Canterlot Academy Trials

Within the inn…

Blue had been sitting in a corner of the room, meditating with his eyes shut…

“You meditate as well?” Mei asked as she sat down next to him.

The dragon opened one eye, then closed it. “Yeah,” he replied, “Dragon Lord Smolder has been teaching us how to manage our anger and frustrations in a healthier way than razing everything to the ground.”

“Oh, yeah! Smolder took over after Ember stepped down, huh? Sounds like she’s doing a good job,” Mei agreed with a nod as she thought about her own home. “Hm…come to think of it, Autumn Blaze has been trying to do the same for us.”

That made Blue recall a little important detail about kirins. “Oh yeah. Don’t you guys turn all…fucky when you get angry?”

Mei paused for a moment, then giggled at such a description. “Well, that’s certainly one way to put it. But yeah…we turn into niriks when we get angry. Thankfully we managed to get help from the ponies to sort our issues out.”

“Same here,” Blue agreed, “The ponies did a lot of good for us, but we also need to keep advancing ourselves so we don’t fall back into old habits. It’s why I make sure I keep myself calm so I don’t revert into the stereotypes that most dragons fall into.”

“I understand completely,” Mei sighed and looked at the floor, “Kirins are often seen as weirdo ‘theater kids’ which is honestly a bit true to an extent--and also our short tempers which could lead to disaster.” She then stomped her hoof as she continued, “But I wanna be more than that. Known for being more than just a ticking time bomb or something that other individuals should avoid.”

Blue folded his arms and relaxed his shoulders. “Shit if only. But that’d require everyone to change and accept everyone overnight. While things have gotten better, we don’t wanna get complacent, right?”

“Right, Blue. I’m hoping we can all get along and not have to worry about isolating again,” she shuddered at the mere thought of being stuck in her village and being unable to speak. “Brrr…having no control over myself was scary.”

“Well don’t worry,” Blue encouraged her with a smile, “As long as I’m around, you won’t have to suffer being under anyone else’s authority, Mei.”

The kirin mare nervously pattered her hooves in place. “Oh! Thank you…I’d like it if I could just live life and hang around all of you guys. Ponies like Nebula and Rose are so much fun!”

“Speaking of which, how do you think their guardsmen shift is going?” Blue wondered aloud.

Outside, in the market…

Nebula continued to run after the threat that he had thought he heard near the end of the marketplace. “It has to be somewhere around here…” The stallion kept his recorder at the ready just in case he needed the assistance of his familiar.

“Hang on, Atomic,” Grimrose landed next to him and folded her wings in, “What exactly did you hear in the first place? Slow down before you just jump into a situation,” she warned with a stern tone of voice.

“Sorry,” Nebula shook his head, and remembered what he had learned from the Royal Guardsponies. “No, you’re right. We should observe from a vantage point before we engage.”

Satisfied with his answer, Rose spread her wings once more and took flight. “On it,” she replied before flying straight up. While there, she took a close look at their surroundings. Having routinely spent a lot of time out in the dark of night, Rose’s eyes were attuned perfectly for a situation like this.

“Got something,” she relayed upon landing on the ground next to Nebula, “There’s a group of ponies surrounding a fire nearby. Not sure if they’re bandits or campers though.”

“Hm…better be careful here,” Nebula looked out over the horizon and could make out the faint light coming from the flame jutting out against the darkness of the night. “Sticks out like a sore tail. I’ve got an idea.”

“Ready to kill,” Rose affirmed in a grave manner.

At the fire…

“You sure this was the right move, boss?” a diamond dog with the colors of a dobermann asked the large, burly pony next to her. Her voice was rather deep not unlike that of zebras. “We’re gonna catch some heat from this little stunt.”

The large, stocky earth pony stallion next to her--who was actually the size of a horse rather than a pony--merely chuckling with a scoff. “They’ll be here,” his rugged, cockney voice replied, “Bet me bottom bits, love.”

The diamond dog woman got up from where she was seated and stretched her arms. She was wearing a skintight bodysuit that kept her hidden in the dark and clung to her wide hips and rear. “Hmph. Then I suppose that’s my cue to get going then, hm?”

“Move that pretty little arse of yours,” the stallion remarked with a smirk, “And you’ll get extra for your time.”

“Oh my, so devious, Mr. York,” the dog woman teased him by flicking her fluffy ‘spiked’ tail at his snout. “I’ll have to make sure I perform twice as better then~” And with that, she crouched down on all fours, and started to scamper off into the darkness…

The pony known as ‘York’ simply glanced over at a stuffed body bag that he had next to him, hidden within a log. “She’ll fetch us all the bits we’ll ever need.”