Canterlot Academy Trials

Being a dragon, Blue knew all about how badly greed could corrupt an individual. “...Greed?” he asked hesitantly as he tapped his fork against his plate.

“I’ll skip over the details you lot don’t really need,” Mr. Anzac continued, “We got to know each other, spent more time together, went on more dates…and before you know it, we ended up havin’ ourselves a kid after a year or two. But around then is when we started needin’ more money, so I started pullin’ extra shifts…” The stallion sighed and shook his head. “...then things got rather jossed.”

Having moved in together in a penthouse apartment in the middle of Canterlot, Zesty was taking more and more shifts to support her new husband and recently-born filly.

“...Damn, the agency’s saying I need to lose a few pounds for this next one,” she lamented as she flopped upon the white couch in the middle of the living room next to Anzac--who was now Mr. Gourmand, “...I think I should take it for Harissa’s sake.”

“...don’t starve yourself for it, now, love,” he warned her with a worried tone.

Zesty sat upright on the couch and smooched his cheek. “Don’t worry, dear. It’s just for a few extra bits.”

Or so she said at first…

“...turns out, she started goin’ out a bit more…and more…and more,” Mr. Anzac sighed, “Eventually, it got to a point where she’d be gone all night and I wouldn’t see her until morning.”

“She was working for that long?” Nebula asked out of pure disbelief, “That’s crazy…and you were taking care of your kid when she wasn’t there, huh? Harissa, right?”

Anzac nodded. “That’s right. It all sort of came to a head when I noticed her figure slimmin’ down more. Her skin started to look pale, and her eyes were bloodshot. Turns out she’d been workin’ herself thin for more shoots and started eatin’ less…”

“...Which explains why she looks the way she does now,” Grimrose caught on fairly quickly, “...I’m so sorry, sir.”

“It’s partially my own fault,” he admitted with a hurt tone as he rested his hooves against the table and placed them on his head. “I constantly told myself that it was alright, that it was worth it for Harissa. But I watched Zesty waste away to nothin’...and I didn’t do a damn thing about it.”

Once again, everyone was at a loss for what to say as they listened to the stallion sob over his past mistakes. Their heads were empty and unable to think of how to console someone who had lost his entire family to corporate greed.

“...Sorry…” he levitated a tissue from a nearby box up to his face to dry his tears. “Lemme get back to the important bits, yeah?”

Days turned into weeks which turned into months as Zesty took more and more modeling jobs that required her to eat less and less. As a result, not only did her body definition suffer, but so did her general demeanor and general love life with her husband…

“Zest, love, we need to talk,” Anzac tried to reason with her as soon as she stepped through their apartment door.

“Can’t,” Zesty refused him outright, “I have to keep going for Harissa. She’s the only reason I’m doing this.”

“But maybe there’s a better way?” Anzac put her in front of a mirror to show her how much her skin and body definition had deflated from lack of food, “...you’re suffering, Zest. We can work this out together.”

But Zesty was firm in her stance, stomping her hoof on the tile floor. “Every day for the last few months you tell me this, and every time I keep telling you: More money means a better future for our daughter! Don’t you want her to have peace of mind, Moreton?!”

“Of course I do, but you’re goin’ about this rather poorly…we don’t need you starvin’ yourself like this. You’re barely even around to watch the poor filly grow up…and keep your voice down, eh? She’s nappin’.”

“Whatever. My boss was right…you aren’t taking this seriously at all,” she huffed as she stomped over to the kitchen to pour herself some wine via magic.

Anzac froze before slowly turning his head to the right to glare at her. “...Mind explainin’ that for me?”

“My boss predicted you’d be unhappy with my new work ethic,” Zesty took a verbal potshot as she leaned against the countertop and sipped from her glass. “Looks like you are afraid of me becoming a better parent and providing more for our daughter than you. I can’t take this anymore, Moreton.”

“Wh--what in the--of all the--” He stuttered and stumbled over his words, disillusioned by what he had just heard. “Have you gone mental, Zesty?! The bloody hell are you on about? I’m trying to keep you from killin’ yoursel--”

With a flash of her horn, she forcefully grabbed ahold of the stallion via magic and tossed him into the hallway of the apartment building before shutting the door and locking him out. “...Pathetic excuse of a stallion. Never should’ve married you…”

With a sigh, Nebula spoke his mind, “...and that was the turning point, huh?”

“...next time I went back, all my shit was outside the door,” Mr. Anzac huffed in an annoyed tone, “...along with divorce papers.”

Mei grit her teeth, and held back her innate nirik flames. “...she’s garbage.”

“...let me guess,” Grimrose spoke up from her end of the table, “...you lost the case and custody of your child.”

“Hmph. What was yer first clue?” he sprinkled in some sarcasm to distract himself from the pain, “...Regardless, I ain’t seen Zesty since and she won’t let me see Harissa. Kinda been hidin’ out here ever since.”

Such a detail struck Nebula as odd. The young stallion tilted his head and asked, “...why?”

“...Think for a sec, kiddo,” Anzac explained, “I’m the ex-husband of one of Canterlot’s most famous food critics. Raising my hoof against her would get me flogged via court of public opinion. I’m a nobody, and as such, my word don’t matter.”

BLAM!

Blue slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone’s forks to fly a few inches into the air before flopping back down on their empty plates. To say that he was angry was an understatement given the bulging veins in his neck. “This is bullshit!!” he yelled, ”Damn near fucking literally! You did your best to communicate and work things out with her, but she was such a stubborn bitch that she kicked you out over it?!”

“...Blue, calm down, please…” Mei urged him with a worried tone.

“Now I see what she’s doing…” Blue went on as he put the mental pieces together. “Because she felt like she could tear you down, she’s been doing nothing but that with everyone else.”

Moreton gave a helpless grumble from his seat. The stallion was indeed fully aware of Zesty’s pursuits to change Canterlot towards a society whose body shapes were more…homogenous. Unfortunately…

“Yeah, I know, lads,” he replied with a dejected tone, “But as I said, I can’t do naught a thing from my position. Soon as I speak up, everyone who knows and trusts her would be at my door and my throat. Ultimately, I just want Harissa to be alright, but I just know she’s fillin’ the poor gal’s head with lies and deception…”

“As the corrupt are wont to do,” Grimrose commented, “But I think that answers most of the questions we had for you, sir.”

Mr. Anzac raised a confused eyebrow. “Eh wot? How’re you young lot gonna solve this? It’s an unwinnable hand at a rigged card’s table.”

Nebula already had a vague idea of what the mare of death was planning, “...Grim…?”

Grimrose got up from her seat at the table, “I think it’s time for us to go. Super sorry about digging up your past traumas like that, sir. But rest assured, it’ll be worth it by the time we’re done.”

Before the others could blink, Rose had already flown out of the stallion’s home.

“Grimr--wait!” Nebula shook his head and levitated their plates via his indigo aura, “Here, sir--I’ll clean these up.”

But Mr. Anzac overrode Nebula’s levitation magic with his own orange aura. “Yeah nah--go on, kiddos. If you’re sure you can save Harissa from that banshee of a mare, then don’t worry yourselves.”

“...Alrighty,” Nebula got up and tilted his head in the direction of the door while looking at Mei and Blue who also got up and followed him. “Thanks for the info, sir. Have a good day.”

“We’ll do what we can for your daughter,” Mei added as she walked out after Nebula, “Goodbye…”

Lastly, Blue paused before following them out and added, “...we’ll topple her throne of lies and greed. Have a good day, sir.”

Mr. Anzac chuckled as he watched everyone leave and shut the door with his magic. “...crazy kids…reminds me of me and my camera crew…”