Canterlot Academy Trials

After their spat, both unicorns were escorted to the infirmary’s medical tent where their wounds and bruises were treated. Their injuries were so harsh that they both had to stay overnight and the nurses didn’t allow any visitors.

With nothing to do by lie in their medical beds with bandages around their bodies and heads, all they could really do was talk to each other as they came to their senses.

“Eeergh…” Luster Dawn awakened and sat up within her medical bed. “...that was a rough one.”

“Tell me about it,” Nebula replied as he sat up and turned his head to look at her to his right. “You put up a good fight, though Dawn. Your magic is off the charts.”

“...Only someone trained by a Royal Guard would know how to execute a Manehattan Drop,” she complimented him with a smile, which slowly faded into an empty frown as she reflected on what had happened. “...Seriously though, good game. You deserved to win, Nebula.”

Nebula chose to accept her words. “...thanks. I’ve been trying my hardest to get better, Dawn. But don’t sell yourself short, okay?”

She nodded, then tapped her hooves together with a nervous expression on her face. “Hey…about what I said earlier before our fight…”

“Hm?” he tilted his head.

Dawn would come clean, “...I don’t actually hate you. I shouldn’t have said that to you, and I feel ashamed of myself for it. I want to apologize for that.”

“...um,” Nebula was unsure how to react at first. Her overwhelmingly apologetic response had taken him aback as he rubbed the back of his head. “Er…it’s alright. Just make sure you keep your emotions in check, yeah? You don’t wanna say something like that to the wrong person.”

“Yeah…you’re right,” she agreed, knowing full well that her actions could have severe consequences if not properly handled. “I just…”

Nebula tried to pick apart what her problem was by remembering the key words she said to him before their exam battle. “...you felt like you were stuck in a box before, correct?”

“Exactly.”

“And you want to prove that you could stand on your own, right?”

“Of course.”

Nebula then gestured a hoof towards himself, then back to Dawn. “Well…look at what just happened. The Luster Dawn I fought today started to feel like the real you. Not the one who’s bogged down by Twilight.”

Luster Dawn’s eyes shot open. She began to ruminate on what Nebula had said. Over the course of that battle, Dawn had cast off her fears and fought Nebula tooth and nail. Not once did what Twilight Sparkle, or her parents and peers thought of her crossed her mind--even as she wrestled Nebula to the ground.

“...That’s…you’re right,” she muttered in an amazed sense of realization, “I…feel liberated after that battle. Like I’m starting to understand myself. Who I am, what I want to do…”

Nebula rolled his hoof in an encouraging manner, wanting her to arrive at a conclusion. “Yeah? And? What is it that you want for yourself, Dawn?”

“...to be free from Twilight Sparkle’s watch,” she stated confidently as she glared out of the window towards the sunset, “Sunset Shimmer didn’t allow Princess Celestia to control her every move. Of course, she made a few mistakes too, but…still.”

“Exactly,” Nebula replied with a nod, “You’ve got every right to desire some space, Dawn. You need to tell Twilight how you really feel. That’s the only way she’s going to know what you’re thinking.”

“...How I really feel…” Dawn repeated his words under her breath as she looked down at the blankets covering her body. “Maybe…”

Nebula lied back down with a huff. “Well, we’re not gonna get much else done from in here right now. Best we can do is just get some rest and heal up.” As he settled down in the medical bed, he gave one last prompt of encouragement to Dawn as he yawned, “Aaahg…just…make sure you…be real with Twilight….zzzzz…”

And in no time, he was asleep. Luster Dawn glanced at him with a grateful smile as she started to realize where Nebula’s motivation came from.

‘...I think I get it now. He’s got what he wants in life because he’s confident and sure of himself enough to go for it. I need to be more sure of myself as well. I can’t just rest on my butt and worry about what might happen. I need to take action for myself, like I did in that fight today.’

As she lied down, she glanced over at the sleeping Nebula.

‘Grimrose is one lucky mare.’

The next day would come and go by. Nebula and Dawn both had rested up, and everyone in the Academy needed time to recover after those hard-fought exam battles. Once Nebula returned, he was the only member of his team to have received a champion’s medal.

But the entire group remained solitary for the next few days, that is, until there was a knock at Nebula’s dorm room door.

“Mr. Nebula,” Professor Cayenne spoke from the other side, “There’s a mission I’d like your team to tackle.”

“Uuuurgh…” the unicorn stallion grumbled as he pulled one of his pillows on top of his head.