Canterlot Academy Trials

In Canterlot…

Nebula and Dawn had taken more time to investigate the piece of tentacle they had found. But the dorms weren’t suitable enough for such a thing, so they moved their investigation to one of the magic labs located within the campus.

“Wait--hold on, so you think this was summoned here by--?”

“Yeah,” Luster Dawn replied, “Now that I’ve gotten a closer look at it. I think I can narrow it down to having calligraphy from the Wukong Province.”

Nebula leaned over and looked upon the desk, “Hold up--the calligraphy is infused within the tentacle itself, huh? Neat--”

Just then, they were interrupted by the trotting of the princess who entered the room.

“Seems you’ve both managed to figure it out. And it only took you a few hours longer than I did.”

Dawn raised an eyebrow, then felt her jaw drop. “Wait a minute--you mean you already--”

“Figured out that someone from the Wukong Territory had summoned a creature here with the intent of causing a distraction in order to throw us off as some of my students take on a mission there? Yes,” Twilight responded poignantly.

Nebula was actively taking notes with his magic levitating a pen in the air. “Hrm…it’s entirely plausible that whoever summoned that beast is still around. They’re likely aware that their first attempt has failed and are already scheming something else.”

“But what though?” Dawn asked as she leaned forward onto the table with her cheeks resting in her hooves. “It’s killing me not knowing what these bastards are planning.”

“Language, Dawn--calm yourself,” Twilight looked down at her student with an authoritative glare, then her expression softened to a frown. “I wish I knew myself. That’s actually the one thing I don’t know.”

“You’ve got Tungsten and the others working on it, right?” Nebula asked.

Twilight nodded. “Don’t worry. The Royal Guard is already hard at work investigating the situation. If anything pops up, we’ll be the first ones to know.

And suddenly, as if on cue, something did in fact, pop up…

“Twilight!” Spike rushed into the room, “You need to get back up to the throne room. We’ve got a problem.”

“What sort of--?”

“A summoner problem.”

Back in the Wukong Province…

Hei had arrived at the master bedroom where his wife was waiting for him.

“She’s here,” he began with a giddy expression on his face, “It seems as if she’s finally wised up and accepted our terms. We even have the Emperor here to confirm it.”

“Hrm…” Bai on the other hand was a tad suspicious of her daughter’s sudden change of heart. “Maybe…but doesn’t it seem rather…convenient? Or maybe I’m just overthinking it.”

“You think it’s possible that this could be a trap, hm? Some kind of elaborate setup?” Hei asked. “I wonder…”

Bai refused to allow this to throw a wrench into her plans though. “Whatever that fool is thinking, it won’t work. He certainly won’t have any outside assistance coming either.”

“That’s right--those mages we sent to Equestria should have done their jobs by now.”

“Correct,” Bai replied with a nod, “Our soldiers should be on standby and ready to join in at a moment’s notice. Let’s keep up our guard as we approach them.”

Hei sighed but couldn’t argue against his wife’s orders. “Very well. Just be careful, dear. We need to ensure that Lee follows the path that we have set up for her.”

“Trust me, Hei Se--I’m fully aware of how important this is for us.”

The noble monkey pair walked out to greet their daughter and Chang. Bai Se met her daughter’s eyes with her usual steeled gaze that practically bored holes into the young primate woman’s heart.

“Child.”

“Mother.”

The room was dead silent for a moment, and Chang would be the first to break it.

“...I’ll leave you all be to discuss your details amongst yourselves. Please inform me when you’ve come to an agreement.” With that, Chang would take his leave through the front door…and wait for the others to make their move. ‘It’s your turn now, everyone…’

Inside the palace…

Bai Se would glance at her husband and smile, “Love. Would you be a dear and prepare us some tea?”

“Of course, Bai,” Hei Se replied as he got up and left the room.

After which, the white-furred monkey woman would glare at her daughter once more. “I’m happy that you’ve finally come to your senses. But are you sure this is your decision?”

“What do you mean?” Lee raised a brow and glanced at her mother with suspicion. “You speak as if I am incapable of thinking for myself. I know what I want.”

“Hm…” Bai shut her eyes for a moment and nodded. “...alright then. Very well. If you’re that certain. Just know that the Bai Long Ma is always watching and knows your every move.”

‘Yes. Such as the moves you put on my lover to keep him away from me,’ Lee thought to herself. She then spoke aloud and kept her personal feelings hidden as best she could. “...I know. I just want to thank you for--”

THUD!

A sudden crash was heard from the kitchen!

“...!” Bai got up from her seat rushed over, “Gāisǐ--! What’s going on--?” Upon entering the kitchen, she found that her husband was lying unconscious on the floor. “...you harlot…”

With a quick spin, Lee was about to throw a strike at her mother’s neck, but the monkey woman grabbed her daughter’s hand, locking them in a struggle for a moment.

“...I should have known.”

“Yes,” Lee grit her teeth, “You should have.”