Unforeseen Consequences - Cherrywood's big adventure (pt. 1)

>Dude, I’m so booooored! Why is this airship taking so long to get to Manehattan?! Ugh! I swear that I could go faster with just my wings! And why did they make me go in the first place?!
>I mean, this room is pretty and all, and I like that the carpet and wallpapers are red, just like blood! Now THAT’S cool! Not like the bunch of golden chairs and other fancy stuff that is all over the place
>But, MEH! You could paint everything in red and the room would still be boring! Mmmmmmmmmm…. what do I do…. What do I do… well… I can’t think of anything other than I really want to get out of this room and have some cold, morning air instead…
>I guess that it would be better if I get out of this room before I die from boringness… *sigh* at least the view is good… and is just because at least I know that we finally arrived to this stinky city!
>There’s nothing cool or exciting, or spooky about Manehattan! It’s just a bunch of really, really tall rectangles with lotsa windows on them and a bunch of ponies going around….
>Canterlot, is waaaay better, it has spooky myths and legends, and super old and super scary districts! This… this just has shopping malls and fancy hotels and grumpy ponies everywhere.
>And why couldn’t I stay with my Anonny? With my…. Eeep!
>W-Why do my cheeks always go red, and my heart beats like crazy w-when I think about him?! Stupid Anon, why do you always have to sneak into my thoughts with your stupid grin, and your stupid tail, and your cute face…  And your awesome brain… and… by how much you make me feel like I’m the best pony in the world….
>AAAAH! Control, control, controlcontrolcontrolcontrol! I gotta have control… I… I miss him… but…
>As much as I don’t like it, my Anonny isn’t here… and I’m stuck instead with my dumb cousins Sapphire and Emerald who are always pickin’ a fight with me…
>There’s also my uncle Moon Stone and his wife Ruby Party… and they are snobby jerks that just think about bits… why couldn’t Anon come with me, Or Mr. Discord, or Sister Eris? Why my mom does always needs to be so busy with work?
>”Cherrywood! Oi, Cherrywood!”
“Huh? Uuuh… What do you two want?”
>And there they were… uuuuuuuuugh…. Coming out from the airship cabin… my dumb cousins…
>The first one to speak was always Sapphire, with her arrogant smile ”Tell us more about the prince! Does he have an embarrassing secret?”
>”Yeaaaah! Do ya know any hot gossip about him?” Of course, Emerald always had to follow her
>Why… of all my family… why did I have to get stuck with those two? They  are always causing me trouble… or annoying me… and aaah! Why did they have to know that Anonny is my coltfriend!
“No… Anon doesn’t have an embarrassing secret! Stop being a pair of dummies and just… go away…”
>”Dummies?” Sapphire looked at Emerald
>”Says the weird freak with no friends! Emerald laughed… and that… that made me feel bad…
>I could feel my ears dropping and… man… I know that is not true anymore… the part about me not having friends… but… being called a weird freak… that always hurt…
>”Whatever, I still don’t know what the prince saw in you but now that we know he’s with you… we can take him all for us, right Emerald?”
>”Uh-Huh! That’s right Sapphire! Once he sees how high class we are, then the prince will leave this freak and will be our coltfriend instead!”
“What?!”
>You know… maybe I should listen to what Anon always tells me to do in these situations… that I need to keep calm and think things through and through… but… eeeeh… it was already too late for that kind of stuff
>Especially since I cornered both Emerald and Sapphire while hissing like a mad mare… well… at least I do kinda like hissing… it’s relaxing
“*HISSSS* If you don’t stay away from my Anon, then I will find a dragon, then I will tame her, and then I will tell her to burn your ugly faces, you wretched wraiths! *HISSSSSS*”
>Pffft! Now look at them! They are super scared and “Y-you see! T-The prince w-will never like somepony as scary as you!” - they still found a way to be a pair of jerks… I hate you, Emerald…
>”Y-Yeah! N-nopony can like somepony THAT crazy!” I hate you too Sapphire…
>But you know what?! They can hug a cactus! Because I ain’t going to let them have this!
“*HISSS* Oh yeah?! OH YEAH?! Yeah, I’m a weirdo! And a psycho! And a crazy pony! But guess what?! Anon likes me despite all of that! And you know what else?! He’s not only my coltfriend but he’s also my best friend! And that is something that you two will never have, because you are nothing but a pair of jerks!”
>Ugh… these two always gives me a headache… I… I need to get away from here…
>”Childreeeen! We are hee—eeeereee!” Ah… maybe I could have done that… if it wasn’t for my uncle who just told us that we are already landing on Manehattan…
>You know, my uncles always gave me the creeps…which is really something considering that my special talent is understanding and dealing with creepy and spooky creatures.
>My aunt looks like she could snap a hydra’s back in two, and is always wearing those ugly red dresses and funny hats…
>And my uncle… well… if he wasn’t always wearing those fancy suits and his super ugly moustache, he could honestly pass as a mare… a very ugly one, but a mare still.
>But… meh… the trip to my grandma’s house was the same as ever… go from the airship to the cab… “enjoy” the city of Manehattan in all of its boringness… go to the really tall building where my grandma lives… and finally, FINALLY, take the elevator to the frickin’ last floor!
>Maaan… what a boring trip, but at least grandma’s house is nice. I mean, it has a lot of trinkets from all the deep, dark corners of Equestria; it’s always dark and has this super scary vibe…
>And it is huuuge! And the view is nice too… not because I could see the entire city… ewww, Manehattan… nah, but the sea was always nice to see, just imagine how many monsters lives in there!
>I read once that the waters of the dragon lands have their own type of dragons… giant snake-like creatures, larger than even the dragon lord himself resting deep beneath the dark dragon ocean… and that’s sooo cool!
>Anon once told me that a long, long time ago, as in millions upon millions of years ago, the seas and oceans of his old world were populated by super scary and giant creatures that ate wales!
>And not only that, he told me that since his world had a bunch of crazy technology, ponies were able to explore the deep parts of the ocean where light never touches, and they always found creepy creatures….
>Can you believe that?! Having a bunch of awesome technology that is used to discover and study monsters! Dude, that is so rad! I soooo want to do that… maybe if I ask Mr. Discord….
>”Cherrywood… hey, Cherrywood…”
>”We could do this super fun adventure under the sea! Just Mr. Discord, Sister Eris, Annony and me! Oh… and can’t forget the giant monsters, kekeke~! It would also be cool if-
“AH!”
>W-Who the hay gave me that slap on my head?! Because when I find the pony who did it, then I’m gonna-! Oh-
>”CHERRYWOOD!” T-that icky perfume… that scary face… those weird jewels… oh no…
“H-Hi, grandma! H-How have you been?”
>Oh brother! Why did I get so side-tracked?! I mean, how in Equestria could I not notice that my grandma was here?!
> Anypony could smell that perfume from like a mile away… and she’s not exactly fast on her hooves… and those jewels that my grandma has all over herself makes a lot of noise when she walks... just… how…
>And grandma wasn’t looking very happy… ”Cherrywood Bellemare! Do you think that you come from a family of traveling merchants?! Show your education and say hi to your poor grandmother!”
“Eeeeh… hi?”
>”Cherrywood Bellemare!” Awww geez! I hate when ponies say my second name! I-I mean… I made grandma angry… again
“S-Sorry grandma… I mean!”
>Ugh… Sapphire and Emerald are laughing at me now… and my aunt and uncle are looking me like… well, like they always look at me… as if I was a criminal or something…
>Ahhh! Whatever, I’ll do that dumb tradition! Remember Cherrywood, always start with a bow and then the salute, and then the traditional hi or something…
“It is an honor to see you again, my dear grandmother Umbra Elegance, I hope that you have been well and that the moon has guided you in every step”
>”Terrible!” Aw please! But I said everything ri- “But can you blame this poor mare?! How do you think that I would feel when I haven’t seen you or your mother in months, hmmm?”
>”Oh, mom!” Ugh… and here comes my ugly uncle “Please don’t be so sad, I know that my big sis can be… a bit of a workaholic, but you will always have us at your side! You know that no matter, what, my wife and I will always be here for you, because you are our shining star in the sky! You occupy-!
>”Cut out with that, Moon Stone! I know why you are here, and the answer is the same as always: No! I won’t sign whatever ridiculous deal you came here to sweet talk me into!”
>Hah! Take that! I always love to see how my uncle’s plans falls apart, because he always, ALWAYS starts pleading like a spoiled foal “But mooooooom! This one is different! It is an amazing business venture with an actual member of royalty! Come on mom, give it a chance, please? Who knows, maybe we can get Luna involved with this and-“
>”HOW DARE YOU TO INSULT PRINCESS LUNA LIKE THAT?!” Aww, shucks… now this is the part where grandma gets reaaaally mad at my dumb uncle “How dare you to stain our precious legacy?! Do you even remember what this family was supposed to stand for?!”
>”Yesss, mooom…” and this is the part where my uncle groans and rolls his eyes like marbles “we are supposed to…”
>”Silence, you insolent fool! You know that for generations this family has sworn to serve Princess Luna! That we awaited her return for centuries! And now you dare to insult all of that by suggesting that she should take part in another one of your stupid deals?! I have had enough of you! Get out of my house, get out and don’t return until you have reflected on your actions!”
>”Very well mom…” Creepy… the glare that my uncle just gaveto grandma… it was super creepy “Family, let’s go… and you too, Cherrywood…”
>”No, Cherrywood shall stay with me, we have a lot to catch on, isn’t that right my dear child? Besides, I am afraid that if she spents too much time with you, then she will start thinking like a dumb business pony, rather than a proud member of this family” Well… I… how could I say no? I-I mean, uncle Stone is a professional jerk, and my grandma… well… it was obvious that she really didn’t want me to go…
>Sooo, I guess that this bye-bye for you, Uncle Stone!
“Uh-Huh! I’m staying with Grandma Umbra!”
>”Mother…” Uncle Stone let out a very heavy sigh… and for a moment… I swear that his eyes burnt with anger “Moonlight is doing her work in a faraway land, she let Cherrywood with us so we can take care of her, if we let her stay with you then…”
>”Then I shall write a letter to my daughter, letting her know that my dear granddaughter is safe with me, rather than being miserable with you… now, get out…”
>”Very well mother… we are leaving now…” Yay! It always made me happy to see those jerks go away!
> I certainly didn’t expect that Uncle Stone would be so dumb as to try to convince Grandma after last time… but well, I guess that it works for me! Still…
“Hey, Uncle Stone… before you go, who’s that member of royalty that you got a deal with?”
>”Hmph!”  Eww, now that jerk was glaring at you “Prince Blueblood, why?”
>What?!
“KeKeKe~! Oh Uncle Stone! You can be a real dummy sometimes, you know? Princess Luna hates that Blueblood jerk! I dunno about Princess Celestia… she’s very, very mysterious about her feelings… OH! Princess Cadence also can’t stand that guy!”
>”What?! And you never said any of that until now?! You little-!” Eeep! You swear that Uncle Stone was going to smack you if it wasn’t for Grandma who stopped that dummy with one of her scary glares
>”Tell me Cherrywood, how comes that you know all of that?” Wait… Grandma was actually curious… okay…
“Well… because Princess Luna and Princess Cadence told me… I think that Princess Luna even told my mom that she shouldn’t allow Blueblood inside the castle…”
 >”I see… another reason to discard that ridiculous deal…” Grandma patted my head… I-I kinda like when she does that and I also liked how she glared at Uncle Stone “Are you still here? Go away, already!”
>”Yes… mother…” Ugh, FINALLY! Those dummies finally left grandma’s home… and that means that now is only me and grandma Umbra…
“Weeeelll…What now?”
>”Cherrywood, my dear child…” Huh? How did she go from being at your side to the other side of this giant room?! How can she move like that if she’s soooo old?! “Would you like to take a cup of tea with your poor grandmother? I know that you don’t like my home very much, but I would love if we could spend some time together…”
“S-Sure! B-But… uuuh… could I have soda instead? I’m not that much into tea…”
>”Nonsense!” Eeeep! She got angry again! “Those kinds of drinks are unfit for a lady like yourself! Now, come here my dear child…”
>And so, grandma Umbra and I went from that huuuuge reception, to her little tea room… and I actually like this place! I remember that grandma, mom and I used to play here all the time… even dad joined sometimes too…
>After some maids brought the teapot, cups and aaall of that fancy stuff that I don’t care about, grandma Umbra served me a cup of tea… and as always, she didn’t allow me to put any sugar on it… “So, tell me my dear child, how’s your education going? Are you still practicing the piano?”
>Awww, shoot! Why did she always had to start with the hard questions?
“Errr... well… I’m doing good at school, but about the piano… I kinda stopped with that…”
>”Hmmm? And why would that be? Last time I attended to one of your recitals, it was clear for everypony that you were quite the rising star”
>Okaaay Cherrywood, don’t panic… don’t panic… even if some sweat running down my neck… don’t-err… oh what the hay… she was going to find out anyways
“You see… the teacher yelled at some of the new students for no good reason and I… scared her because she was mean…”
>”I see…” Oh, crackers… grandma Umbra is giving me that little glare of hers… she’s angry, dude! “So, would I be correct in assuming that you are not doing any extra-curricular activities at the moment?”
“Yes and no… I-I’m not going to piano lessons anymore… or painting lessons… or alchemy lessons, b-but my mom is training me! Y-You know, like how the members of our family are supposed to! A-And I actually like it!”
>”Cherrywood…” Awww, she sighed… grandma was disappointed “I suppose that I should start by saying that I am not mad at you, nor I am disappointed…” wait, what?! “I am merely worried about your well-being” Oh… “Moonlight has sent me letters detailing her struggles in balancing her job and her responsibilities as a single mother…”
>Huh… Grandma wasn’t looking at me… she just, had this blank stare “And believe me, Cherrywood, I know those burdens very well myself… I am familiar with the fact that even when one can do her very best… time is usually not enough, and because one has to bring food to the table, sometimes one can left her children without the attentions that she would want to give them … which is why I’m worried, worried about the happiness of you two.”
“Grandma, you see…”
>But Grandma shook her head and didn’t let me say another word ”Let me finish, please”
“O-Okay…”
>”Your mother’s letters also speak about you… and they paint you as a rather lonely girl. Cherrywood, I have no intents on dictating how you should live your life, but as I said… I am worried. I am worried that you have so few friends, especially when somepony your age should have as many friendships as there are stars in Princess Luna’s sky”
>Oh… that... she was worried that I was too much of a weirdo… eeeh…
“Grandma Umbra… I… well, thanks… I really like that you worry about me, but there’s no need for that, you know? Yeah, I have few friends… and yeah… I have my moments where I feel sad… but my friends are super cool, you know?”
>”Hmmm…” Yay! Grandma smiled! And it was a super warm smile too! “Alright, my dear child, I shall trust your word… but would you mind telling me more about your friends?”
>Oh…
“W-Well, I bet that you will be happy when I tell you that Princess Luna is my friend!”
>”Oh, thank heavens! The fact that Princess Luna is so kind as to bathe my most beloved ponies and our family with her friendship always warms my old heart. It means that she appreciates how much she has meant to our family, how her graciousness and elegance has inspired us for centuries”
>Yeah… I now know why mom never mentions that Princess Luna tends to forget things…
>”Tell me my dear child, since you and your mother are in so good terms with our beloved Princess Luna, am I correct in assuming that you also are acquainted with her heir?”
>Oh… Oh… we are going into that already… okay Cherrywood… keep calm… keep calm… keep-
>”Cherrywood? Are you feeling alright my dear child?”
“Y-Yes! O-Of course I feel alright! I feel great! W-Why do you ask, grandma?”
>”Because your face turned redder than the fires of the dragon lands when I mentioned the Princesses’ heir” W-Why was grandma giving me that funny look?! “Oh, I get it now, hmm-hmm-hmmm! So you DO know Princess Luna’s heir, don’t you?”
“I-I-I… w-w-well, yes I do know Anonny- Eeep!”
>Stupid, stupid, stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid! Aaaaaah! Why did I say that?! N-Now grandma is gonna get angry! A-And she will tell me to-
>”Hmm-hmmm! So not only you are acquainted with him, but it also seems like you have feelings for him…” Wait… she giggled, why did she giggle! “I’m so happy for you my dear child…” W-W-WHAT?! “Tell me, have you told the Prince about your feelings, yet?”
“Y-Y-You see g-grandma, A-A-Anon i-is-“
>”Oh, Cherrywood! Just because he is a prince doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t at least try! If that Anon is truly Princess Luna’s son, then I’m sure that he has been taught to be humble and kind, just like her!”
“I-I know that! T-That’s part of why I like so much! A-And I don’t need to try because Anon is my special somepony already!”
>”Oh my! Cherrywood!”  AAAH! Grandma got up from her seat and is now coming at me! Aaaaah!
“Eeep!”
>But… but grandma didn’t scold me, she… she hugged me… “I am so proud of you my dear child. You are growing up so fast, and you are starting to become a fine lady. And I couldn’t be happier that you and your mother have gotten so close to our beloved Princess Luna…”
“R-Really? You aren’t mad that I have a coltfriend?”
>”Of course not! Every filly has the right of falling in love. In fact, that is part of the most beautiful things about being as young as you. Discovering what love is, having your first kiss… those are some of the most precious moments that anypony could have…”
“Grandma…”
>”Yes, I know why you must have thought that I would have gotten angry. Truth to be told, I wasn’t the best mother that I could have been for Moonlight Shadow and Moon Stone. But I have learnt from my past mistakes… but you better introduce me to your special somepony”
“Y-Yes, grandma… and uuuh… thanks, for not being angry…”
>”Oh, Cherrywood…” Now Grandma was laughing, and I don’t know what is going on anymore… but I like it! “But say my dear child, now that we have gotten a little more intimate, I want to ask you something. Your mother’s letters have made me quite clear that you enjoy tales about the creatures that live in the deep, dark corners of Equestria, right?”
“Are you saying if I like spooky stuff? Because I LOVE THEM! I love reading and studying about monsters, and myths and legends, and about the everfree forest, and-“
>”I know, I know…” Grandma laughed again… but not to mock me, she looked… happy “That is why I wanted to share with you some of the old stories that our family used to tell when we still had the charge of protecting Hollow Shades…”
“Oooooh! That sounds soooo cool!”
>”That’s because it is. You see Cherrywood, the story that I’m about to tell you is about a creature that is as old as Manehattan. Some ponies say that it doesn’t exist. That this creature is just one of the many legends that this city has, but let me tell you, my dear child. The “weeping mare” is real, and she still haunts ponies to this very day”