Unforeseen Consequences - Chapter 27

>It was very early in the morning. The sun had just started to come out from the east, painting the sky with ethereal-like purples and oranges. You were sitting on a balcony located at the top of one of the tallest towers in the castle. It was so tall that Canterlot City looked like a toy set from up-here.
>You were also completely out of breath and sweating like a mechanic at rush hour. Not surprising considering you had taken around ten books, all of them incredibly thick and heavy, from the castle’s library in the first floor, and dragged them in a bag all the way up-here.
>The reasons as to why you decided to make such a stupidly unnecessary physical effort just to read some books were actually fairly simple, some would even say they’re essentially the same, and in all honesty, they wouldn’t be wrong.
>While amazing in the contents it held, the castle’s library was way too cramped and way too dusty for your liking. Granted, the slums had made you used to dust-ridden environments, but your preferred environment for reading had always been open spaces.
>The second reason for your dumb decision was simply because you enjoyed being at high altitudes. That’s why back in the slums, you always chose the top of the old construction site as your preferred place to chill-out and think.

>Of course, the fact it was so cold up-here was the perfect bonus. The slums’ perpetual hot weather had made you to seek out for cold temperatures whenever possible. Only exception was being hugged by Eris. That draconequus was warmer than any fancy pelt but you didn’t like to refuse any affections from your big sis.
>As for the contents of the books you brought, magic was naturally the first thing that came to your mind, in the end, you opted for books that were about completely different sciences, more specifically, the fields that Equestria and your world shared.
>This didn’t mean that you had lost all interest in magic, though. You took this decision simply because for the past three or four days, you had been reading nothing but magic. You felt that in order to avoid getting burned out on magic, some variation in your readings was necessary.
>However, there was much more powerful reason behind your decision. One that ironically was born from all the things you read on magic. You wanted to know just how fundamentally different Equestria and your old world were.
>The offensively easy entrance exam that you did last week taught you that at least on a basic level, things like mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics worked almost the same as they did in your old world. Keyword here being “almost”.
>There were details like Luna and Celestia being able to move celestial bodies like if they were made out of cardboard, pegasi and bat-ponies being able to fly, that at least by the things you’ve read, would’ve been stuff of fantasy in your old world.

>You also wanted to get a better grasp in how far behind Equestria was from your old world tech-wise. So far you hadn’t encountered a single soul who knew what basic tech like a computer, radio or even flashlights were supposed to be.
>With a powerful sense of discovery and excitement bubbling inside, you took a deep breath to fill-up your lungs with the glacial air of the early morning and opened the first book.
“Alright! Advanced mathematics by Square numbers? Let’s see how advanced you actually are!”
>You quickly went through the prologue. Nothing particularly interesting to see there. Just a brief history of the different editions this book has gotten, coupled with the biography on the author.
>It truly felt like a blessing to reach a page that wasn’t related to the amount of cats the author had, or how much she enjoyed orange juice. It simply read “Chapter 1” in a highly stylized font, with the next paragraphs being a brief, yet detailed introduction to basic differential equations.
“Geez, man! Though I’d never make it to the actual meat! How hard can you pad out a frickin’ prologue?! Those were like 70 pages of pure frickin’ garbage filler! This seems like a cake-walk, though”.
>After chuckling to yourself by the apparently easy topic at hoof, you placed the book on the cold balcony’s floor and laid on your belly. Just as you were about to resume your reading, a gray hoof with cute sock-like white splashes in the lower half, stomped on your book.

>Your eyes slowly panned from the hoof to the face of its owner. It was Cherrywood, of frickin’ course it was gonna be that psycho bat-filly. She glared at you with those golden eyes with slid pupils and growled in her squeaky voice, “Playtime’s over, dumb lord! You’re coming with me!”
>As much as you wanted to yell at her, you opted to remain calm, almost stoic, and not move an inch from where you were laying on.
“Y’know, fluff-brain? I was having a sick moment here, would you mind go back to where you came from and return in, I dunno… a hundred years or something?”
>Her fluffy ears dropped as her bat-like wings opened up. She then kicked the book away from you and poked your horn, “Nuh-uh! Princess Luna told me to bring you to the royal diner and that’s exactly what I’m going to do!”
>Feeling your patience reaching its limit, you stood up and picked the book. After you carefully dusted it off and placed it with the others, you turned to Cherrywood with a more inpatient attitude.
“If Luna sent you then tell her I’ll stay here and that’s it! Geez, man! It ain’t that hard… and stop staring at my frickin’ chest, gosh darn it!”
>Cherrywood’s eyes quickly darted to the horizon as a faint red painted the gray fur on her cheeks, “I wasn’t doing that!” She then looked at you with nothing but seriousness behind her eyes, “And it’s not like I can go back without your dumb, ugly face. Princess Luna told me it was super important you go there”.

>You found yourself at a small conflict. While refusing a request from Luna wasn’t something you were particularly fond of, a big part of you refused to postpone this reading and even more to follow an order from Cherrywood.
>So you had to find some kind of sweet spot between the two. Luckily, a good idea had just popped in your head.
“Alright, fluff-brain! I frickin’ hate you and I’m pretty sure you hate me too, right?”
>“Yep! That pretty much sums it up!”
“Then think about it! If I say yes, then that means you and I are gonna have to go together. That would take like 20 minutes. Neither of us wants that. So what if there’s a way to avoid that little problem?”
>“Get to the point, dumb lord!”
>As you conjured your inner sales-pony, a wide grin appeared on your face as you walked to Cherrywood and slyly placed your hoof around her neck.
“I was getting there, man! Chill your fluff out! Okay, so what do you say if you go and do whatever lame thing you do in the mornings, and I’ll see you at the dinner’s entrance in like an hour or…?”
>In a couple of quick movements that felt out of an action movie, Cherrywood ducked, dashed and covered your mouth with her hoof before you could even react to what was happening.
>When you were finally aware that she had shut you up, Cherrywood intensely glared at you right in the eye and slowly shook her head, “Nope! Stop right there before my brain explodes with your dumb deal! And don’t touch me again if you want to keep all your teeth!”
>You quickly slapped her hoof away and took a step back. Then you poked her chest, right where that big white spot was.

“C’mon, fluff-brain! Think about it! Luna never said WHEN I have to bring my flank to the royal diner, right? Technically, I can stay here for a while longer and you’d technically be in the clear! It’s a win-win, man!”
>Cherrywood pushed you away with a strength that could rival a buffalo and stomped her front-hoof on the balcony’s floor, “That’s cheating, and I hate cheating!” She looked away from you for a second, and spoke in a quiet voice, like she was addressing to herself, “…Most of the time”.  She then shook her head and turned her attention back at you, “And your deal is still dumb just like you! Want to know why? Because Princess Celestia told me you were going to say that dumb thing!”
>All of your frustration and annoyance were quickly snuffed out, replaced instead by a deep feeling of confusion spiced with a powerful curiosity. You tilted your head and slightly narrowed your eyes at her.
“That… that gotta be a lie, man”.
>Cherrywood energetically shook her head before adopting a smug posture, “Nope! She gave me a laundry list of all the dumb stuff you could say about pool-holes!”
“Words you’re looking for are loop-holes. But how the heck is that even possible, man?! What else did she tell you?”
>“Why’re you asking me?! She’s Princess Celestia. I dunno how she operates, nopony does! And she also told me to not tell you anything about anything! So stop being dumb and move your flank already!”

>Celestia and Luna being able to read you like a book was probably something you should’ve taken into consideration before opening your mouth. That said, you still had one last resource. You walked up to her and arrogantly raised an eyebrow.
“Alright, fluff-brain. Then how about this? What happens if I don’t come with you, huh? Because you can bet your fluffy flank that’s what’ll happen!”
>Cherrywood’s face contorted like a rabid animal as she leaned her face against yours, “*HISS* Then I’ll beat the dumb out of you until you come!”
>You half-smirked at her and like a boxer would, you started hopping left and right.
“Now we’re talking! C’mon, fluff-brain. Let’s dance!”
>She pushed you away from her and flew a couple meters up, “*HISS* You asked for it, dumb-lord! This is going to be your funeral!”
>There was no more need for words after that point. Your eyes locked on hers and your hoof moved to the closer book. As for Cherrywood, she narrowed her eyes and hovered in circles above you.
>The silent tension grew and grew until a cold breeze of wind passed through the balcony. It was the signal for both of you that the fight was on. She took a dive like a fighter airship, while you grabbed the book to use it as a parry shield.
>A new element made its entrance at the last second, right before the two of you landed your respective attacks. It was Moonlight Shadow, who with an unnatural speed and dexterity, managed to not only get in-between the two of you, but also to completely subjugate both.

>It seriously took you like five seconds to even process that you had gone from being about to hit an incredibly angered bat-filly with a thick book, to being pinned down by Moonlight’s hoof.
“Hnng! W-What the heck?! Lemme go, man!”
>No matter how hard you struggled, it was simply impossible to get out. A frustrating situation that only became more humiliating by the fact that Moonlight didn’t look like she was putting any effort at all.
>To be more precise, it really looked as if Moonlight was playing with a couple of toys. She looked back and forth between you and Cherrywood, then chuckled in a somewhat provocative manner, “Well, what do we have here? My daughter and the little prince being engulfed in the flames of love! Heh! I can almost hear the wedding bells”.
>As for Cherrywood, Moonlight was holding or rather grabbing her with her other hoof. Just like you, she was unable to break out from her mother’s grasp, “MOM! Ungh! Cut it out. I was about to bash that dummy’s teeth in!”
“What?! That ain’t true, man! You were the one who was gonna get smacked!”
>While still struggling to break free, Cherrywood did her biggest effort to turn her head, even if a little bit, to look directly at you, “Nuh-uh! You were the one who was going to lose, you dummy!”
“No, it was you!”
>“No, you!”
“No, you!”

>This particularly intellectual argument went on for maybe half a minute. It would have gone for far longer if Moonlight didn’t decide to cut it out. In one swift and clearly trained move, she moved you from under her hoof to grab you in the same way she was doing with Cherrywood.
>She definitely wasn’t choking you, but moving your neck had now become an impossible task. Screw the patrols and all their gear. Moonlight was the real deal, mare! That mare could seriously bring a buffalo, or a medium-sized dragon to complete submission.
>Moonlight chuckled again as her grip slightly tightened. Not enough to give you problems to breathe, but it did one heck of a job to make you completely pay attention to her, “Alright, lovebirds! As much as I hate to kill the little moment you had going on here, Luna’s waiting for the little prince. So stop with the kisses and hugs and get to the royal dinner, pronto!”
>She then put the two of you on the ground and slightly narrowed her eyes a hoof, “And when I say that, I mean it. That means no love stops or anything fuzzy like that!”
>Cherrywood stomped her hoof on the floor as that faint red colored her cheeks once again, “MOM! For the last time, I don’t like this dumb colt! I HATE HIM! You hear that?! HATE HIM!”
>While the idea of having something going on with Cherrywood made you feel sick, you opted to behave in a much calmer manner. You simply moved your neck in circles and stretched your limbs.
“Oh, Trust me. I feel pretty much the same about you, fluff-brain! But uh, Captain? What about my books? I can’t just leave them here, y’know?”

>Moonlight looked back at your pile of books, then poked a particularly big one with both wonder and curiosity, “I can take them back to the library, that’s not a problem. I’m just thinking these are a bunch of mighty big books, little dude. Did you want to stay up here reading for the next five years or something?”
>It kinda sucked that, after all the physical effort you did to bring the books all the way up-here, Moonlight was gonna take them away just like that. Nothing you could do about it, though. Only thing you did was to scratch the back of your head and shrug at her question.
“Well yeah, they’re big but uh… I can read super-fast, y’know? I can finish more than half of these in like five hours, appendixes and all. Maybe less if they’re interesting”.
>Moonlight raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as she flipped through one of the books, “Cool! Gonna have to test you on that one day, little dude. Fastest reader we have in the Guard is Fancy Scrolls, and he’s nowhere that good. Who knows? Maybe you can get his job. Heavens know I’ve been trying to replace that lazy bum for ages”.
>Unlike her mother, Cherrywood didn’t believe you at all. She rolled her eyes so hard that they looked like they were about to pop-out from her skull and waved her hoof dismissively, “Yeah, right! You can’t do that, nopony can. Not even Royal Blood and she’s Ms. Perfect!”
“Man, Royal Blood can go hug a cactus! I can totally finish these books in a day!”
>Cherrywood looked at you with utter incredulity and shook her head, “Nuh-uh!”
“Yuh-uh!”
>“Nuh-uh!”
“Yuh-uh!”

>This fascinating exchange of ideas and arguments was promptly cut short by Moonlight. She stepped in-between the two of you and creepily lowered her head, “Hey, guys! Cool convo you’ve going on here, but I think you two might be forgetting something”.
>While you absolutely wanted to prove how wrong Cherrywood was in regards of your reading abilities, the look in Moonlight’s eyes put the fear of the Heavens in your heart. So after eagerly nodding, you dashed straight to the balcony’s exit.
“No need to tell me twice, Captain! C’mon, fluff-brain. There’s no time to lose!”
>Cherrywood wasted no time in joining you. However, before leaving she turned to Moonlight and scratched the back of her head, “Wait I almost forgot! Mom, can I please have my mask back? I had a cool idea for it last night! Please? I swear I’m not going to spook anypony!”
>Moonlight ponderously tapped her chin, “I’m not sure about that, sweetie hiss. You’re still grounded until next week”. She then sighed and took out from one of her armor’s pouches a fairly detailed mask of some, at least for you, unknown monster, “But eh, why not? Gotta give you something to do since there’s no school today. Just don’t scare anypony, got it?”
>Cherrywood happily clapped her front-hooves together and flew to Moonlight to pick up her mask. That joy quickly shattered when Moonlight quickly tossed over the mask over to you.
>After catching the mask, you took glance at it. It was an owl’s face, except the proportions were all messed up in the creepiest way possible. You were genuinely surprised at the craftsmanship of the darn thing, it really managed to unnerve you.

>You were almost thankful that Cherrywood’s complains snapped you back into reality, “MOM! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”
>Moonlight lovingly patted her daughter’s head as a smirk appeared on her face, “Thought it was obvious, sweetie hiss. I’m getting a little insurance! You’re not getting that mask back until you fulfill your objective”. She then turned to you, “And don’t you even think on playing any trick, little dude. You’re in my territory”.
“Whatever, man. It ain’t like I wanted a rematch yet. Lead the way, fluff-brain. I’m starting to get curious about what Luna and Celestia want”.
>Cherrywood scowled at both you and Moonlight, but nonetheless ended up complying, albeit not without angrily murmuring to herself. You took a final glance at the pile of books before joining her.
>The two of you walked in silence through the castle’s interiors for what must have amounted to something like 5 minutes or so. A time in which you had traveled enough to not be at Moonlight’s earshot.
>You knew this, because it was Cherrywood who told you. She flew closer to you and extended her hoof, “Okay, dumblord. My mom can’t hear us from here. Give me back my mask and I won’t break you in half”.
>You took another glance at the terrifying mask and then looked at Cherrywood right in the eyes. While true that you hated her, there was a hint of desperation behind her eyes. You felt that to deny her request was the same as stepping down to the same level as those company bullies.
>After spinning the mask a couple times with your hoof, you shrugged and tossed it over her.
“Suit yourself, fluff-brain”

>A genuine smile of joy appeared on Cherrywood’s face as she lovingly hugged her monster owl mask. She spun a couple times while on mid-air before finally wearing the mask on the left side of her head.
“So, ain’t you gonna tell me what the heck is that thing supposed to be?”
>Cherrywood cocked an eyebrow at you. Her demeanor suddenly became weirdly defensive, “Why?! So you can tell me I’m a creepy weirdo?!”
>Realizing that you had touched a very sensitive nerve there. You sat on the thick carpet covering the hallway’s floor and raised your hooves as a sign that you meant no harm. Not because you liked her, but because you really hated the idea of being labeled as a bully.
“Chill out, fluff-brain! I hate you a whole lot, but I don’t make fun of you! Well except for, y’know… how frickin’ fluffy you are, but c’mon! Don’t you remember that I thought the way you use your ears like radars was awesome? And how you eat stuff too! Crunching an apple with your mouth is frickin’ metal, man!”
>Judging by the pained expression in her face, it became obvious to you that, just like you had being through a lot of garbage with the company’s kids, she also has had her own share of garbage to deal with.
>That’s why it came off as a legitimate surprise that she gave you an actual answer, “It’s... It’s an Omen Owl”. She hurriedly said as she continued flying through the hallway.
>You trotted to catch up with her. The expression in her face was nothing short of pure anxiety, like she was preparing herself to get hit by your laughter. Of course, that changed to a pleasant surprise once she received your curiosity instead.

“C’mon, fluff-brain! You can’t just namedrop this frickin’ awesome-sounding thing, and then leave me hanging. That ain’t cool, man!”
>“I don’t know… Promise you won’t laugh, or call me a weirdo, or anything like that?”
“What the heck are you talking about, man? I ain’t some lame sucker! I’m legit dying to know what an Omen Owl is!
>Cherrywood let out a tired sigh and rubbed her front-hoof with the other, “Okay… this is a very rare magical creature that lives in the Aramaspi forests, very dangerous too. They have some weird magic that makes all sorts of bad things happen to whatever stuff they’re hunting”.
“So that’s where the omen part comes from, right? That sounds way too cool, man! Kinda makes me wonder why I’ve never heard of those things”.
>Cherrywood slowly nodded, “Well, maybe is because only two ponies have seen an Omen Owl and lived, and I think that was like two hundred years ago? It was before cameras existed, so there’s only these fuzzy sketches about them. That’s why nopony thinks they’re real, and also why everypony laughs at me when I say they are”.
“Because there’s only sketches of these owls? Man, tell those guys to hug a cactus! Seriously, where I come from most animals, and plants went extinct like 50 years ago. I’ve never seen a regular owl outside a drawing and you don’t have me saying they never existed!”
>“Wait, really?”
“Yeah, all there’s left of them is stuff in old books I picked from the garbage…or stole. Thinking about it, ever since I got to Equestria there’s a whole lot of stuff that I’ve seen for the first time. Like potatoes! Maybe I can finally build that frickin’ potato launcher I’ve always wanted to”.

>That was enough to make Cherrywood stop. With an eyebrow raised, she flew closer to you and looked at you with some serious bafflement, “That sounds way too weird, and I can handle a lot of weird. Where do you come from, dumblord?”
“You dunno? Thought your mom told you. Hmm… Thinking about it, I actually have some questions for you too!”
>“Hey, I asked first so you answer first!”
“Gosh darn it! Okay, fluff-brain. Get ready, because this is a good one! Y’know I ain’t from Equestria, right? Well, I’m not even from this frickin’ world either! Or was it dimension? I actually dunno the details that well. Gotta ask Discord about it. Oh yeah! That guy’s the one who brought me here”.
>Cherrywood’s eyes opened widely. For a couple seconds she struggled to utter any word, until finally settling with some mumbling you weren’t able to figure out.
>You actually felt somewhat annoyed by how hard she was spacing out. So you decided to poke her incredibly fluffy forehead a couple times and raise your voice.
“Hey, fluff-brain!”
>She came back into reality quite hard. Still a bit confused, she shook her head a couple times, “Wha-?”
“C’mon, man! I told you my part, now’s your frickin’ turn! Why the heck do you know about me being adopted by Luna and Celestia, huh?”
>“Well, uh… it’s a very long story!” She hurriedly said as she started flying in direction to the royal diner. You of course followed after her immediately.
“That ain’t an answer, fluff-brain!”
>Cherrywood growled and rolled her eyes, “I know, but it’s kind of complicated! Not as much as what you said but uh… I’m supposed to be something like your bodyguard.”

“Are you for real, man?”
>“Hey, I believed you about being some weird alien! But uh, I guess it’s actually more like a bodyguard in-training? Argh! I don’t know anymore! My mom and Luna have been very fuzzy about the whole thing”.
 >As much as you tried not to, the mere idea having a bodyguard and that this filly was supposed to fulfill that role made you burst into laughter.
“Alright, fluff-brain. I believe you! Just a thing, though… you kinda suck at the job. I mean, I ain’t an expert on bodyguards, but I ain’t sure they should always be trying to pick a fight with, y’know, the sucker they’re guarding”.
>In another showcase of her impressive agility and speed, Cherrywood made a tight U-turn and grabbed you by the strap of your goggles, “That’s because you suck at not being dumb!” She then pushed you away and continued flying towards the diner, “Now shut your dumb mouth and keep those legs moving!”
>You let out a small chuckle and rolled your eyes, before walking by her side. Rest of the trip wasn’t particularly bad, Cherrywood kept mostly to herself and that mask of hers. You didn’t try to break her moment either.
>After a goof five minutes of more walking through the castle, the two of you finally arrived to the diner’s doors. Just like every morning, you pondered about the small fortune these things should’ve cost.
>You turned to Cherrywood, who by now was more interested in inspecting her own mask than the “mission” she was assigned with. Despite how much you hated her, a small idea to improve her mask came to your mind.

“Hey, fluff-brain! What do you say if I help you with that cool mask after I check what Luna and Celestia wanted to tell me?”
>Cherrywood hugged her mask and adopted a slightly defensive attitude, “And what could you even do? You don’t even know how an Omen Owl looks like!”
“Well… you’ve got a point there, but I know how to craft stuff. Cool stuff. I can make the beak move when you want to. Maybe build you some sick claws with full movement to go with it”
>She raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly, “You can do that? Because it sounds like a trick”.
 “Who the heck you think you’re talking to, man! Of course I can! I just need to get some tools and stuff so I can go wild”.
>She scratched her chin and cautiously approached you, “How do I know you’re not going to try something dumb, like I don’t know, making my mask look like a chicken?”
“I just like to build stuff, man! We can craft a new mask if you don’t wanna put this one on the line.”
>Cherrywood shrugged and placed her hoof on the diner’s doors, “Eh, why not? But first comes first! I’ve got to impress Princess Luna!”
>You had assumed that this would be nothing important, that you’d find Luna and Celestia having their breakfasts in peace and tranquility. Of course, this being Equestria meant that all your assumptions were wrong.
>What you found at the other side of the door was a Celestia like you’ve never seen her before: As a complete nerve-wreck. She was frantically walking back and forth across the dinner, only stopping to check the hour at a grandfather’s clock. Her usual air of arrogance was instead replace with pure panic and anxiety.
>Luna on the other hoof was sitting at the long diner table. She was simply watching her sister’s panic attack with indifference and annoyance, as she played around with a couple of fairly large scrolls laying in front of her.
>As you struggled to find any words to greet your parents, Cherrywood leaned closer to you and whispered into your ear, “Hey, uh… I remembered I had something else to do, and it’s very important. Like super important that I can’t even tell you what’s about. So yeah… see ya, dumblord!”
>You didn’t reply to her, there were no words you could say. You simply stood there, dumbfounded at the scene unfolding upon your eyes.