Canterlot Academy Trials

Later on that evening…

Atomic Nebula had taken some time to himself, and was approached on the street by his superior Royal Guardspony.

“...Nebula? You okay?” Tungsten asked as he caught up to the young stallion and began to walk with him. “I heard about what happened and they called me in since I was your closest guardian. They’re planning on expelling that griffon for what she did to ya.”

“...Good,” he replied, “What she did was horrible and she deserves to be made out as an example. I might’ve tried to reason with her had she not resorted to trying blind me, but she’ll get no sympathy from me.”

“Agreed,” Tungsten went on with a sigh, “Just wanted to make sure you were okay. According to what she told the dean, she regrets every nasty thing she said about you. Including…stuff about your family.”

Nebula rolled his eyes and continued walking. “...I know. It’s not something I want to speak of right now, sir. I’d…rather be alone right now.”

As much as Tungsten wanted to accompany him, he knew that Nebula was his own young man and had to give him some space. So, he reluctantly agreed. “...alright. Just make sure you let us know if you feel anything else bad going on with your eyes. Okay, A.N.?”

“Of course, I’ll see you later, sir.”

Tungsten huffed to himself and shook his head as he turned to leave Nebula be. ‘That griffon woman better think long and hard about what she’s done. Look how she massacred my boy…’

At the pub…

It was a rather quiet evening and there weren’t too many customers around. It was a rather rustic, almost rugged-style pub based on those found in Shireland with wooden tables accompanied by green leather booths. The bar counter had a classic, pearlescent cream-tile sheen with steel barstools painted with a wooden texture to match the atmosphere.

Behind the counter, a cyan hippogriff stallion could be seen scrubbing an empty glass with a towel. The eyepatch over his left eye exuded a sense of coldness that made him hard to approach. But of course, most that knew him didn’t have this problem.

“ID?” he asked in a low, raspy voice without looking up from his glass.

Nebula levitated his student ID to show the bartender his age. “Here you go, sir.”

The hippogriff took a glance at it. “...You’re…ah, that’s who you are. 23. Turning 24 soon from the looks of it, huh?”

“Yeah,” Nebula replied as he put his ID away and sat at the barstool. “I’m not looking for anything too hard, though.”

“I think I’ve seen you in here before,” the hippogriff bartender commented as he tried to remember what he saw Nebula order. “Hrm…what can I get you?”

“...Gimme a ‘Coastal Paddock’ please.”

“...” The bartender paused for a moment, and set the glass to the side.

“...something wrong, sir?” Nebula asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Coastal Paddock--no one’s ordered that one in a while,” he quickly came up with an excuse for his hesitation. “Coming right up, kid.”

Nebula paused to wonder the reasoning behind the hippogriff’s questioning. But he didn’t let it bother him that much. The stallion simply wanted to relax as he leaned against the bar counter with the side of his face resting in his hoof.

From the kitchen, the bartender would speak to him. “...nice glasses. They make you look professional, kid.”

“They do, huh? Thanks, sir…got ‘em from…an eye exam,” he left out the finer details as to spare the gentlegriff.

Then, the bartender would speak words that caught Nebula off-guard. “With those on, you’re the spitting image of Paddock himself. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you and him were related.”

Nebula froze for a moment, then sat upright upon the barstool with a more interested expression behind his glasses. “You…you knew my father?”

“Ah, so I was right on the money, then,” the hippogriff chuckled, “Got you to show your playing hand, kid.”

In spite of that, the unicorn was adamant to know more. “Hold on, if you knew him, then I have several questions to ask.”

“Save ‘em for later when I’m off,” the bartender replied as he walked out with a freshly cleaned mug and filled it with a frothy tanned ale before setting it in front of the stallion. “This one’s on the house today.”

“Thanks a ton, sir,” Nebula replied as he lifted the mug and took a few sips. The strong, aromatic flavor was a boon to his senses. “Mmm…this is a good one. A craft ale imported from Maremany, perhaps?”

“You know your stuff, huh?” the hippogriff smiled in response, “Yeah, that’s exactly it. Not many folks can tell them apart--oh no.” Just then, he shifted his one good eye over the stallion’s shoulder to look at the pub’s entrance.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” Nebula turned to look…and saw Cayenne walk in with her head hung low. Apparently, she didn’t even notice nor address Nebula as she walked to the other end of the bar and sat on a stool with a groan.

“...She’s here,” the bartender sighed as he walked to the other end to serve her. “Hello, Miss. What can I--?”

“Your hardest sake please,” she grumbled, “I’m in the mood for something exotic.”

Nebula took a closer look and noticed how messy and in shambles her mane was. Part of him wanted to say something, but felt it wasn’t his place to question one of his teachers in such a way.

And that’s when Blue appeared, walking into the pub with a tired huff. “Whew…there he is. Hey, bud. What’s going on?”

“...not much,” Nebula replied softly as his best friend took a seat next to him at the bar. “Just looking to relax.”

Blue noticed the frothy mug and lectured his friend out of kindness. “Hey now, don’t get drunk on me, bud. In fact, you shouldn’t be drinking without eating something to help absorb it,” he took a moment to pick up a menu to see what the pub served. “...ooh. Sweet. They got buffalo cauliflower bites. We should try ‘em!”

“...” Nebula couldn’t help but snicker. “...You’re always looking out for my health, eh brother?”

“Well duh. Someone has to! Grimrose doesn't want a stallion that's thin as a pencil. You need to eat to keep your strength up, man.”

"...She wants me bigger? Why?"

"..." Blue simply drew his claw against his face in disbelief, facepalming in response to what his friend just said.