to give so much work.”

“Oh, Cherry, Pinkie is really like that” Twilight said. “Any new pony who arrives to the town, she befriends immediately with him and makes a welcome party.

“Is strange that somepony does something like that to all the ponies who meets” Cherry Blossom said.

“This is not even in the Pinkie Pie’s normal standards” Twilight replied. “Wait till you meet her best. You have not seen the cherry on the cake.”

“And speaking about cake…” Mr. Cake said.

“Because you are new here, my dear, you can choose whatever you want here” Mrs. Cake said.

“Oh, you don’t need to…”

“Consider it a welcome gift" Mr. Cake said.

“Oh, well…”

The issue is Cherry Blossom didn’t know what to ask. She didn’t know the candy they could have.

“What do you advise?” she asked.

“Well, we have a delicious berries pie with bits of oats which is out one of our greatest prides.”

Cherry Blossom thought. She, while Bloom, had never been a great admirer of oats, but could not disappoint Mr. and Mrs. Cake when they were so kind to her. She nodded.

“And you, dear?” Mrs. Cake asked to Twilight. “Do you want something?”

“Oh no” she said. “I just had lunch, but thank you anyway, Mrs. Cake.”

Cherry Blossom and Twilight waited and then Mrs. Cake returned with a slice of pie that the first asked. Using her magic, now much better than before, she levitated the dish to a table and sat down with Twilight sitting in the opposite place. So Cherry Blossom approached the muzzle on the pie and took a bite. An explosion of flavors appeared in her mouth, making her eyes go wide. She swallowed the piece of pie and ate the rest.

“This... is... delicious!” Cherry Blossom exclaimed.

“This is not new” Twilight joked. “The Sugarcube Corner has the best candy of all. Come on, there is still much to see.”

They then said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Cake and left the confectionery. When they left, a pegasus pony with a pale, grayish light gold coat and a pale, light grayish pink mane with three butterflies as Cutie Mark passed by them. She brought some saddlebag laden with many types of food.

“Hello, Fluttershy” Twilight greeted.

The pony turned to her and said, in a low and relatively shy voice but still outlining a slight smile:

“Hi, Twilight.”

“You bought food for your animals, didn’t you?" Twilight noticed.

“I have to” replied she. “They eat a lot.”

“By the way, let me introduce to you Cherry Blossom, the newest resident of Ponyville” Twilight presented

“Hello” said Cherry Blossom, waving a hoof.

“Hello, Cherry Blossom” Fluttershy greeted. “Be welcome. I hope you like to be here.

“Me too” Cherry Blossom confessed.

“Fluttershy here is our animal caretaker” Twilight explained. “She care about the wild animals and can communicate with them.

“Well, I kind of understand them, nothing else” Fluttershy replied meekly, blushing.

“You know, I had a bunny” Cherry Blossom said.

“Oh, really?” Fluttershy asked, changing his timid attitude to a more enthusiastic one. “I also have a rabbit. His name is Angel. And yours?”

“Huh… Kiko” she said uncertainly.

“And where is he” Fluttershy asked.

“Unfortunately, I couldn´t bring him with me” Cherry Blossom said. “He stayed with my family.

“Oh, what a pity” Fluttershy said.

“Fluttershy, do you don’t have to go to your cottage to feed your animals?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, it’s true!” Fluttershy replied. “They must be starved. I have to go. Goodbye, Twilight. It was a pleasure to meet you, Cherry Blossom.

And Fluttershy pulled away trotting.

“Thank you” Cherry Blossom thanked to Twilight. “She almost suffocated me with questions.”

“Fluttershy can be a little shy and skittish, but when it comes to animals, she immediately loses the inhibitions” Twilight said.

“Well, let’s continue to visit. Next stop, Carousel Boutique.

Twilight then guided Cherry Blossom to a very elegant building. It should be the most elegant of all building of the town. It appeared to be a conical pink tower. The first floor had bars striped with two shades of pink like pillars and a frame with a pony silhouette of a pony with a bar behind, making it look like the horses on carrousels. The floor above had also thin bars to support the ceiling, although these ones were thin and made of metal and the most lateral one of each side had a pony silhouette and at the top there was a green flag floating.

“This is the Caroucel Boutique – Twilight showed. – It belongs to a friend of mine who is a great designer. Her name is Rarity.

Cherry Blossom couldn’t believe in the coincidence. Her friend Stella was also a designer. Does that Rarity was like her?

The two entered the boutique, entering soon in a studio with huge cutouts of fabric and ribbons on the floor. There were mannequins with the shape of ponies, someones with dresses. From what she could see, the dresses were beautiful. They hadn’t the Stella’s touch of exuberance, but they were more refined and elegant. Some were practical, others more formal. Still, she could see certain traits in common with Stella’s work, like the exaltation of the dresses’ beauty. However, these dresses had a certain glow that Cherry Blossom could not understand.

Working on a nearby table was a pony that should be Rarity. She was a white unicorn with a moderate indigo mane which was combed in a very elegant way and had three diamond-shape blue jewels as Cutie Mark. She was using a sewing machine to sew, using her magic to bring accessories for the dress which where sewn with needle with immense attention.
She then used her magic to put the dress on a mannequin. Then she made wonderful jewels appear from a box that was there and then set them in the dress, fixing them with magic, making it even more stunning than it was before. So that was the brilliance that she had detected. Unlike Stella, who had only just to imagine and use magic, Rarity made her clothes by hand, or rather by hoof, using all her time to do it.

“Voilà!” Rarity exclaimed, whose voice was also stylish. “Truly fabulous!”

“Hello, Rarity” greeted Twilight, coming up with Cherry Blossom behind. – Wow, what a beautiful dress!

“I know!” she exclaimed. “It’s only a pity there isn’t many pony that can use it because of the combination of colors.”

It was then she noticed Cherry Blossom and she was overcome with excitement.

“Idea!” she exclaimed, approaching to Cherry Blossom. "Can you come with me, dear?

“Who?” Cherry Blossom asked. “Me?”

“Yeah, come here” Rarity replied, grabbing a Cherry Blossom’s hoof and pulling her gently to her small stage.

She looked at Twilight who just gave her a nod which meant for she let herself to go. Cherry Blossom did so and was put on stage by Rarity. She removed the dress from de mannequin with her magic and with a flash, Cherry Blossom found herself with the dress and her mane and tail gently combed and caught behind for a horse tail with the mane falling gently on her shoulder.

“Perfect!” Rarity exclaimed, admiring his work. “While there is still something to total perfection.”

“For me, it's very good, Rarity” Twilight said with her warm smile.

“No, dear, it can’t be just very good” Rarity said. "Very good isn’t enough for me. Here... I'm sorry, honey, I didn’t ask your name.”

“It doesn’t matter” Cherry Blossom said smiling. “I'm Cherry Blossom.”

“It's our new neighbor” Twilight added.

“Cherry Blossom...” Rarity mused. “That's it!”

Using her magic, she did appear a light blue headband with a cherry blossom on one side of it she put on Cherry Blossom’s mane.

“Now yes, it's more than perfect” Rarity said.

“You 're the expert” Twilight said.

Cherry Blossom laughed and confessed:

“You’re really like a friend of mine, Rarity. She also loves creating dresses and don’t rest until they are perfect.”

“Oh, don’t tell me!” she exclaimed, with a certain tone of enthusiasm. “Well, if she is like me, she can only be a good person. Where does she lives?”

“Well, she...” Cherry Blossom began, wondering what was going to say. “She lives far away.”

“I only hope to meet her so we can exchange ideas” Rarity said.

“I don’t know why, but I think it won’t be possible” Cherry Blossom replied.

“It would be a shame, if it wasn’t” Rarity responded, making the dress and the headband leaving the Cherry Blossom, whose mane returned to normal. “It's always good to share ideas with other designers.”

She put the dress and headband in a bag and then handed it to Cherry Blossom.

“Here you go, dear” Rarity said her.

“No, I cannot accept” Cherry Blossom said.

“But, dear Cherry, this dress doesn’t set in anypony. I would not be able to sell to anypony that appeared to me here. Indeed, it’s my welcome gift.”

“It’s not…”

“I insist!” Rarity exclaimed. “You're not going to make me one of these undone, do you?”

Don’t wanting to hurt Rarity by refusing her offer, she finally agreed, making de bag levitate with her own magic.

“Thank you” Cherry Blossom thanked.

“You’re welcome” Rarity said.

“Well, we’ll be out of your hair” Twilight said. “There’s still a lot to show to Cherry Blossom.

“Sure, Twilight” Rarity replied. “By the way, I’m working on the dress you’ll use in the next Galloping Gala. You'll be splendid.”

“I’m anxious to see it” Twilight replied.

They said goodbye to Rarity and leave the boutique.

“Well, you have friends of all kinds” Cherry Blossom commented.

“And you haven’t seen anything yet” Twilight said, smiling. “Well, I already know where I’m going to take you next.

When Twilight gave some steps, a colorful blur passed quickly for Cherry Blossom and hit Twilight and knocked her to the ground. When she saw best, she saw a pegasus pony who was helding Twilight against the floor. She had a very light cerulean coat and a mane filled with various colors.

“Twilight, I heard the new book of Daring Do is already out” the pegasus told.

“Rainbow…” Twilight frowned.

“I wanted to know if you already have it and if you can borrow it to me”

“Rainbow…”

“I hope you have it. I’m anxious to know…”

“Rainbow!”

That made the pegasus shut up. When she realized for what Twilight was to draw her attention, she made a nervous smile before the glare of Twilight and climbed off her, allowing her to get up.

“That’s better” Twilight said, wiping her back. “First, you gonna greet Cherry Blossom. She’s the new resident of Ponyville and our newest friend.

“Oh, sorry there” the pegasus named Rainbow told, addressing to Cherry Blossom. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the best athlete in Ponyville.”

“I’m Cherry Blossom” the unicorn presented herself.

“I hope you like Ponyville” Rainbow Dash said. “Sometimes, it’s a bit boring around here, but there are days of further unrest.”

“I’am sure about that” Cherry Blossom said to laugh.

“And now, Twilight, back to my question…” Rainbow Dash began, turning to Twilight.

“Yes, I know” she replied. “Daring Do. Yes, I have the new book. Later, I borrow you…

“Don’t trouble yourself, I’ll go pick it up” Rainbow said, preparing to take flight.

“No, Rainbow…” Twilight began.

But it was too late, because Rainbow Dash had already taken off quickly, leaving only a trail that was colored her mane. She was going towards to Twilight’s library. She made a grunt and asked to Cherry Blossom:

“I’m sorry, Cherry, do you can wait for me here? I have to make sure Rainbow don’t put my library in a confusion looking for that book. The poor Spike won’t be able to control her.”

“No problem” Cherry Blossom replied. “Don’t get gift for me.”

“Thank you” Twilight thanks.

Having said this, she opened her wings and took flight, not as fast as Rainbow, following the same path as her. Cherry Blossom watched her fly away, certain that her life in Ponyville would be far from boring.