Canterlot Academy Trials

Our heroes would stay at the inn until nightfall arrived over the Canyon. The investor’s party was to take place in a grand hall that overlooked the rest of the village. With beaming bright torches and lights cutting through the darkness, it would serve as the largest light source of the village for the time being.

Grimrose would make use of her spell to grant everyone their usual combat disguises. Blue would become Wyver, Nebula would become Archsage, Grimrose would become Priestes, and Mei would become Trickster. However, since they weren’t looking for a fight just yet, they elected to use their usual names for the time being.

“Alright,” Nebula called out as he trotted up to the building in his armored mage attire, “Everyone ready?”

Blue had pulled down the hood of his ‘Wyvern’ outfit so that he’d be visible to everyone else. “Yeah. I honestly didn’t think these fits would have much use out of distractions yet here we are.”

“Well duh,” Mei snarked as she tilted her feathered tricorne hat upwards, “We gotta look like professionals or whatever. Can’t just waltz up into a party without a proper style, right Rose?”

Grimrose had lifted back the veil of her outfit and took a deep breath to calm herself down. “H-huh? Yeah…you’re right, Mei. If we want to find Bonetail, we need to be discreet and fit in with the rest of the…nobility here.”

“Well we’re around a bunch of schmaltzy cabbage-patch horses in Canterlot,” Blue commented with a shrug, “This should be easy enough if we just use what we know from there.”

“For now, I guess we should split up and try to play the part, Nebula suggested, then looked at Mei and Blue, “You both take one half of the building, Rose and I will take the other.”

“Oh it,” Mei replied with a nod as she glanced at Blue, “Care to walk me in, Blue?”

…or rather, she glanced at where the dragon used to be standing, then blinked as she noticed Blue already having walked off on his own.

“Blue!”

“Eh?”

“You’re supposed to walk in with your partner on your arm,” she hissed as she pointed out other kobold couples walking in and doing the same, “Duh!”

“Nah.”

“...’Nah’?”

Blue snickered, “I’m not getting bogged down when we’re on a mission. You follow me,” he added as he sauntered in without a care.

Mei threw her head back with a groan, yet resorted to following him anyway. “Ugh! Didn’t you literally just say…?”

As their voices faded out, Nebula grinned to himself. “...they’re made for each oth--...er…” That’s when he glanced at Grimrose. The pegasus mare was shivering in place as she stood in front of the building where the ball was taking place. “...Rose?”

“S-sorry!” her voice became unnaturally deep and guttural for a split-second before she turned her head away from Nebula and coughed to conceal it. “...sorry. I’m just a bit nervous I guess.”

“Of a party?” Nebula raised a brow, wondering how someone raised in nobility could be so afraid of an event such as this, “Weren’t you raised on events like these or am I misreading things?”

“N-no it’s not that…” Grimrose shook her head. “...nevermind. It’s not important. I’m ready to go, Atomic.” With that, she started trotting forward and into the building’s ballroom before Nebula could even respond or ask her any further questions.

But the stallion made a mental note to ask her about it later.

The ballroom itself was a massive dining hall where tables and chairs were set to the right side while a dance floor was on the other where a band could be seen and heard playing light music to accompany the event. A long, red carpet cut through the cobblestone floor of the building as various reptile-folk could be seen chatting away, eating, having drinks, or dancing on the dance floor nearby. For a rugged mining village, everyone really came together for such a well-made occasion. At least, that’s what they’d have you think on the surface.

In truth, only the wealthy and elite kobolds were allowed here. Ones with shiny jewelry or watches made of the crystals found in the mines. None of the actual commoners were allowed in--including the miners themselves who made this place function in the first place.

Twas a fact that Escala was completely aware of as she entered, and sipped into the crowd. To the right of where everyone was seated, she spotted a rather tired-looking yellow kobold busboy wearing a black suit-vest who looked to be no older than 20 or so, and approached him.

“...hey, sugar,” she called out to him, “You alright?”

The yellow kobold sighed and rubbed some sweat from his brow. “...yeah, I’m just…a bit winded from all the stuff I’m doing. Washing dishes, waiting tables for annoying clients…”

“Poor thing, you must be completely drained…” Escala replied out of pity, then came up with something. “...how about I help you slip away for a bit? Your boss won’t even notice you’re missing.”

At first, the idea scared the guy, but the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to deal with his annoying boss and the snooty clientele at this event. So he agreed without hesitation.

“...you know what? Screw it. I’m…sick and tired of all this. Sure, lady--oh wait, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Escala,” she answered as she grabbed him by the wrist and started dragging him along through the hallway and out of the back door of the building into the village itself. “Come on. I know just the place where you can relax.”

The young man of a kobold stumbled after her initially, trying his best not to glance at her…rather bouncy assets. “Oh…thank you miss. My name is Krieg by the way.”

But she knew full well where he was looking, and shot a sultry smile from her maw. Escala reached behind herself and put both of her hands under her rather firm, and yet massive, scaly butt cheeks--her fingers sinking into the fat of her ass as she jiggled it to entice him. Each cheek alone was bigger than the guy's head! “...nice to meet you, Krieg. Now how about I give you something to take your stress out on. Come with me to my place~”

“Y-yes ma’am!” his answered with his tail flicking out of excitement, following this stranger against his better judgement…