Canterlot Academy Trials

The next day, in the infirmary…

The abyssinian nurse that had been taking care of him removed the bandages from his face. His eyelids had healed to like new, but as far as what was underneath… “Okay, Mr. Nebula. Open your eyes for me.”

“...Okay…” And soon enough, his eyes fluttered open…and he could see the face of the kind yellow she-cat that had assisted him. “...Ms. Mona? Is that you?”

“Oh, good…” she sighed with relief, then held up one of her fingers. “Now follow my hand please…”

Nebula did as instructed, and watched as she moved her finger from left to right, then back again. “...I can see. Everything’s a bit blurry but…I can see.”

The nurse choked up for a moment and held back her tears of joy. “Ah…g-good. Anyhow. You’re going to need a special pair of reading glasses that I’ve made just for you. At least for the time being, okay?” She picked up his medical file and looked through it. “I’ve been told you’ve done a lot of reading and research into musical theory at night, hm?” She then put the file down and walked over to a supply cabinet. “How has it been going for you?”

“Oh, Beethooven is a huge inspiration for me,” he replied amicably, “I actually do play piano on occasion. Though wind instruments like the recorder and saxophone are my personal favorites.”

Nurse Mona flicked her tail with a smile. “Seems like you’re a little one-stallion band. Your friends are really lucky to have someone like you around.”

“...they are, huh?” Nebula replied after a moment’s hesitation.

The nurse she-cat would eventually walk up to him with a pony-sized glasses case. “Of course. Mr. Blazes and Ms. Orcus both cherish you. Never forget that, okay? Oh, and whoever did this to you will be dealt with accordingly, I assure you.”

“Thank you,” he replied with a smile. “It’s weird. My mind is so fuzzy that I could’ve sworn I had the strangest…ah, it’s probably nothing. Those are the glasses for me, right?”

Mona made a mental note to ask him what he meant later on, but for the moment, she focused on giving him what he needed. “Yes. Here they are. Want me to put them on you?”

“Please.”

At his request, she opened the pair of black-rimmed regulation prescription glasses and placed them on his face.

…and for the first time, he could see everything clear as day.

“Woah!” he gasped as soon as he looked through them. He was able to see everything from the exact color of the pens that were sitting on a nearby desk to the titles of comic books that were on a nearby shelf for patients to read. “‘A Village Hidden In Leaves’, ‘Titanic Attacks’, ‘Singular Strike Stallion’--hey! I can see those book names from way over here!”

“That’s great!” Mona clapped her hands, then wiped a tear from her eye. “For a while, I was worried if we would even be able to fix you. But it turns out that you’re okay now. We’ll make sure to tighten up the security around the Academy so this doesn’t ever happen again.”

“Good…” Nebula replied with a nod, then turned to look at the nurse cat, “I’d hate for something like that to happen to someone else--woah! Was your chest always that big?”

Nurse Mona simply giggled in response. “Yup. Your eyes are most certainly working properly now.”

“...sorry about that.” With an awkward laugh, Nebula quickly changed the subject, “I should be able to head back to classes, soon, huh?”

“Tomorrow, yes,” she replied as she pulled out a clipboard and started to write upon it, “For now, I want you to go about your day as normal and get some rest. Maybe take a walk around Canterlot at your leisure? Use your free time however you see fit so that you can recover. But don’t exert yourself too much, understand?”

“Got it, nurse. And thank you…”

Not long after this, his friends would make a request and be able to see him. Blue, Grimrose, and Mei all forced their way into the medical bay just to see him.

“Dude! You okay?” Blue called out upon flying into the infirmary.

“I’m alright. I can actually see much better now with these glasses,” he replied with a smile as he stood upon his legs for the first time in a while. “And my eyes should eventually heal to where I won’t need them except when I’m reading. How do I look?”

“Well, we match now, kinda,” Mei giggled as she pointed at her own foggy, corrective lenses. She then looked up at Grimrose and asked, “What do you think, Rose?”

“Er…uh…” Grimrose paused, then cleared her throat as she found herself staring at Nebula’s face for a moment. His new glasses only served to make her heart thump and her pupils shrink. She could only respond with a silent nod of approval.

“Good. Glad I don’t look like Harry Trotter or something,” Nebula snarked with a snicker, causing Blue and Mei to laugh also.

But before they could speak any further…

Gaea had entered the room with her head hung low.

Blue immediately got between her and the rest of the group, “What do you want? If you even think about talkin’ shit about my dude, I’m gonna--”

“...I did it.”

The entire room fell silent. Blue and Grimrose’s suspicions were confirmed. The two even exchanged a knowing glance.

And Nebula stepped forward. “...so it was, you then. I can’t say I’m surprised. But answer me, Gaea: Why? Why would you do such a thing.”

“...because I hated you…but…after having it weigh on my conscience and having a bad dream last night, I…can’t stomach how awful I feel anymore. I need to come clean to the higher-ups so they can put the investigation to rest.”

Nurse Mona sighed and walked ahead. “...while it’s admirable that you’re willing to be honest, we need to report this to the Dean. Come with me. Don’t you dare try anything crazy, understand?”

“Yes, ma’am…and I know this probably won’t mean anything…but I’m sorry, Nebula,” she muttered before walking off with the abyssinian nurse.

Blue scratched the back of his head. “...am I bugging, or did she actually just apologize?”

With a small 'hmph' to himself, Nebula got up and started to walk out of the med room towards the school’s main gate. “...I’m gonna hit up the pub. See you guys later.”

Nebula's lack of a smile showed that he was still damaged by what had been done to him. Grimrose immediately took notice and hissed under her breath. “...That bitch…” she muttered coldly, “If she doesn’t face proper consequences…”

“Let’s calm down, and let him relax, okay?” Mei suggested, “You guys look like you’ve been through a lot worrying about him, given how close you are.”

“...you don’t know the half of it, Mei.” Blue huffed some steam from his nostrils and scratched the back of his head once more as he watched his best friend leave. As much as he wanted to join him, he felt it appropriate to give Nebula some space. “You don’t know the half of it.”