Unforeseen Consequences - Chapter 20


                                            >A little over a week has passed since you set hoof in this brave new world called Equestria. Well, sorta; you’re in a magical land, alright. Thing is, you haven’t set a hoof out of the castle since the first day that you arrived.

                                            >You also haven’t performed any sort of magic since that incident with the shelf, not that you haven’t wanted to, but Celestia kept convincing you to put the magic stuff on hold. It’s been weird, like you had this constant feeling of something bubbling up inside of you.

                                            >Discord hasn’t showed his face in all this time, and your parents avoided any question relating to his whereabouts every single time. On the bright side, you haven’t seen that frickin’ annoying Cherrywood either.

                                            >Given that you’ve been unable to venture into the city, you time has went to other, equally recreational activities. Canterlot Castle is in itself a marvel to behold and explore, and you’ve certainly been doing a whole lot of the later this past week and a couple days.

                                            >Be it accompanied by Luna and Celestia in a small tour, or venturing on your own, you’ve had a blast in getting to know your new home, and it was a darn good home.

                                            >It’d be a lie to say that by this point you knew Canterlot Castle like the frog of your hoof, but you’ve become very familiar with the essential stuff to not get lost for days.


                                            >You knew how to go from your room, which Celestia never stops reminding you that’s just a temporary one, to the royal dinner, castle’s library, back gardens, a couple of in-doors gardens, and the entrance hall.

                                            >Which brought you to the next point. The castle was good, and your parents, despite how long they gotta work, are beyond amazing. However, you still wanted to go outside and see the beauty of Canterlot city from up-close and not through a window.

                                            >That’s exactly why this day was so special. You were gonna be sent to that school, which meant that you were finally gonna get your hooves back in Canterlot’s streets.

                                            >Now you were sitting at the table in the royal’s dinner. A plate with a few traces of the continental breakfast that you just ate, and a very dirty napkin laid in front of you.

                                            >Luna was sitting by your side with noticeable bags under her eyes, and as you’ve grown accustomed to, she was drinking an entire jar of coffee in big gulps.

                                            >Celestia was at you other side. Her face displayed a jovial, and a subtly arrogant attitude. She was talking a bunch of stuff that you didn’t pay any attention at all, “…and that would be basically it for your first day at school! Any questions, Resonance?”


                                            >You looked at Celestia with wide open eyes, trying your best to dissimulate the fact you had no idea what she said.

                                            “Nope, not at all! No questions from that top tier explanation, no sir! Everything is crystal clear on my front!”

                                            >With a completely unamused face, Celestia narrowed her eyes at you, “You didn’t listen to a word I said, did you?”

                                            “Well, that’s technically not true. You see, I did listen to the last part, otherwise I wouldn’t have answered. That gotta count for something, right?”

                                            >Celestia placed her hoof on her forehead and let out a tired sigh, “…Can you please take this seriously, Resonance?”

                                            “Hey, c’mon! I’m taking this as seriously as I can! Not my fault this breakfast was so frickin’ delicious that I couldn’t focus on anything else! If anything, you should’ve blaming yourself for being such an awesome cook!”

                                            >After gulping down the last drop of her coffee, Luna placed the now empty jar on the table and yawned, “It is also not his fault that you literally took one hour to explain what could have been said in one minute. Let me show you how it is done, Celie.”

                                            >She then turned to you, and used her magic to remove any trace of food from your face, “Listen well, my dearest Resonance. Moonlight will take you to what we hope will be your new school, there you shall take an exam on general knowledge, attend to a few regular classes, and finally meet with the stiffest teacher Equestria has and most likely will ever see.”

                                            >Looking pretty annoyed, Celestia snapped at her sister, “LUNA!”


                                            “That sounds lame! I’ve got a way better idea! What if instead going to that jail, I spend the day exploring the city!”

                                            >Luna let out a small giggle as she rested her head on the table, and played with your mane, “That sounds very similar to what we used to do when we were of your age. I used to avoid my magical lessons to enjoy some time in…”

                                            >Celestia’s white snow coat now was somewhat reddish on the face. She stood up from the table and glared at the two of you, “Luna, stop encouraging him! Resonance, education is one of the most important things in the whole wide world! So you are going to the “Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns” and that’s it!!”

                                            “Yeah, but we’ve got an entire library here, and there’s another one in the city that’s frickin’ huge! Why I can’t ditch the jail, and go to those places instead?”

                                            >Luna stood up from the table, and stretched her limbs, “Humor aside, I do agree with Celie, my dearest Resonance. Proper education is very important in the life of anypony, and you are not an exception.”

                                            “I know! That still doesn’t change the fact I can just use those two huge libraries instead of being sent to jail! Besides, I don’t know anyone there.”

                                            >Luna gently caressed your mane and smiled, “I know that this change must be harsh, but Celie’s school is the best center of education that Equestria has to offer, and if I recall correctly, the young Cherrywood is a student there. So you have no excuses in that regard.”


                                            “Now this is getting plain weird, man. Celestia there said her school is named something-something for unicorns. Now, I may hate that frickin’ filly, but I know she’s no unicorn. So either that school has the most misleading title I’ve heard in a while, or there was something funny in Luna’s coffee.”

                                            >Celestia elegantly extended her wings and hovered above the table. Then, she proudly gestured to herself, “Well, Resonance; while I’m not so sure about the coffee, what you noticed is masterful business move! You see, my dear son; I forego a centuries old tradition and opened up my school to all kinds of ponies in Equestria. Now it’s more profitable than ever before!”

                                            “Can’t argue against that logic. Bits are bits, y’know?”

                                            >Luna leaned her head forward and looked at her sister with suspicion, “Wait a moment, Celie. I believed that the main reason behind the change in admission policies was so everypony, no matter their background or race, could possess a chance to attend to the best center of education in the kingdom.”

                                            “That doesn’t explain one bit why still has that name, though.”


                                            >After giving an arrogant shrug, Celestia landed and gave her sister a smug half-smirk, “What are you talking about, my dear sister? Of course that was the main driving goal behind the new policy! I kept the name because of a little something called “brand-recognition”. Still, there were a bunch of tradionalists who protested against the change, but in all honesty they can… what’s that expression you sometimes use, Resonance?”

                                            “Go a hug a cactus.”

                                            >She nodded satisfied and continued with her explanation, “Yeah, hug a cactus! I’ve to write that one down. Anyway, I also did it because the Jacuzzi I wanted for my room wasn’t going to pay for itself, but that was just a small part of the reason. Almost insignificant, really.”

                                            >Luna rubbed her chin and looked at her sister with complete bafflement, “You say those words, and yet, I am entirely convinced that your motives were the opposite.”

                                            >Celestia’s face became stoic as she pointed down at her, “Luna, you keep talking like that, and I swear for my crown that I won’t buy you that giant tiki when I roll out that reform to admit international students.”

                                            >Like a switch had been flipped, Luna changed her posture from suspicious to one of complete excitement. Heck, even the bags under her eyes disappeared, “N-No need for such a brash course of action, Celie. Tis was nothing but a meaningless ramble from my part! In fact, I want to propose myself as the negotiator with the dragons’ kingdom! I am absolutely certain that I can convince them on the quality of your magnanimous school.”


                                            >With a small nod, and an incredibly smug smirk, Celestia victoriously replied, “Good, because that was the plan.” She then turned to you with a smile, “As for you, Resonance; Moonlight is waiting for you at the entrance hall. Better not keep her waiting… or try to escape, because…”

                                            “Yeah, yeah! Moonlight’s gonna hunt down my flank. No need to tell me that. Already figured out you planned something like that when Luna mentioned her.”

                                            >Feeling incredibly annoyed and frustrated, you jumped out of your seat, and flinched a bit when Celestia levitated a white and blue saddlebag and gently placed it on your back.

                                            >You let out a sigh and moved your body a little to get used to the weight of the saddlebag. Then, you begrudgingly made your way out of the diner.

                                            >When you placed your hoof on the doorknob, you heard Celestia saying with a somewhat stoic tone, “Hold on, Resonance. There’s one more thing left to do before you leave.”

                                            “What? I did take a bath this…”

                                            >Before you could finish that sentence Luna and Celestia held you in a warm, tight hug. One that melted away all of your frustrations, leaving only an incredible feeling that’s just impossible to put into words.

                                            >As you almost desperately snuggled, or at least really tried to, into both of them, Celestia kissed your forehead and whispered, “Have a fantastic first day in school, my Resonance. I packed all your things and a lunch made with all the love in the world.”

                                            >Luna nuzzled her muzzle on your mane and replied, “Oh, my dearest Resonance! Never forget that we will always be cheering for you. Have fun and do not skimp on any detail when you are back home. Oh, and I placed a few bits just in case they are needed.”

                                            >You quickly wiped off the couple of tears that had formed on the corner of your eyes, and energetically put your goggles on.

                                            “It’s really hard to be mad at you ladies, you know that? I can’t promise much, but I’ll try. At least I can do that.”

                                            >… …

                                            >…


                                            >Man, who could’ve thought that this frickin’ school was so close to the castle? Literally four frickin’ blocks down the street. It absolutely sucked since you didn’t see as much of the city as you had imagined.

                                            >The school building itself wasn’t bad at all, though. It was a fancy, cozy and sorta eccentric mansion. The façade was painted in two colors: purple at the sides, and a white coral with a lot of nicely craved golden motifs in the center.

                                            >Heck, it even had a nice front garden with benches under tall trees, perfectly kept green areas, and tall bushes delimiting the area.

                                            >The purple rooftop had stars and these trails of magic painted on it, with a giant golden clock right at the center. There was also these three towers with spiky purple rooftops and velvet trails magic painted on their walls.

                                            >All of this was complimented with a golden grand staircase that led to the tall entrance doors painted in red. A complete opposite from depressing buildings of concrete, and metal that the company sent foals to study.

                                            >An amazing sight that served as the perfect juxtaposition to the dank alleyway across the street that for some reason, Moonlight decided to take Cherrywood and you to.

                                            >The location wasn’t an actual problem. After all, you’ve lived off of much worse alleyways for years. This was nothing.


                                            >What bothered you was the way in which Cherrywood kept glancing you from time to time. She just kept looking at your face or your chest, and the fact she was so close to you made it extra uncomfortable.

                                            “Hey, fluff-brain! Why the heck do you keep staring at me like that? You’ve been doing since we left the castle and is frickin’ annoying, man!”

                                            >She growled as her gray cheeks adopted a faint red color, “…stop saying dumb things. I wasn’t doing anything, you dummy.”

                                            “Yes, you did! Look! You’re doing it again!”

                                            >Cherrywood’s face became slightly reddish as she quickly moved her eyes from your face to a random spot in the ground, “I-I’m not! Shut up!”

                                            >Moonlight, fully clad in her worn-out armor, turned back to you and with a teasing smile said, “What’s the problem, little dude? Thought you’d be used to fillies checking you out.”

                                            “I’ve no clue what the heck is that supposed to mean, but I don’t like it!”

                                            >She walked in a calm and relaxed fashion to you, “Only thing I will tell you is: get used to it, because it sure as Tartarus won’t going to stop. Now…” She turned her gaze to Cherrywood, “Sweetie hiss, can you do mom a favor? Please go ahead and wait for us at the school’s gate. I have something to… discuss with the little guy here.”

                                            >A wide grin appeared on Cherrywood’s face as she started to rub her front hooves together, “Oooh! That sounds like something bad! Can I stay, please?! Kekeke! I want to see him getting chewed out.”

                                            “No, you don’t! You just wanna keep staring at my frickin’ chest!”


                                            >Cherrywood shot you a murderous glare as her muzzle started to contort in anger, “*HISSS* THAT’S IT! I’m going to chew you out myself!”

                                            >Before she could try anything, Moonlight placed a hoof on her head, and in one swift motion, made her look at the school again, “Oh, I bet you’d really like to chew him, alright! That’ll have to wait, though. Now go to that entrance and wait for us there. I promise you’ll like what you’ll see.”

                                            “Man, this is already starting to sound like it’s gonna suck.”

                                            >Cherrywood went from angry to completely ecstatic in just a second, “Talk for yourself, dumb-lord! This is going to rock! Love you, mom!”

                                            >You hated to admit it, but it was a bit heartwarming the way in which Cherrywood gave her mom a little kiss on the cheek, before flying off to the school at top speed.

                                            >Once she made sure that the two of you were all alone, Moonlight gave you such a relaxed yet twisted smile that it felt more like she was one of the many scammers from the slums than a respected captain.

                                            >She rested her body against a wall, and produced a large sack from her armor, “I’ve something you may like, little dude. See this?”

                                            >She tossed the sack in front of you. Upon landing, the sack opened, revealing its contents. Your eyes gleamed at them.

                                            “Holy blazes! I’ve never seen these many bits before!”

                                            >Moonlight slowly nodded and quickly picked up the sack to put it back inside her armor, “Amazing isn’t? This baby carries exactly 254 bits. More than enough to buy an entire day worth of fun in Canterlot. And guess what? It can be yours!”


                                            >Back in the slums, you and Eris had a small rule for deals like this. If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. You raised an eyebrow and talked to her with caution.

                                            “What’s the catch?”

                                            >She shrugged and gave you that little smile that a blackjack dealer gives, “Not much really. All you have to do is to win a little gamble.”

                                            “Let’s say I go with this, which I haven’t, but let’s say I do. That’s a whole lot of money for a small gamble, don’t you agree?”

                                            >Moonlight chuckled as she traced her hoof along the wall, “Come on, little dude. I’m the captain of the Night Guard and Princess Luna’s personal body guard. That’s not even half of what I earn per day. Now, do you want to know what the gamble is?”

                                            “Shoot.”

                                            >You could see that dealer’s smile growing as she motioned with her head at the school’s building, “See that giant clock? In about thirty minutes is going to ring, telling every foal in a five block radius to get their flank inside the school. If you can escape me until then, the bits are yours. However, if you are caught, then you must be friends with my daughter. Simple, right?”

                                            “Yeah, it’s pretty darn easy to understand, but we already went through this dance last week, remember? I dunno how things work in this kingdom, captain; but where I come from, those odds would look pretty darned stacked in your favor.”

                                            >Moonlight rolled her eyes and placed her hooves around your head. Darn, she was fluffier than her daughter, “Alright, how about this? I’ll give you five minutes of advantage, and if you win, then you don’t have to go to school today. Sounds like a fair deal to me!”

                                            “Money and a whole day to explore Canterlot on my own? That sounds good, some suckers would even say amazing! But what are my parents gonna say if I ditch school, huh?”


                                            >She let go of you and giggled a bit, “Nothing, actually! They will be too busy being worried about their little colt having a panic attack right before entering school.” She spat on her hood and extended it to you “Now, we don’t have all morning. Are you in, or not?”

                                            >You spat on your own hoof and with pure determination in your eyes, you energetically shook hers.

                                            “Just for clarification: if I win, the bits are mine and you cover my flank for skipping classes, right?”

                                            >Moonlight pulled you towards her, placing her nose against yours. Dang man! She was smoking hot, “Absolutely, and just for clarification, if I win you’ll actually be friends with Cherrywood. Actual, real friends! Not a half-flanked thing where you just end up ignoring her. Got it?”

                                            “Didn’t you just say that we didn’t have all morning? Let’s do this! I just hope you’re ready to get 254 bits poorer.”

                                            >She extended her hoof over your head and took the saddlebag off of your back, “I’ll take this. Luna would kill me if it gets lost or worse.” Then, she moved out of the way and motioned at the school, “Alright, little dude. Chase’s on!”

                                            >You laughed whole heartedly, before giving Moonlight your best imitation of a Celestia’s half-smirk.

                                            “Yeah, I don’t think so! See, ya!”

                                            >You galloped deeper into the alleyway, turning left at the first intersection that came your way. There, you were greeted by a smaller alleyway filled with trashcans and even a half-opened ponyhole.


                                            >So you had two very good options to pull off the trick, and they were conveniently close from the starting point. This was too frickin’ good to be true. Moonlight staged this, no doubt about that.

                                            >The actual answer laid beyond the alleyway. In the street market located right between you and a street filled with ponies taking their foals to school.

                                            >That market was the key to your victory. However, it’d be stupid to leave just like that, though. You needed to stall Moonlight, even for a bit.

                                            >You thought that if she went through the trouble of setting these traps, the least you could do was to make it look like you had used them.

                                            >After moving some stuff around, and lightly bucking a trashcan, you took a bit of mud and applied it on yourself. It didn’t need to be perfect, just make it look like you were in some sort of peril.

                                            >The entire process must have taken most of those precious five minutes, so you quickly galloped towards the street market while making sure that you looked quite desperate.

                                            >Just like in the slums, this act worked wonders. You didn’t even reach the middle of the market when some sucker stopped you.

                                            >It was one of the merchants. A tall and buff unicorn stallion who was dressed like a baker. Green eyes, light amber coat, very messy moderate orange mane, and a doughnut tattooed on both flanks.

                                            >Judging by how concerned he looked like, the guy had bitten the bait, “Hey, kid! Are ya ok? I can gladly help you! Just lemme tell somepony to watch over me shop.”

                                            >Perfect, now you only needed to pull off the same “cute kid in distress” act that earned you so many free food back at the slums, and victory would be essentially yours.

                                            “No, sir! Please… I-I need help! There is…! There is this mare chasing me!”


                                            >As expected, the unicorn gasped in complete horror, “That sounds dang bad, kid! Do you remember how that mean mare looks like?”

                                            “Y-Yes! She… she looks like a guard… but her armor is… different… I don’t know… she just started chasing me! And… OH, NO! THAT’S HER!”

                                            >You pointed at the alleyway that Moonlight was now inspecting. Luckily for you, she looked so frickin’ scary, way more than any patrol, that the unicorn immediately bought your story.

                                            >After adjusting his baker hat, the unicorn looked down at you and pointed at the end of the street market, “Don’t worry, kid; you can go home with your papa and mama! We’ll take care of her!”

                                            “T-Thanks, sir! You’re a real hero!”

                                            >The unicorn proudly smiled before motioning at the rest of the merchants, “I’m just doing what any good pony would do, kid! Come to my shop sometime. Doughnut Joe’s is the name. It’s a couple blocks from here. Will give ya a rockin’ discount.”

                                            “Will do, sir! See ya and thanks again!”

                                            >You galloped to the far end of the street marketas fast as your hooves could manage. Once there, you turned back and couldn’t help but to smirk at the view.

                                            >The look of pure confusion and frustration in Moonlight’s face as she got completely overwhelmed by the merchants trying to force her to buy their stuff, was frickin’ amazing.

                                            >With a smirk as smug as Celestia, you gave the poor Moonlight a mocking salute and muttered to yourself.

                                            “Guess this puts our score 1-1, huh? So long, Captain. Have fun, just don’t spend my bits.”


                                            >You galloped a few blocks down this new street, searching for an alleyway or a large enough crowd to disappear into. At this point, that’s all you needed to lock the win.

                                            “Man, wish I had some bits with me! That drugstore over there could be perfect for… umf!”

                                            >You bumped into someone, making you fall pretty hard. After rubbing your head and quickly getting back to your hooves, you adjusted your goggles and barked at the frickin’ guy.

                                            “Hey man, are you blind or something?! Watch where the heck you’re… aw dang.”

                                            >As it turned out, the pony standing in front of you was a frickin’ guard. A white pegasus with amber eyes and mane, fully clad in one of those centurion golden armors.

                                            >Due to the intensity in which the sun reflected on that armor, it was kinda hard to see the guard’s face. However, his voice sounded sorta familiar “Hey, kiddo! Remember me?”

                                            >That didn’t matter, though. Whoever this sucker was, it’s impossible that he could knew about the gamble. All you need to was to keep the “good little colt” act, and he’d go away in no time.

                                            “Not really, but I’m sorry for talking you like that, sir. It’s just that I sometimes do stupid things when I get nervous, and I’m in a very big hurry! And…!”

                                            >The guard chuckled and lowered his head to whisper in your ear, “Then let me remind you, my prince. I’m corporal Wing Spear.”

                                            >Now you recognized this frickin’ guard! You shrugged and walked a couple steps past him with an unamused look on your face.


                                            “Oh, yeah! You’re the guy who tried to bash my frickin’ teeth in. Listen, man; I’ve no harsh feelings about that. Seriously, you ain’t the first, and I’m pretty sure not the last pony to try that, either. This is the thing, though. I’ll love to stay and talk, but I’m in one heck of a hurry here. So, we’ll catch up later, alright?”

                                            >Before you could take any step further, the guard dashed in front of you. This time, he had a very serious expression on his face, “I’m sorry, my prince; but I can’t allow that. You see, I got an order over my signaler. I’m supposed to bring you to Princess Celestia’s school.”

                                            >Gosh darn it, man! Why the heck you didn’t see this one coming? Moonlight did the same exact stunt from a week ago! Or maybe not. It certainly didn’t hurt to ask, just to be sure.

                                            “Ah, I see! And you ain’t the only guard who got that message, right?”

                                            >The guard awkwardly nodded and rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, Captain Moonlight’s order must have reached every guard in a mile radius. Why do you ask, my prince?”

                                            “First of all, don’t call me like that; seriously, man! I don’t like fancy titles. Secondly, because I was making sure of something. Finally, I wanna make sure that what I’m about to do is nothing personal, just legit business.”

                                            >It was clear that your explanation made the guard confused to all heck, but before he got any chance to ask any question, you dropped to the ground and started sobbing like a little baby.

                                            “Dad! You promised me! You promised on grandma’s grave that we’d go to the park today! I even skipped classes to go with you!”


                                            >That little stunt, which you had pulled off countless times back at the slums, immediately got the attention of a fair number of ponies. All of them looking at the poor guard with disapproval and disgust.

                                            >Just like expected, the guard quickly lean his head down and angrily whispered, “What in Celestia’s name do you think you’re doing?!”

                                            >Of course, you didn’t answer. Instead you crawled away from him and covered your face with your hooves. All while acting as scared as possible

                                            “PLEASE NO, DAD! I DON’T WANT ANOTHER SCAR! PLEASE! I’LL GO BACK TO TAKE CARE OF MOM! I’LL BE GOOD, I SWEAR!”

                                            >Completely infuriated, the guard made a dash to put a stop to your act. However, the poor guy was stopped mid-way by a mare hitting him pretty hard in the head with a bread roller.

                                            >Not even a second passed, when an entire crowd of ponies started to yell at the guard about how horrible of a parent he was. You of course took that chance to storm your flank out of there.

                                            >After galloping away a few blocks without a clear direction, you decided to jump into an alleyway, to think on what the heck you were gonna do next.

                                            >Given that little stunt by Moonlight, it’d be pretty safe to assume that you can’t go very far into the city. Taking on too many guards would be outright suicide.

                                            >The alleyways could be a nice option, but those are the places where Moonlight would search the most. At least that’s what you’d do in her position.

                                            >Only way to win this gamble was to come up with something no one could suspect. To pull something that only an insane pony would think in this situation.


                                            >Your mind came up with the perfect idea after seeing a pretty hurried looking stallion carrying his daughter while galloping down a street.

                                            >This entire thing revolved around the idea of you escaping from school, right? It’d be pretty reasonable to think that the last place where anyone would look up for you was at the school itself.

                                            “Heh, I can even laugh at Cherrywood on the way!”

                                            >Always careful of maintaining a very low profile, you made a mad dash back to the school’s grounds, which surprisingly were pretty easy to find.

                                            >A victorious smile appeared on your face when you reached the front garden of the school. Place was now brimming with foals talking and playing with each other.

                                            >Well, there was a clear exception: Cherrywood. That filly was waiting at the entrance all alone, and completely bored out of her frickin’ mind.

                                            >That is, until she noticed you among the crowd of foals. Her ears perked up, and her face looked completely shocked. Why, though? It’s not like she didn’t know you were supposed to appear here.

                                            >Something was wrong, and Cherrywood pointing behind you only served to give you bad vibes about this whole idea.

                                            >The confirmation for your suspicions came in the form of a pretty familiar voice saying in quite the creepy tone, “Hey, little dude! Fancy meeting you here!”

                                            “Oh, c’mon man! How the heck did you… WOAH!”


                                            >While you were fully anticipating to see Moonlight after you turned around, the fact that she Moonlight covered from head to hooves in all sorts of food, some fresh, others not so much was mind blowing.

                                            >That wasn’t the only thing that shocked from Moonlight, not by a long shot. She had this crazed look in her eyes which was complimented by such a frickin’ twisted smile that would scare a dragon away.

                                            >Amid heavy pants, Moonlight took slow, but firm steps towards you, “What? You’ve never been framed for foalnapping by a bunch of merchants before?! It’s quite the ride, I tell you! You’d think they don’t have a very good aim, but guess what?! They totally do!”

                                            >While you were fully aware that trying to make a run from this mare was impossible, you came up with a last desperate idea: Go for the thick bushes that delimited the school’s front garden perimeter.

                                            >You absolutely needed to distract her with some generic questions. Otherwise she’d see where you were retreating to.

                                            “Uh…That’s some sick story you’ve there, captain! Just one question, though. How the heck did you know I was coming here?!”

                                            >Moonlight cackled like a maniac from a horror movie as she continued her approach, “Oh, please! Like I wouldn’t know how a foal like you thinks! I know every trick in the book! I wrote the book! I AM the book!”

                                            “Not gonna lie, captain. I’ve no frickin’ idea what the heck you were talking about there, but uh… I’m curious. Is the whole thing still on?”

                                            >Like if you had turned a switch, Moonlight went back to her normal self. She looked away from you and scratched her chin, “Well, yeah! Why would we be having this scene if that wasn’t the case?”

                                            >You took that small opening to make a mad gallop towards the bushes. Luckily, you were able to get inside them right before she could grab your tail.


                                            “I dunno why you’re so angry! You’re the one who frickin’ cheated by calling the other guards!”

                                            >Time after time, Moonlight kept throwing herself at the bushes like an angry lion, “Never said you had to be captured by me!”

                                            >By some miracle, you dodged every single one of her attempts and kept going further down the bushes line.

                                            >However, she finally managed to cage in when you hit a wall. Moonlight’s head came through the foliage like a ghost, and with a full-on grin, she cackled, “You’re a tougher cookie than I thought, I’ll give you that! But there’s nowhere to escape now!”

                                            “That’s why you lost, captain! I don’t have to do no escape! I just gotta stall you until that frickin’ bell rings!”

                                            >In one swift move, you buried your hoof in the ground and threw a bunch of mud to her face. It was a direct hit.

                                            >Moonlight backed away, desperately rubbing her eyes and throwing hisses that would put any movie monster to shame.

                                            >You galloped away as fast as your hooves allowed you to. You looked at the clock on top of the school entrance and laughed. Victory was mere seconds away.

                                            >Or so it looked like. You didn’t notice when or how, but Moonlight threw these chain and balls with pin-point accuracy. They wrapped around your hooves, making you fall on your face.

                                            >Moonlight flew at top speed and placed her hoof on you, ““Gotcha!” Then, she whispered into your ear right as the school bell rang, “Smile, little dude! You’re now the most popular kid in school, and since I won the bet, that also goes for my sweetie hiss.”

                                            >She wasn’t lying. Every single foal had their eyes on you. Some looked at you with confusion, others whispered among themselves. Oh, man! Celestia was gonna kill you for sure!