CherryRie

Hay there! Hmm, I'm intregued by this app, there's a lot of potential that's just ripe for the jucing! [Critic hat] Okay, so far it feels like you've thought out this character in your own head but haven't translated all of it to paper. You have a handle on what you're aiming for but the presentation feels a little flat, two dimensional as it were with little in the way of deep personality. What we need to do is round out this model; draw her out from a background character into a full colour pony with a depth of persona that will make her both a fun character to play and interesting for others to interact with. I might have gotten the wrong end of the stick here, but violence seems to be fairly central to her character. You say she loves fighting, but my question to that would be 'why?' I'm not sure if that's what you were aiming for or not, though from what I've seen ponies aren't naturally aggressive. Passionate. But not aggressive. At the moment her background makes her sound like a school yard thug with authority. Mind you I don't know if we've had similar characters in the past or not. What you might want to consider is making her described motivation the deciding factor of her personality, perhaps even rethink her cutie mark story to suit. Perhaps she really was a school yard thug at one point, but bullies rarely simply poof into existence. What possible events could have driven her to such acts or turned so many against her? You've said her mother was a guard. Long hours of stoic emotionless duty, could it be that her mother was distant and didn't really know how to interact with her daughter? But if so, why did she then think the best idea was to arm this aggressive filly with technique? Perhaps what she gave her was not the ability to fight, but the discipline to know 'when' to fight. Maybe when she returned to school, she earned her cutie mark by doing the exact opposite to what she had been doing up till then; stepped in to protect a school friend from the bullies or perhaps marauding wildlife on a field trip? [/Critic hat] This is all speculation of course, I can't get inside your head to see the core consept but this is the exposition I can derive from what you've written so far. What I'm saying is you need some meat on the bones. It might seem arduous, but by thinking through such events from a neutral perspective you find yourself become ever more endeared to the character you create. Anywho, as a character she's well on the way. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing where this goes from here

And they would have got away with it too if it weren't for those medalling kids...

Cherry Dawn was not a happy Pegasus. After an arduous and somewhat frantic flight from Hoofington, she had spent the last two days sheltering in an abandoned barn while fruitlessly searching the town for a paying job. Ponyvill was a small town and most if not all part time roles were already filled by the up and coming generation. There were plenty of call for volunteers and, though it hurt to let them down, the worn out filly knew exactly where that would lead. Charity had landed her in a musty ramshackle barn, hundreds of miles from home without two bits to her name. Though the refuge she had chosen to shelter in appeared unoccupied, it was also in a terrible state of disrepair. On the very first night a rainstorm had broken over the town, thoroughly soaking the pile of freshly uprooted long grass that had served as her bedding. Moving into the hayloft had been the only sound choice though now her dry perch was somewhat precarious, given the rotten state of the floorboards. Bright shafts of sunlight had awoken her to the crisp new morning, the dawn blessing coupled with complaints of aching flight muscles and the taste of old hay lingering in her mouth. Gingerly the Pegasus stretched out her cramped limbs, fluttering her wings to test their suitability for the short flight to the floor of the barn. Sharp pains from her sides told her that the crumbling stairs would have to be risked again. With an irritated grumble, Cherry approached the sorry arrangement of sawdust that counted for stairs and picked her way down, testing each plank before allowing the next to take her weight. A leaking gutter on the edge of the barn had made a sort of indoor pond from the recent storm and providing the Pegasus with some much needed refreshment. Pausing for a moment Cherry observed her reflection ripple into focus. The dark pastel-red pony that stared back looked scrawny, slightly bedraggled and in need of a bath. Oddly though, her eyes didn't show the same weariness. They shone out beneath the locks of knotted mane, content and inviting to any who sought solace. Somehow, one could never be worried for a pony with eyes like that. As it was, Cherry couldn't help but laugh out at her dishevelled state. "Don't you look a mess." She chuckled to the reflection, shaking out her mane to relieve some of the tangles. Stepping back from her morning drink the filly stretched out her slender wings and began preening in a shaft of wonderfully warm sunlight. Gosh it was wonderful here. With the number of farms around Ponyvill the weather patrols always made sure the sky was in tip-top condition for growing crops. High altitude Cirrus clouds caught just enough sunlight for it to be pleasantly warm while not scorching, coupled with a satisfying easterly breeze. All in all it was a wonderful day for flying. Today would be different, she could just feel it. She'd get out into that big field and spend a bit of time easing her muscles. A quick bath in the stream that ran alongside the old farm and she'd at least look presentable for work. Ponies would always need weather and, in her experience, most were willing to tip generously for a good cloud in the right place. Settled on her course, Cherry pulled up some of the weeds from between the barn's cobbles and stepped out into the summer sun, chewing her meagre breakfast with a contented smile. Though the morning had barely begun it was already quite bright outside. As she trotted up the path towards the farmhouse Cherry found herself squinting to avoid the worst of the glare. This probably explained why she didn't notice the farm's other visitors until she rounded a corner of thorny bushes. Though Pegasus ponies were not generally renowned for their wits, Cherry generally considered herself to be one of the brighter clouds in the sky. Presently however, she was fatigued, chased and slightly paranoid, so could be excused the quiet 'meep' as she stepped smartly sideways into the thorny bushel at the edge of the path. How had they found her this quickly? Was father really that determined to get her back? They didn't appear to have seen her. But just to be sure, the filly didn't so much as breathe, straining her hearing to catch their conversation. Tools? Cleaning? Quick as lightning her mind ran through the scene it had briefly glimpsed. Two earth ponies, both unassuming and conspicuous, not likely candidates for 'missing ponies'. Door to the house is open, but no sign of force. It was locked and double bolted on the outside, so they must have the key. Windows open on bottom floor. Tools for repairs, clearing the paths and airing the house to which they had the key? ...Horse apples, they're the owners. Oh well, they didn't know she'd been crashing in the barn, best to make a good imression and save the awkward questions. Who knows, she might even get to stay a while longer. Sighing inwardly, Cherry stepped carefully back onto the path and walked back into view of the new occupants. "Good morning," She chimed, wearing her best smile "Hope I'm not interrupting? Only I assume you're opening this old place up?"

So! After finaly getting 'Sai' installed I was quite looking forward to trying it out... until I realised that installing this tablet on a 64bit pc got rid of all the problems it was experiancing before hand. I haven't spent this long doodling in weeks!! Here's something that came out of it! I'm really happy with the look, there's plenty I can improve on but given the apauling quality of my work normaly I'm hopeing this is a sign that I may have broken my present slump! YAY DOODLES!

"Chris! Aimee?!?" Sophie stumbled, wincing at the volume of her own voice "Ohmygosh, you too! How did we get here! Do either of your remember anything from last night?? I think I passed out at some point, the last thing I remember was that weird cocktail in the Slaughtered Yam..." Her rambling trailed off as the pair of ponies stared back with blank expressions. Behind her gradually descending wall of feathers, the Pegasus finally realised what piece of vial information the two were lacking. Of course they didn't recognise her, she was a horse now! "It's me! Sophie! You have no idea how glad I am to see you two, I thought I was alone out here."

After having chatted with Skye he dosn't think there'd be much of a problem so long as its toned down and cartoonish, hence the slight changes to the family name and such. Either way I think it should be ready for real vetting now. So wip removed! Yay or Neigh? Any suggestions? Or is it fine the way it is? I know I'm kind rushing this but Kudalyn is waiting on me before they can carry on with the Berry Feilds rp and I hate letting people down >.>

'Show me the way to go home,' Sophie sang mournfully 'I'm tired an' I wana go to bed.' In the dense undergrowth her parched voice didn't seem to travel very far at all and she had given up yelling after only a few minutes. Walking with four legs had proven an interesting experience, though found things allot easier once she had rhythm going. In fact the Paint pony was now almost trotting, finding the one-two pace easier to keep then coordinating all four limbs at once. This did however come with the slight disadvantage that she would fall over whenever she tried to slow down, her front caked in mud from several earlier mishaps. Unfortunately her plan was not going very well either. The stream had disappeared into thick brushwood and now she was just aimlessly going west and hoping to find a warn trail. Oddly though, she could swear that the rustling of the trees sounded like voices of other people nearby. As she turned her head the sounds of the forest shifted in an unfamiliar doppler effect. The voices wern't coming from the trees. What was more, they were getting louder. ''Ah had a little drink 'bout an hour ago an' it's gone straight too my head.' She carried on, picking her way uncertainly through the underbrush. 'Where ever I may roam...' The voices stopped as she pushed through a thick Rosemary bush, '...By land or sea or foam. You will always hear me singing this song.' Brambles clung to her dusty white fur and unwieldy wings as the filly pressed on, using the cone as a kind of ram to push the foliage ahead of her. 'Show me, the way, to, go...Oh?' Emerging into the light of a forest path, two ponies stood staring at her baffling appearance. One was a bright yellow Pegasus, the other a speckled unicorn, both wearing a look of the chronically hungover. There are some instincts so ingrained that they can overcome even a species barrier. Sophie's modesty was one of these. 'Dear, you're still naked' Wings that had hung limply up till now suddenly sprang forwards and wrapped around her front like a shield against the world. With the added presence of the traffic cone and mud, the effect was reminiscent of a slightly feathery upside down cake. 'Ummmm...' She muttered, befuddled and slightly irritated at her own over reaction 'Nice day for a walk in the woods?'

Apparently Luna provided the magic needed. Could say it similar relationship to a surrogate mother. Not the worst fic I've read by far, even if the characterisation is fairly patchy. Totally worth it for one sentence in the bonus chapter though:

In her short life, Sophie CherryRie had woken up in a lot of very strange places. Other people's gardens were a norm, trees were an occasional deviation and once she'd woken up on a train to Edinburgh with no memory of boarding. None had been quite as orange as this one though. Last she could remember was asking Cat what she thought of as an interesting drink, and the flaming multicoloured beverage that had been delivered had been quite pleasing. That had been around... three pm ish? Yeah that sounded right, one pup an hour and they'd been in the Slaughtered Yam Tavern. Maybe. And now her everything ached, her legs and arms felt like lead weights had been attached at the joints and gut-rot was currently playing havoc with her innards. And the world she'd opened her burning eyes too was, well; Orange. It was the only way to describe it, this place was very orange. Letting out a quiet moan, the girl winced as the echo of her melancholy rebounded back to her sensitive ears. With vision gradually clearing, Cherry rolled over onto her hands and knees and lifted her head to try and look around. The orange world remained and her head felt abnormally heavy. With a self despairing sigh, she tried to shake off the traffic cone, resorting to pushing its edge with a cumbersome hand. Shielding her eyes to the initial burst of light, Cherry groggily assessed her surroundings. Some kind of clearing presented itself to the girl's blurry vision. For a moment the spinning world appeared to be some kind of park, possibly a forest. Trees grew thickly on either side of a meandering river and she herself appeared to be slumped in a ferny bushel. Her thick mousy brown mane dropped across half of her face as it reclaimed the territory lost to the cone. Blowing at it irritably she pushed herself up onto her haunches and looked around for any sign of civilisation. The scenery was about as wild as you could get. Nauseous gurgles bubbled in her stomach as she gave her fuzzy white belly a comforting rub. A pat on her flanks confirmed that she no longer had her mobile, though at least there was no one around to notice her nakeditty. Standing proved a little more of a challenge then sitting down for the moment, her spine hurt along with the wicked dizziness the sudden change in high brought. Best to just sit here for a few minutes to collect her thoughts. Where was everyone else? The floppy mane was tickling her eyes again and she absentmindedly pushed it away with a slightly muddy hoof. There'd been at least eight or nine of them in the slaughtered yam and that was only the beginning of the evening, surly they wouldn't have let here wander off- ...Wait a minute. Mane. Tail. Fuzzy belly.... Hoof. Several flocks of birds rocketed skyward from the canopy as the Filly's scream filled the normally peaceful forest. Her shrieks were cut short as the mare felt the previous night's revelry make a second visitation. Retracting her head from the bush with the lopsided pallid grimace of all hangover lightweights, Sophie looked down again and resumed her panic. Clawing at her own hooves and rolling around on the forest floor, she tried to free herself from the costume or whatever abhorrent hallucination this was. When it seemed that no humorous joke was in play, she collapsed from dizziness and lay on the forest floor panting. This was defiantly going to be a very bad day. She felt sick all over again, but more from her revelation then the alcohol. Last night she'd been on the town with friends, having a whale of a time and revelling in her recently cashed pay check. Now she was apparently a diminutive horse, alone, lost in a dark forest and worst still, naked except for a thin coat of hair. Oh well. Sitting here wasn't curing anything. Gingerly she leaned some weight on her hands and pushed herself upright onto untested hooves. It was difficult to move all four limbs appropriately, partly due to some knee joints now being backwards, but mostly because she was still a little drunk. Maybe that's why she was taking this so well? Walking as though her forelegs were more of a crutch then an extra pair of limbs, Cherry picked her way about the small clearing looking for anything useful. There was a distinct lack of any human tool or clothing, though she did make the discovery of two wings dragging limply alongside her. That changed matters somewhat at least. She was now diminutive 'Pegasus', lost in a dark forest and naked except for a thin coat of hair. Well, if girl guides had taught her anything, it was every wander away from the group, and if you did; how to hike back. If there was any civilisation to be found it should be...dooowwwnn-up stream, yes upstream. Everyone needs water and water is freshest upstream. A tiny part of her that was still sober held up a card containing the floor in her logic, but was promptly ignored for being too needy. In any case, now wasn't a time for deliberation, now was a time for action and possibly screaming. But she needed something first. Looking around the clearing the short mare spotted the small traffic cone that had been stuck around her head upon waking. It shouldn't have been important, but darn it that orange diverter of traffic was possibly the last vestige of her humanity. Thing was, grabbing it without fingers proved to be quite the challenge. Eventually she gave up, kicked it around until the hole faced her and the end was against a tree, lowered her head and shoved. Not the most practical of affairs, but it was easier then carrying it in her mouth. With the cone standing proudly atop her head, Sophie CherryRie turned to the awaiting stream and began to follow its current. 'Hello?' She called hoarsely every few feat. 'Is anybody there?'

Name: Sophie (CherryRie) Sex: Female Age: Mare (looks significantly younger though) Species: Pegasus Pelt Colour: Paint horse, mostly white with light brown blotches Mane/Tail/Markings Colour & Style: Mousy brown mane that never seems to do what she wants, mostly due to over straitening (I really should get a haircut). Usually tied back in a ponytail, bound in three places to stop it fluffing wildly. Eye Colour: Blue Cutie Mark: Splotchy painted Bonsai tree Physique: Athletic but short, often mistaken for being younger then she is. Her wings are a little larger then the rest of her proportions, making them slightly unweildy. Origin: IRL Occupation:Art student and shelf stacker Motivation:None. Honestly. I don't have any. Where ever life takes me, I'm happy. Do you have any I can borrow? Likes:All kinds of weather, gardening, walks through the countryside, reading, creativity, kids, games, imagination. Dislikes:Maths, spelling, most close social situations (alcohol helps though), being ID'd for freekin' everything. Character Summary: After her somewhat wild teen years, Sophie has settled down a bit and moved back to a part time job while she completes an art degree. So far she has cruised through life without much direction or meaning and even now is plagued by private doubt and self loathing. She hates the idea of being a burden though, and so bottles up most of the bad feelings, resulting in depression that she is presently on medication for. Sophie dose have several phobias, though none of them are consistent. From flying bugs to heights, anything can set her off. Sometimes she can happily pet bumble bees, other times she screams at the sound of anything buzzing. However, this all changes in the presence of friends. Though mostly socially awkward, once she loosens up a bit though she can be the heart and soul of the party, like a fly-wheel that runs on happy. Relying on her self-awareness to keep her more eccentric side in check, Sophie tends to get giddy very easily when exposed to sugar or excitement. As most of her romantic interests have found out she can also be something of a cheap date. Rarely imbibing any alcohol or intoxicants, the giddy girl has a nasty habit of going over board when she finally brake into the bar (considering her favourite party game is 'Suggest a drink that doesn't come in pints'). This probably explains her present situation. Alone and still slightly drunk in the middle of the everfree forest.

Well I'm a little conserned for the core consept atm. I need to speak with Mane about it, but I haven't been able to catch her for long enough. That's one pony with a lot on her plate ^^, Essentially I've been struggling to get cherry to the point where she not only has a realistic personality but also a rich history while still being a playable character. Anywho, Freddie and I were bouncing around ideas and we ended up chatting about the possibility of a mafia esc organisation operating inside equestira, due mostly to the fact that I've been watching way too much film noir recently. The profile got bounced around a bit between various help staff (with a lot of help from Dio bless his heart) and the verdict we came too was that the character personlity was pritty good, but the appearance of an organised crime sindicate would be a sticking point. Honestly the more I think about it the more I see it as being a bad idea. I've toned it down about as far as I can without getting into 'pie flinging' territory. But no matter how well trimmed I make the concept, it still opens that particular floodgate for anyone who wants a character based in organised crime, even if technicaly Cherry is not. Though the core concept is somewhat amusing, that's mostly because I know how to spin things so that they would remain tame enough for the fim universe while adding just enough juxtaposition to be humours. At the end of the day, this might be opening a can of worms for anyone less interested in parody and more interested in being mean.

Just rand down stairs and set up the Sky+ box. YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!

Well you see...

As long as we're braking ice I'll take a cool lemonade.

Gooood morning Melody and welcome to our sunny Canterlot forum! It's always wonderful to see a new face, more so because I know you're going to have such a great time hanging out here Lots to do around these part. You will unfortunately, as Tailes pointed out, need to make several posts in the welcome forums before you can post elsewhere (Think it's to prove you're not a robot.... you're not a robot are you and if so what did you do with the real Andy!) But like I said, there's tones to do and join in with! You can pull up a beanbag and chat away in General Discussion. Or wander on over to Creative Corral and show off your artistic flair! Your daily dose of pony can be requisitioned from the MLP Discussion area. And if you're feeling like gallivanting through Ponyville, hitch up an OC pony in the Applications section and head on over to the World of Equestria RP to join the shenanigans abound!! !!YAY WELCOME TO FORUMS!!

Most roof installation panels come with a 10-25 year guarantee and usually still kick out 70-80% efficiency even after that. Not sure if they'd hold up to extreme weather but no doubt there's a version which would ^^,

Of course pinky didn't make Equestria. We are, however, figments of her imagination. ... And I can't belive Lauran actualy did that... though at least gives excuse for smexy-spike and Souran

Sooo you're delibertly intending to suffer sleep deprivation with the intention that you might start halusinating ponies? Good luck with that

I know this might sound naive, but when I was thinking about character's last night it actually occurred to me that only Twilight seems to have any maternal parents. Applejack has Granny smith, but no Ma' and Pa' Apple in sight. This leads me to some speculation. *puts her CMC cape on* So my fellow Foals, to the club house! We shall hold a secret meeting to discuss our findings! Where do lil' fillys and colts come from? I heard they're delivered by Pegasus guards from the palace. And that Celestia makes Fillies out of clouds an' stardust and Colts out of mud an' spiders!

I can see an opertunity for some very intresting chracter development on Mis Calliope. The motivation section has more of a character summery feel to it at the moment, but thats fine as it clearly defines the driving fource behind her character. Much like Rerity, though she appers to be quite shallow there's actulay alot going on in that nogging of hers, I can't wait to see how she turns out.

There's such a thing as a Chest Joint Wow, that's kind of like dislocating your everything.

Well here's a turnout for the books. After setting the ball rolling only one month ago my parents house is now producing 3.8 killer watts of solar power. I'm surprised at how smoothly things have gone, considering that any work on this old place normally uncovers major structural issues, but this time the whole affair finished bang on time Today they're just putting the final touches together, filling in a few holes and taking the slate to be sold off somewhere. Over all I'm quite impressed, they look smart and not entirely as garish as I'd expected. Has anyone else here gone green(ish) or what do you do to make the difference to both planet and electricity bills

*clings to the emo-pony* EEEEE its so cute! Can I keep him Tails? Can I, Can I!

Edit: WIP for update based on recent topics. No reapplication needed but just to let viewer’s know this is not presently 100% cannon for her. Character still active, consider this a template upon which the various story events will be applied. Update: Added Key Relationships and topic links. Update: During an upcoming rp, at Sir Virtue's recommendation in :"topiclink": Cherry's appearance and name will change somewhat. Presently the format show is my padding out of this consept, and the profile will be reverted soon to its original layout until the changes are needed. [ Pony Related Character ] Name:Cherry Godfeather Dawn (presently in hiding under the alias ; Cherry Blossom) Sex:Female Age:Filly (teen) Species:Pegasus Pelt Colour: Naturally Mulberry, presently Bleached Grey as part of her disguise Mane/Tail Colour & Style: Deap mouve with a near-white stripe on the far left. Mid length mane, practical cut but has clearly been well stiled in the past. Tail has recently been cut shorter then most, looks hurried. Normaly she would have both mane and tail braided and both significantly longer, however recent circumstances have forced her to take steps to alter her regular aperance; Both have been bleached and have lost much of their colouration, leaving them a pail cherry pink. Eye Colour: Brillient sanguine red Cutie Mark: Three pink petals blowing away from a cupped flower Physique: Scrawny Accessories Saddle bags and a garish lime green scarf Residence: Born in Cloudsdale, Raised in Manehatten and presently on the run. Occupation: Councillor, though takes any job she can get for extra bits. Presently works and lives at Shining Berry Fields. Motivation: Seeking a job and an outlet for her own worries. Though she unquestioningly takes on the problems of others, she often finds herself becoming overburdened. Despite her unusual family life, she dose her best to see the best in life even in the bleakest of moments. Likes: Meeting new ponies and hearing their stories. Experiencing the world. Lifting the spirits of those around her, even to her own detriment. Dislikes: Stress. Criminals. Talking about herself. Letting others down. Character Summary: Hailing from an unusual family of 'wealthy' Cloud-Builder ponies, Cherry found her love for life early in life and relished sharing her gift with others. Never one for social seclusion, Cherry avoided most of the usual playground Cliques, instead floating amongst various groups of Friends. Though she was never anyone's 'best friend' it was pretty clear that she had a knack for getting along with other foals. Even the class bullies seemed to mellow around her, as though she was the calm eye at the center of the storm that was foal hood. Though she would never admit it, the filly was the odd ball of her family, being that their more 'discrete' sources of income were barely on the cusp of legal. Whenever various uncles came to visit they would always go to her father's study to converse away from prying ears. Though the matters they discussed away from the family had never really interested her as a foal, when her older brother began to be invited into these meetings curiosity got the better of her. Cherry considered herself smarter than your average pony, and proved it when she was able to ascertain the true nature of her family's business from bits and pieces of information gleaned for eavesdropping. Intoxicants of all forms were banned in Cloudsdale for obvious reasons, namely the council couldn't afford to keep rebuilding half the city whenever some over-salted Pegasus ran into a support cloud. But this did not mean such things were unavailable. Whatever your poison, the Godfeather's were on hoof to provide. Mustering her courage, Cherry confronted her Grandfather, Squire Godfether. Unexpectedly the old stallion wasn't angry at all. More than anything in fact, he seemed pleased that his young grand-daughter had inherited his brains, unlike her brother, who needed the whole thing explained three times when he'd been invited to join the business. The next day, the stallion took her into the city to see the true nature of the world they lived in. It wasn't nearly as insidious as the filly had imagined but somehow that made it all the worse. The city guard seemed entirely aware of their activities and permitted handily. The bottom line was, some ponies would always find away to get their hooves on recreational produce and if someone wasn't in charge things could so easily get out of control. With the family in charge of imports they knew exactly how much was in circulation at any one time and could regulate the trade of product. As her Grandpa had explained "If you're going to have crime, my girl, it may as well be organized." Though the old stallion had a fair point, Cherry still wasn't convinced. But she loved her grandfather dearly, however tainted the business had made him. Assured that this was the lesser of two evils, Cherry learned to accept the family business as the norm. However, this did nothing to allay the unease she felt. Things only became worse when her father moved their whole family to Manehatten to set up a new Arm of the business. Azure Skies was an unusual pony. He didn’t ‘herd’ or feel compassion and love in the same way other ponies did. On top of this, he was ruthless in his intellect. “Azure is just... wrong. You can see it in his eyes when you speak to him, like he’s hollow inside. More importantly, he’s poison. A pony can go to him as a perfectly model citizen, innocent as a flower, and Azure will take everything good about them and twist it. The longer you stay around him, the more like him you become, cold heartless and brutal. Ponies who ain’t never hurt a fly will do the most terrible things just cus he tells them its a good idea. What’s worse, they won’t see that it’s wrong, they can’t. I know this sounds crazy but it’s like he won’t let them know black from white.” –Rich Tea Azure saw that the best way to make bits was to take something no pony wanted, and turn it into something every pony NEEDED. Rhubarb leaf has never been banned in any equestrian city despite its poisonous and addictive properties. Why outlaw something when everypony knows how it can mess you up? By the time the guards realized that there was a problem, half of Manehatten’s Earth ponies were hooked on ‘the leaf’. Lacking her grandfather's distinct moral standing, Cherry's father began to operate as a catalyst for crime in the city. Through his lieutenants and sub Dons, Azure Skies set about constructing an entire false economy, turning the entire city against itself while ensuring that he came out ontop. In the gritty metropolis, Cherry began to see what the Godfeathers could become in her father’s hooves; immoral peddlers willing to sacrifice the happiness of others for the sake of few bits. It was quite the predicament for the young foal. Half of all the home-issues she heard about from her friends were beings caused by her family. If she could she would have torn down the whole thing. But at the end of the day, they were family. Trying to avoid involvement in the business proved difficult, but while she could do nothing to prevent the damage, she would do her best to clean up after it. While her father’s business provided a shallow ephemeral way of relieving pain, Cherry strove find something more permanent. Whether it was a shoulder to cry on or a change of context, the foal quickly became the pony that all her class mates went to when they needed to talk in confidence. With open arms she drew in their worries, lightening the burden of life in the crumbling city and helping them to make the best of their lives. While she could council and advize those who were willing to listen, some problems were lost beneath ponies own anguish. Her true talent lay here. Much as her father could use a ponies own emotions to corrupt them, so too Cherry could lift away their fears, pain and despair. Gradually, Cherry began to realize that this ‘empathy’ was her special talent and soon her cutie mark appeared, sealing the deal. Three petals floating away from a pink cherry blossom, symbolizing her hope to carry away the troubles of others like a gentle summer breeze. Deceptive though, for the breeze cannot carry pestles forever. All the pain she took away had to go somewhere and, unwilling to deposit it onto some other soul, shouldered it herself. As the years unfurled into Fillyhood she started working for a division of the weather pegasi over Manehatten, while privately she became the local agony aunt, much to her father's disgust. Since turning down her father's offer of a job within the family her relationship with her parents had become ever more strained. She was the next generation for the family, smarter than her brother and with the gift of a voice that could rap other ponies around her hoofs should she choose. And here she was, throwing it all away to help some petty no-ponies. They attempted to restrict her once or twice, having two ‘body guards’ called Buxer and Bolt follow her around. Much to the embarrassment of the two lackeys, they found that in her presence not even the tank like stallions seemed intimating. Perhaps the one who came closest to restraining Cherry’s self imposed mission of mercy was her Coltfriend, Rich Tea. Though somewhat lacking in spine, the color blind Pegasus was her closest friend and companion through the darkest times. As she began seeing more fallout from Azure’s business the guilt thickened and became harder to deal with. Every day, ponies would come to her and pour out their hearts, showing the scars of her father's dirty business. Every day, she would shoulder more and more pain until it felt as though her soul wanted to tear itself in two. Nopony can give forever and Cherry's sacrificial cycle was driving her into the ground. Gradually she became ever more dependent on her own vices as a means of escape. Barely a mare and already an alcoholic, much to Rich’s distress. Events finally came to ahead after a particularly awful intervention left her in desperate need of release. Finding herself in one of her father’s regular establishments, she met an ageing stallion by the name of Maximilion Rockefilly. After a confrontation with Max’s business associates, Cherry discovered new aspects to her abilities and that sometimes the end can justify the means. “A purge, yes. But not by Azure,” The stallion stressed, hoping that his openness would at satisfy his interrogator’s demands. “A week after Cherry disappeared everything just imploded. Crooked business owners and goons turned themselves over to the garrison commander. Guards that’d been on the take for years rejected their payments and started arresting their bribers. Dons who ran protection rackets in the city showed up at the garrison with documents incriminating dozens of subordinates. Azure’s own lieutenants either offered themselves or ended up committed to a sanatorium.” Bittersweet Betrayal For several months the filly traveled around, seeing the sights of Equestria, but never staying long in one place, always helping where ever she could. In time her travels brought her too Fillidelphia, where she settled for nearly a week. Here, surprisingly, she met with Rich Tea again, the stallion apparently visiting on a business trip. Despite spending a wonderful evening together, sadly Cherry’s paranoia turned out to be well justified. Tea had been affected by her father, blackmailed into betraying her trust and attempting to retrieve her, lest Azure send violent mercenaries to do the job for him. Thankfully the timely arrival of the knight Errant, Virtue, saved the filly from whatever twisted revenge her father had in store. However, her fiancé’s betrayal scarred her deeply, and she fled the city broken hearted. After flying for nearly two days straight, the filly became lost in the Everfree forest. Barely escaping with her life, the exhausted pony finally found refuge in an abandoned barn on the borders of Ponyville. By some astounding coincidence, Sir Virtue happened to pick the same barn to seek shelter from a particularly violent thunderstorm. After nearly being assaulted by the frantic filly, Virtue convinced her to remain in Ponyville for a time under his protection. Unfortunately, after the shock of Rich’s betrayal, her mistrust of others had festered like an exposed wound. Agoraphobic to the point of inaction, Vitue proposes a change of look and identity, a fresh start in a new town. Relationships: Maximillion Rockefilly: Max? I like him. He lived in a dream, a cage forged from a despirate desire to appease his long dead father. The things he has been a part of, the ponies he has hurt, that can never be undone. But now that he is awake he can how long his shadow has become. The old Buck has a lot to atone for, but if there’s hope for him, then there’s hope for all. The stallion who pulled me back from the precipice of my own martyrdom and showed me that sacrifice is meaningless without a lasting legacy. Sir Virtue: Oh my knight in Shining armor, ever vigilant yet demanding nothing in return for his kindness. In many ways he’s the older brother I never had. He’s always there for me, stoic and unyealding, a shoulder to cry on no matter what silly thing I’m upset about. Mind you, all that training and stiff-upper-lip honor business from his days at the Destriers has left him incredibly uptight and socially conscious, thus earning himself a place as my side project. I will get old stone face to enjoy the more whimsical side of life, even if it REALLY frustrates me. Strawberry Fields: Every pony has a little lie we tell ourselves, a mask we ware before the herd. It just so happens that her’s is a hat. Berry’s heart is in the right place and her hooves firmly on the soil of her grandfather’s farm. If only she could find that spark without relying on ghosts to support her. Swift Breeze: Lonely. That’s all that comes to mind when I see this young monk. It’s buried so deeply beneath those layers of hardened discipline, but I feel it as surely as his heart beat. Rich Tea: … Betrayal is bitter sweet. I don’t know if I will ever love again.

EEeeee! Thats so cute!