Canterlot Academy Trials

Wyvern descended from the ceiling to deliver a devious clothesline attack to the Ambassador with his arm extended. While he intended to tackle her into the nearest wall, it wasn’t enough as she cast a magic shield around herself to send him flying away from her body.

“You again?! BEGONE….!!”

Her voice raised several octaves and turned into a primordial wail that nearly blew out everyone’s eardrums. The mare genuinely felt that her voice mattered all over others when it came to her authority over food. Because of this, she turned into a rather fitting depiction of an equine banshee as she floated above everyone in the air.

“Bl--Wyvern, what are you doing?!” Trickster called out as she teleported down to defend the dragon with a wall of fire to protect him from the force of her screams. “You can’t just rush out like that!” she shouted over her shoulder, “If she wakes up right now, we’re screwed!”

Archsage had leapt into the fray as well, and played a few quick notes that turned into a shield to defend the Young Zesty from her older self. “Don’t let her hurt herself!” he barked an order to his team, “If that happens, she’ll never regain her sense of self!”

While he wasn’t even sure if this was the case, Archsage wanted to be as safe as possible. The teachings he had received from his superior in the Royal Guard had given him experience with leading a group.

As a result, his team quickly adapted to his words. Priestess flew down next to him and asked, “Alright, what’s the plan?”

“Keep her off of us,” Archsage commanded as he took a glance at the young mare who stood with her head hung low in fear of what she became. “Stall her for as long as possible until she’s ready, Priestess.”

“On it.”

With new orders, Priestess and the others would carry them out. She flew into the air and created a sigil that turned into a blast of magic light that stunned the Banshee for a second, followed by Wyvern rising from where he stood, and charging at her with a spear made of fire…

All the while, Archsage stood in front of the Young Zesty, protecting her from any stray damage.

“...why…” she muttered from behind him, “Why are you lot here?”

“Because…” Archsage replied, “It’s painful to see someone like you ruin her life as well as the lives of her family. We want you to be happy, miss. Mr. Anzac misses you as well.”

“Moreton…” she mumbled the name of her ex from long past, trembling at the thought of what her current self did to him…

As far as the battle went, Wyvern was smacked away by a giant spatula that the Banshee summoned with a loud--WHACK!--sending him into the nearest wall. Next, Priestess’ wings were pierced by BBQ forks that impaled her against the furthest wall before she could cast another spell.

Trickster attempted to pull some strings by creating duplicates of herself that all rushed the Banshee at once, but the force of her scream was enough to disrupt the kirin’s magic, and disable them--causing her to wince from the sheer pain that befell her ears that stopped her dead in her tracks.

“Agh!” she yelped, “She’s too strong!”

Realizing that his teammates weren’t getting anywhere, Archsage had to make a decision. “...Zesty.”

“...I know,” the younger Zesty huffed as she grit her teeth, “This is my problem. You lot came all the way down here to help me. I can’t just let you do all the work for me.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to face yourself?” he asked out of concern, but was met with a nonchalant shove from the mare to push him aside as she walked out to the Banshee.

“You!” the Banshee screamed at her younger self, “I cast you out! Why do you persist?!”

“Because I know what I’ve done wrong!” the younger mare yelled back, “I should never have sacrificed my integrity for money! It’s not what my husband would’ve wanted!”

As soon as she screamed, the Banshee started to weaken, slowly losing power and lowering to the ground…

“N-no…it can’t be…I-I’m in control…!” she hissed as she fired off a bolt of magic from her horn out of desperation.

The younger Zesty dodged it effortlessly, and glared at her older self. “No…I won’t allow myself to be controlled by you any longer! I refuse you and all that you stand for. You’re weak…allowing yourself to be swayed by money and not even looking out for your own family…”

“B-but…Equestria is…”

“I’ve heard enough,” the young Zesty turned her back on her older self, and made a request to the hero team. “Everyone…she’s lost her power. Finish her off.”

By now, Priestess, Trickster, and Wyvern had all recovered from the attacks that they had been dealt. They glanced at Archsage and awaited his command…

To which he obliged with a flash of his horn. “Everyone, let’s go! Engage in a terret chain maneuver!”

Priestess started first. From her wings, she generated the magic threads she used to control her golem familiar, and attached them to the older Zesty’s body. With a swift flap of her wings, she flew straight up, taking the unicorn mare with her.

While she was airborne both Wyvern and Trickster blasted her with a combination of blue and multi-colored fire to purge the insecurities from her body, causing her to scream aloud.

“No…NO! I AM THE ULTIMATE AUTHORITY! I AM ETERNAL! I AM--”

The fire dissipated and before she could blink, Archsage had teleported appeared behind her in mid-air and whispered, “A conniving witch.”

“...?!”

With his hooves wrapped around her body, he let gravity take over and pile-driving her into the ground. A move commonly known as an izuna drop utilized by ponies in the Far East.

CRASH!

A cloud of dusty appeared and Archsage backflipped out of it before sliding across the floor to group up with the rest of his team.

“...it’s over,” Archsage looked at the rest of his team, “That should be enough to awaken her, yeah?”

“I’d say so,” Priestess opened her tome. “Let’s get ready to return.”

The young Zesty regarded them with a painful smile as she watched her older counterpart lie limp on the ground behind her. “...Thank you lot, whoever you are. I think I’ll be able to reconcile with her now.”

Wyvern rolled his shoulder. “No problem. Just make sure you think of your husband and daughter when you wake up.”

“And your own health,” Trickster added, “Don’t be afraid to eat a little something once in a while, okay?”

“Of course…goodbye…” the young Zesty muttered as the group of adventurers disappeared from the Mindscape. She then trotted over to her older self whose eyes started to open. “...we need to talk.”

“...Must I?” her elder counterpart bemoaned.

But her younger self was absolute in her stance, glaring fiercely, “For our family’s future…yes.”