Canterlot Academy Trials

“Oh sweet, you’re from there?” Smolder sat up, then got off of her throne, “Then that’s gonna make things way easier for us. If you can take care of Bonetail for us, that’d be a massive help. Might wanna ask the griffons you captured if they know anything. Gloomtail should be nearby too.”

“...yes, it should,” Rose replied with a nervous inflection in her voice.

“Got it,” Nebula replied with a nod, “We’ll see what we can find out.” He then glanced at Marrow, “Think you could take us up there? If it’s not too much trouble of course.”

“Another opportunity to sail with ya’ll?” the rat man happily saluted with a squeal, “Count me in! It’d be my pleasure!”

“Alrighty then,” Smolder called out with a yawn, “Everyone go get some rest and clean up. I’m sure you’ve had a rough day so take as much time as you need. Oh and feel free to ask my chefs to make you anything you want for dinner or whatever.” With that, she flew off, “I gotta go write a letter to report to Twilight Sparkle.”

“Pfft, casual as ever, huh?” Mei scoffed with a grin as she watched Smolder fly away, “Hard to grasp that she’s the Dragon Lord.”

Blue would agree, “Yeah she’s somehow more loose, yet more strict than Ember. It’s a weird dynamic but it keeps most of us in line and from being overbearing asshats. Anyway, we should get to our resting areas for now.”

As the others engaged in conversation while walking through the castle to their guest rooms, Grimrose would slip into silence as usual, contemplating to herself the idea of returning to see her parents at this stage in her life.

‘...will I finally have impressed them enough? What if they don’t like Atomic Nebula? I really don’t want to be put through another set of arranged marriages. And will he like what I really am?’

Suddenly, she was snapped back to reality by the voice of the stallion in question.

“...Rose? Rose? Hey you there?” Nebula called out as he waved his hoof in front of her face, “You zoned out for a second there.”

“H-huh? Y-yeah…” she flicked her tail as her wings spread wide, “I’m just…nervous about heading home is all. I actually haven’t seen my family in a while.”

Nebula blinked and came to a realization. “Oh yeah…come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve met your parents, Rose. What are they like, anyway?”

Grimrose rolled her eyes with a flat expression on her face, “They’re completely and utterly embarrassing. I don’t think you’d like them, honestly. My mom is a believer of Vodu and does weird witch doctor stuff.”

Yet to her surprise, Nebula’s heart started to race when he heard such a thing. “...w-witch doctor?”

“Yeah, I don’t think you want--”

“She could take out my soul and stuff, right? Does she have those creepy dolls too?”

“Totally. You wouldn’t like--”

Nebula’s tone became excited as he pranced in place with his hooves pattering the floor in excitement, “That sounds awesome! I wanna meet her and have my soul ripped out! Oooh, think she could rip out my heart too? Maybe snap my neck with one of those dolls?”

Rose paused and stared at him in silence for a moment as she remembered just how…inclined Nebula was towards the dark arts. “...Oh yeah. You’re into that stuff, aren’t you?” she asked with a soft smile, “I sometimes forget how much of a degenerate you can be, Atomic.”

The stallion tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders, “Eh, what can I say? I just have a type I guess. I’d also like to see if you guys could summon demons and other ghosts through my body! Ooh and maybe have me get possessed so I can get exorcized?!”

“...Atomic, you really are the one for me,” Rose muttered with a smile as she returned to thinking about her parents. “But then there’s my dad. He’s a bit less on the creepy side but still…”

Blue would call out, “Yeah I don’t think this guy cares,” he added with a smirk, “Nebula’s the kinda guy to jerk it to zombie mares.”

“I--I…” Nebula tapped his hoof on the floor as he thought about it, “...well I mean you aren’t wrong, though ghosts are better material than zombies. So are ghouls actually.”

“Pffft! Then again, I can’t talk,” Blue scratched the back of his head, “I didn’t exactly have the best luck with my first relationship either--”

“Okay that’s enough,” Mei called out as she took ahold of Blue with her magic, “Get on the bed.”

Blue yelped as he was caught in the gold aura of Mei’s magic, “Hey wait--! I’m down but--”

“Well I guess they’re off,” Nebula watched as the kirin took the dragon to her room.

“Are you gonna join me, Atomic?” Rose asked.

The stallion shook his head, “Maybe later. Right now though, I need to pay a visit to some of those folks we captured.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“Nah, I’ll be fine. You go get some rest, okay? Plus, we’ll be entering your home territory soon, so I’m sure you have a lot to think about.”

Which was entirely true. Rose was still worried about how her parents would react to her at this stage of her life. “...fair enough,” she replied flatly.

Nebula kissed her on her lips and started prancing down the hall, “I’ll be back later, okay? I shouldn’t be long.”

“O-okay…” her wings fluttered up yet again, “...see you soon, Atomic.”