Best Princess Contest

Chapters

Competing Opinions
A Gentle Breeze
Race to the Rescue
Dark Reflections

Competing Opinions

Preread, Edited, and Reviewed By
Illustrious Q,
El Oso

Written for the
Mid-Summer Follow Appreciation Lottery Winner - Black Hoof
=====================================================================

“Oh, Flurry, you’ve gotten so good at making your bear dance.”

Twilight couldn’t contain her smile, her cheeks starting to feel sore from all her grinning. Shining and Cadance were teaching a special lesson at the School of Friendship. That meant Twilight got to enjoy being the best aunt ever to her niece.

They were in the foyer of the Friendship Castle. Toys and sitting cushions were strewn about the floor. At the moment, Twilight was on one cushion and Flurry was another. In front of them was a pile of carefully stacked books covered with a sheet. It was simple, but it proved an excellent stage for what Twilight considered a riveting Teddy Bear Ballet. She was manipulating one bear, making it strike dancing poses and twirl in the air. Flurry was trying to do the same with a second bear, and though it was not as coordinated as Twilight’s, Flurry was showing marked improvement from her first attempt.

In the background of the dancing bears was the stuffed snail, Whammy. It was not dancing, but Flurry had placed the toy rather proudly onto the stage before they started the dance, and Twilight saw no reason to take it down.

It was at that moment, just as Twilight was making her bear do a pirouette, that the doors to the castle opened. Twilight only had to shift her focus slightly to see it was Cadance and Shining coming in.

“Hey, how did the lesson go?” Twilight asked.

“It went just fine,” Cadance replied. The sound of her voice drew Flurry’s attention. The tiny princess was soon out of her cushion, letting her bear flop to the stage as she flew over and hug-tackled Cadance’s neck. “Some of the students may have found it a little too lovey-dovey, but just about all of them asked questions once the lesson was over. So I think everyone was paying attention.”

“Ocellus seemed especially interested,” Shining added as he picked up a hoof and gently patted Flurry’s head.

“I imagine she would be since it’s a part of changeling history as well as Equestria’s.” Twilight began tidying up the toys, using her levitation to put things back in boxes, though remaining largely focused on the conversation.

Shining chuckled. “Though, the weirdest thing was when some of the students asked Cadance about… ooofff.”

Twilight glanced away from the toys she was putting away, looking at her brother. He had a hoof to his chest, and Cadance was forcing a very wide smile as she was gently settling Flurry onto her back. “What was the weird thing?” Twilight asked.

“It’s nothing, really. Nothing you should worry about,” Cadance said with a wave of her hoof.

Twilight paused from her tidying and took a few steps towards Cadance. “You know, I seem to remember you saying something exactly like that whenever you burned dinner while you were foalsitting me and had to quickly order pizza.”

“I never… okay, maybe I burned dinner once, but in my defense, I wasn’t used to how your family’s stove worked.”

“Cadance, what is it?” Twilight asked as she looked Cadance straight in the eye.

Cadance tried to resist the gaze but eventually relented with an audible sigh. “A few of your students asked me to sign their copies of this week’s Temporus Magazine. It was no big deal.”

“This week’s Temporus?” Twilight cocked her head for a moment. She knew of the Temporus. It was Equestria’s biggest weekly news magazine, tending to cover the biggest news stories from across the nation and the world. It drew attention to creatures doing noteworthy work. To be on the cover of Temporus was something of an achievement on its own. She had been on the cover for her coronation.

“I haven’t seen this week’s Temporus yet.” Twilight began charging magic in her horn. She saw Cadance open her mouth, perhaps attempting to say something, but Twilight teleported away before a word could be said. She went from her castle to the newsstand, and after exchanging a few bits with the stand owner, she popped back to the castle. She landed in the same spot she had left, glancing over the cover of the magazine she had just purchased.

Unlike most weeks, where a notable creature was easily identifiable on the cover, the cover of the magazine just had a big question mark on it along with crowns. Specifically, Twilight could recognize the four crowns of Equestria’s four princesses. The subtitle to the picture was rather straightforward. “Equestria has spoken. Who is now the best princess?”

Twilight heard Cadance and Shining saying something, but… her mind didn’t quite register those words. She was opening the magazine. Her eyes found the table of contents first, and after that, she was able to turn to the exact page of the article. She began to read, her eyes feverishly consuming the words on the page.

The article opened looking back at all the times Celestia had been on the cover since the magazine’s original publication. But then it pivoted into speaking how, in such a short time span, Equestria had been graced with one returning princess and two brand new ones. So the question was asked and a survey was taken across Equestria.

Who was the best princess now that Equestria had a quartet to choose from?

4th place… Princess Luna. She wasn’t in the public eye much, and while lots of ponies could claim she had helped them with her dreams, it was still a small percentage of the whole population of Equestria. Okay, Twilight could understand that.

3rd place… Twilight felt her stomach twist oddly as she saw her own name and picture. The notes of the article hit harder than they should have, but Twilight couldn’t keep herself from reading. A hero of the nation, that was good. An unproven ruler, that was true. Ponies wondering if she was focusing more on her school than on princessly duties? Her school was a princessly duty! Ponies obviously weren’t appreciating everything she had done and… suddenly she had a lot more perspective of how Luna must have felt a thousand years prior.

2nd place… Princess Celestia. Now this one truly baffled Twilight. The article spoke of Celestia’s many achievements. She was the ruler Equestria knew. The one that was beloved, but… the article quoted recent tabloid articles. That and it seemed Equestria still remembered Princess Celestia’s loss against Queen Chrysalis at the royal wedding. Equestria also remembered her desire to see Discord reformed had also given him the ability to betray them when Tirek escaped Tartarus. Yes, it all worked out at the end, but Equestria saw Celestia causing more problems than she was solving in recent memory.

Honorable Mention… Princess Flurry Heart. Okay, Twilight could tell the author was padding the article a little at this point, filing space and delaying the reveal, but they did pick an adorable picture of Flurry heart. Twilight would perhaps need to cut out that page of the article just for that picture.

Finally, 1st place… and Twilight finally managed to pry her eyes off the magazine and look up at Cadance.

“I… I mean it’s an honor that they chose me, but they are being so unfair to the rest of you,” Cadance said. “We honestly shouldn’t give it a lot of weight. They just ran a popularity poll. I’m sure there’s no science behind it.”

“Well, that’s obvious,” Twilight said, flipping back through the article and shaking her head at it. “I mean, this order just… doesn’t make sense.”

There was a moment of silence, one long enough for Twilight to notice. She looked up at Cadance and saw her sister-in-law’s reassuring smile appeared tighter. “I… sorry, I don’t mean to say you don’t deserve to win. You’ve done a lot of good things to help the Crystal Empire and it was you and Shining who defeated Chrysalis at the wedding. Though, I was the one that realized something was wrong and found you in the crystal caverns beneath Canterlot. They didn’t even mention that part.”

“So then what order do you think we should be in?” Cadance’s words were sharp. Twilight recognized it as a tone that Cadance used on previous occasions when their opinions on certain matters differed.

“Now, wait, let’s not—” Shining attempted to get between the two of them, but Twilight gently picked him up with levitation. She didn’t even have to do it all herself. Cadance had helped lift and place Shining off to one side. She then proceeded to give him Flurry Heart to hold.

There weren’t many that could match Twilight in some of her stranger formula, but Cadance was one of them. She could recall, one of the first times Cadance had foalsat her, the pair had spent time calculating her compatibility with Shining Armor. If she remembered correctly, the final result was a 97%-98% compatibility. Though where they applied such skills could differ vastly, there was a simple truth between the two of them.

They both had an abundance of skill in analytical analysis.

“Well… I’m just going off my hoof here, but I’d say, in descending order, Celestia, Luna, me, you,” Twilight said.

“You’d put me at the bottom!?”

“It’d be a close race. But you can’t ignore Princess Celestia’s centuries of successful rule in Equestria. Princess Luna has also made great strides since her return. It’s unfair to judge her solely on her popularity, as she’s resumed her duties as guardian of sleep. That and she was the one that managed to warn Starlight Glimmer about Queen Chrysalis’s second attempt at taking over the nation. After that, going solely by a count of how many times Equestria has been saved, that puts me ahead of you. You also can’t argue that some of your standing in the Temporus poll isn’t because of Flurry Heart. The cute foal factor is a strong influence.”

Cadance huffed once through her nostrils. “Well, I think being a successful ruler and a mother means I’ve quite earned my spot at the top of the list. But I do agree the Temporus list is still heavily flawed. It should, in descending order, be me, you, Luna, and Celestia.”

It was Twilight’s turn to gasp. “You’d put Celestia last!?”

“How much of what has recently happened to Equestria are problems you had to clean up because of how she chose to solve things in the past? Nightmare Moon, she banished and imprisoned instead of resolving. Discord, stone prison, and after he got free once, she asked your friend to help reform him. Chrysalis, Celestia defeated her once at the Siege of Trot only for her to come back to attack my wedding! Tirek falls into that same pattern.”

“Maybe the solutions were impermanent, but you can’t deny that Celestia’s solutions worked for centuries. And she did most of that on her own or with only Luna to help her.”

“Now, come on you two, is this really something worth arguing about?” Shining asked as he gently bounced Flurry, keeping her calm as things were getting heated. “You always tell me you need data to back up this sort of stuff. Everything you’re talking about happened in the past. You don’t really have any up to date information. So, you can’t really debate this, right?”

Twilight glanced at Shining, taking in his words before looking back at Cadance. “I suppose you make a good point. Trying to declare who is the best princess is a debate with far too many contributing factors, most of them historical. We clearly need a small, objective set of up-to-date data.”

Cadance nodded. “Yes… and, I’m reminded of one of the letters from you that Princess Celestia let me read. It was one of the first lessons you had with your friends Rainbow Dash and Applejack.”

“I know exactly which letter you are referring too,” Twilight said. “Now, we must remember that our friendship is far more important than any competition. But at the same time—”

“If we agree to play fair and be good sportsmares,” Cadance said, “then I think we can agree the swiftest solution to this matter is through some practical data gathering.”

Twilight nodded her head. “I concur. The only way to settle this is with extensive field testing and observation. You were planning to stay for the weekend. How about we have it Saturday morning? That only gives us a few days to arrange everything, but I’m sure we can manage.”

Cadance nodded. “If you’ll handle the logistics, I’ll be sure to get Luna and Celestia to agree.”

“And may the best princess win,” Twilight and Cadance said in unison.

“Oh boy, looks like Mommie and Auntie are both Twilighting,” Shining said as he continued to hold Flurry, who giggled and clapped her hooves together.

Though, unbeknownst to anyone else in the room, a shadow against a nearby window suddenly darted away, leaving behind only the sound of flapping wings.

“Good morning, Equestria, this is Baritone Broadcast. I’m proud to be one of your announcers today for this sudden and historic event. With me today, as my co-commentator, is the passionate hobbyist, Spike the Dragon. Spike, I recall you and Pinkie made a heck of a dynamic duo commentating for Ponyville’s Running of the Leaves a few years back.”

Spike smiled, knowing that it would help his voice sound exciting over the microphone that was placed in front of him. That and he couldn’t help but keep the grin off his face as he sat next to one of Equestria’s most famous sportscasters, an aged and dull, yellow-colored pegasus who had a voice that resonated, demanding attention even when he was speaking calmly. A pegasus with such annunciation that even in whipping winds and blistering blizzards, every word he spoke could be understood by all that heard it.

“That’s right, Baritone, and it’s an honor to be here with you,” Spike answered.

“The honor is all mine to work with the right claw of Equestria’s Princess of Friendship. And speaking of princesses, if you’re just arriving, allow me to reiterate for a final time the rather unprecedented event that is about to occur. I’m currently sitting in one of the most uplifting broadcast boxes I’ve ever had the pleasure of working in. I am floating above Ponyville now, via hot air balloon, looking down on the rolling, grassy hills of Ponyville’s outskirts. It is truly the most humble of stages for what is about to happen: the best princess competition between the four ruling alicorns of our nation. Spike, what can we expect from the event today?”

Spike leaned forward a little over the basket, looking down at the ground below where several temporary structures had been erected over the course of a few days. “Princess Twilight Sparkle reached out to her friends, as well as a few other creatures, to orchestrate a series of challenges over a wide variety of disciplines. Each of the four princesses will compete in each event and will be scored by the pony that planned the event. After all the events are completed, the princess with the most points will be declared the best princess of Equestria!”

“A truly unprecedented set of circumstances,” Baritone Broadcast narrated, “though I suppose friendly competition is one of the better ways the princesses could resolve their issues after the release of the Temporus Magazine article. I have been told that Temporus Magazine has made no statement yet about the article, but I can already see a few of their reporters down in the crowd, ready to try and capture the picture that will immortalize this event for years, if not decades, to come.”

“And they’re not the only ones,” Spike added. He took a moment to blow some fire up into the balloon and then used his claw to gesture to a few pegasi flying near their basket. The pegasi nodded and began pushing the basket to a different vantage point. “Despite the short notice announcement, ponies have been flocking to Ponyville since this time yesterday. And even more are still arriving, even with the competition due to begin within a few minutes.”

In the temporary sports stands, which had been rented and borrowed from every source that had them to spare, gaggles of ponies cheered and waved flags. The stands themselves had been assembled into a rough stadium shape, though some sections had to be oddly layered. Cloud seating had been brought in as well along with some unicorns casting cloud-walk charms. Altogether, it created layers of ponies eagerly cheering, even as more arrived by the minute.

And in the crowd, it was easy for Spike to see blobs of ponies who had taken to supporting their favored princess in true fashion. Merchants, who had flocked as well to Ponyville to chase the business, were making a killing selling princess branded jersey’s, flags, and other paraphernalia. This led to islands of white, blue, purple, and pink in the broiling sea of ponies where groups that supported a particular princess managed to gravitate together.

Like blobs of oil separating from water, the most fervent of fans separated into their favored groups out of the sea of other ponies that had arrived simply to see the competition.

“Truly, when it comes to Equestrians, there are two things that can get us to drop everything and herd to one location: a good musical number or an impromptu sporting competition. And I wouldn’t rule out the former happening today, even as we’re gathered by the latter. Still, please enjoy this brief word from our sponsors before this event kicks off at the top of the hour.”

Shining stood with Flurry hanging from his chest in a foal carrier as he stood on the field with Twilight and Cadance. He had been trying to pump the breaks on the competition for most of the previous meeting, but with the event about to start in a few minutes, he had given in and started going with the flow. Though, he was looking back at the crowd of ponies, just shaking his head a little.

“So, tell me again why this had to be such a big spectacle instead of just a quiet set of games between friends?”

Twilight was rolling her shoulders and gently flaring and unflaring the magic on her horn, a warm-up exercise Shining could recognize from back when they were young. “Because when Rainbow and Applejack had their Iron Pony competition, over the course of the day, half of Ponyville showed up to watch. Getting ahead of it means ponies can watch more comfortably and the logistics of the situation can run more smoothly.”

“That and making it a big public event was how I got Luna to agree.” Cadance was a few steps away, doing her own warm-ups, though she was focusing more on limbering up her body. She was striking poses, going through a routine to stretch herself out. “Since one of the reasons she was at the bottom of the Temporous Magazine poll was her lack of public appearances.”

Shining cast his gaze further away, to where Princess Luna and Princess Celestia were going through their preparations. Princess Luna seemed to be taking it the most seriously. She had forgone her royal regalia. She replaced it with a tracksuit and was doing quick hoofwork to warm up, like a boxer getting ready to go into the ring. Conversely, Princess Celestia was lounging, working on what looked like to be a bit of breakfast in a comfortable cushion. Shining saw she had removed her regalia as well, though she had chosen not to replace it with anything.

It was so strange to see those two princesses without their crowns.

“And the four of you know not to let this get too far, right?” Shining asked as he focused back on Cadance and Twilight.

Twilight finished her magic warm-ups and went to stretch out her wings. “It’s just six events themed after the Elements of Harmony and, by extension, the Pillars of Equestria. And before you ask, no, I did not help plan the one for the Element of Magic. I asked Starlight and Sunburst to fill in with me on that. So I don’t have any advantage.”

“Except for the fact you are the Princess of Friendship and are the most familiar with the Elements,” Cadance snipped.

“Hey, it was what we all agreed on. That and I didn’t hear anyone else coming up with any other concise and well thought out suggestions.”

“Just promise me that once this is done between you two, it’s done,” Shining said as he patted Flurry Heart’s head. “I don’t want there to be bad feelings after this.”

Cadance smiled, moving over to Shining and kissing his lips gently. “I know this seems all a bit much, but you know how Twilight and I get when we have a disagreement when it comes to conclusions drawn from data. We’re both smart ponies, and that means we can butt heads sometimes. But I promise, I won’t be angry at Twilight after this. Just remember to be cheering for me extra hard.”

Shining smiled, leaning forward to return Cadance’s kiss with one of his own. “All right, I’m going to go sit up in the royal box with my parents. We’ll let them root for Twilight while Flurry and I cheer for you. Good luck.”

“Thank you,” Cadance said, giving Shining a wink before some music began to fill the air. The opening ceremony was beginning. Cadance snuck one final kiss with Shining before she began trotting out into the grassy field that would be the grounds of the competition. Twilight, Celestia, and Luna were not far behind, all four princesses converging towards the center of the quickly assembled stadium, where Starlight Glimmer stood with the rest of Twilight's friends.

The competition was ready to begin.

Author's Note

I hope everyone enjoyed this rather silly romp, especially Black Hoof, the one that proposed the theme. This one got a little bigger and more elaborate than I originally intended, but that's the nature of story writing sometimes.

I do intend to do additional Follower Appreciate Days in the future, so if you liked the concept of the lottery, please keep an eye out for my next announcement blog. Maybe next time, the story I'm posting could be the one for your suggestion.

Also, in the interest of time, I tried to edit things as best I could myself, but I've always had trouble catching my own typos and errors. So if you see something, please say something!

A Gentle Breeze

“All right, everypony, it’s time for us to begin the best princess contest! The first challenge comes from Fluttershy, who is about to explain the rules,” Spike said, he and Baritone Broadcast looking over the edge of their balloon and down to the grass of the slapdash stadium where Fluttershy was standing, her voice getting spread across the crowd thanks to some carefully applied magic spells.

“When I think of what a leader, a princess, of Equestria needs, I think of kindness. The ability to be gentle and apply just the right amount of force. For that, the challenge I’m giving the princesses is one that even the most skilled of weather ponies have trouble with.” Fluttershy gestured to a long stretch of grass. There was a very clear starting line with a few bird perches set in a line. At the other end of the stretch of grass, marked on the sides with chalk lines, was a wooden table and some cushions.

“They are going to provide a gentle breeze for our volunteers who have been magically changed into breezies.”

Fluttershy gently extended her wings, revealing the six ponies who had been magically transformed into one of the smallest, lightest, and most delicate denizens of Equestria. There was a collective murmur of daws and “so cute”s from the crowd.

“For everything I know about Breezies, I’ve helped calculate how long it should take for our breeziefied volunteers to go from one end of the course to the other. Half of the points for this challenge will come from getting the breezies to the finish line in the appropriate amount of time. The other half of the points will come from how the volunteers judge your ability to keep a consistent, gentle breeze for them to ride on.

“This isn’t a race. This challenge is all about being able to be gentle and controlled, and you have to do it without using magic. You have to make the breeze just like the weather teams do, using only your wings.”

“And there you have it, an appropriate choice of challenge from the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy,” Spike said. “Baritone, where do you put the odds for this first challenge?”

“The only thing I think I can say is that princesses may have difficulty with this challenge, especially since most of them are far more practiced at their magic than their wings. Princess Cadance might have some surprises for us since she was originally a pegasus. On the other hoof, Princess Twilight Sparkle is the one who is the most inexperienced with her wings. I can’t see her scoring well in this first round.”

“I don’t know, Baritone,” Spike said as he grinned at his announcing counterpart. “I think there’s more mathematics to this challenge than you’re realizing, and when it comes to mathematics, I put Princess Twilight at the top.”

“I have heard rumors that she is the most quick-witted with the numbers and formula of the four princesses,” Baritone retorted. “Still, speaking of math: for those just getting seated, we’re going to reiterate the scoring for this Best Princess Contest. Every challenge is worth up to ten points. In some challenges, a princess’s individual performance will be all that matters. In others, they shall be directly competing against one another for the highest point score. But at the end of the day, the princess who gets the most points out of sixty will secure the title of ‘best princess.’

“And it looks like we won’t have to wait long to get started as Princess Celestia takes her position.”

~~~

Twilight stood just off to the side of the breezie challenge. She was next to Cadance, who in turn was standing next to Luna. All of them had their eyes on Celestia as she took her position at the start of the breezie course. Though Twilight was interested to see how well Princess Celestia did, her mind was going over her strategy.

The breezie course was a long, narrow rectangle. The breeziefied volunteers would do their best to stay in the course as they glided on the breeze. Fluttershy had set the ideal time for the course at one minute and thirty seconds. If they took longer than that to get all the breezies to the finish line, then they’d start losing time points. But on the other hoof, if they made the wind too strong, the breezie volunteers could get jostled around or made uncomfortable. That too could result in points being lost.

Putting that all together, Twilight calculated that there was one perfect breeze. That a specific wind speed could be employed that would make the volunteers arrive at the finish line just under the time goal while providing a very smooth, gentle ride. Guestimating the length of the course, Twilight already had a fairly good grasp on the perfect wind speed. The difficulties came from obtaining and maintaining that breeze over the length of the course.

“Ready? And… Go!”

Twilight put her thoughts to the side for a moment to focus back on the contest. Celestia had started her turn, and Twilight noticed her alabaster wings were already spread wide. It was a smart move. It meant she wouldn’t waste time unfurling her wings and getting them in a position flap. It was a good tactic, one Twilight intended to use for her own challenge.

Then came the flapping, Celestia beating her wings with almost mesmerizing grace. A single flap of her wings and the breeziefied volunteers were gingerly lifted from the bird perches that was their starting point. Another flap and they were gently on their way, starting to drift down the course.

Even in those two flaps, Twilight felt she was learning tricks and tactics to apply to her attempt. And that knowledge proved out one of the larger rules of the contest: that the princesses would rotate who went first in the more individually focused challenges. Whoever went last had a huge advantage, and for this first challenge, Twilight knew she had to make the most of her position at the end of the line.

Twilight focused back on the challenge. Though she had to marvel at Celestia’s control, Twilight couldn’t help but notice the difficulties Celestia faced. Even if they were allowed to stay standing at the starting line, her wingspan meant that Celestia was used to larger, deep flaps. Normally that would possibly lead to an inconsistent breeze, but Celestia was doing her best to incorporate that into her technique. She was putting some of her efforts into giving the volunteers a small lift in altitude with each beat of her wings. That meant they were able to glide between flaps without getting too close to the ground. It was surely not a traditional breeze that would be normally used to help keep breezies aloft, but it was undeniably effective.

The breezies reached the end of the course, landing gently on the cushion covered table. When the last of them was over the finish line, the timer stopped. Fluttershy quickly went to the volunteers at the finish line, speaking with them before using a wing to hold up a scorecard.

Baritone’s voice began to fill the air as he announced the results for all watching. “And Princess Celestia has secured a rating of five from the volunteers, but at a time of 1:44, she’s just barely going to get four out of five points for the time portion of the challenge. However, that still gives our princess of the sun a solid nine points from her first challenge! She has certainly set a high bar for the other princesses to beat. And next up is Princess Luna.”

Princess Celestia trotted away from the breezie challenge course as Luna trotted forward. Twilight could see the two share some quick words. Celestia had a playful smile on her lips. It was an expression Luna countered with a stern look of determination. Twilight could see that rivalry between the two sisters was bubbling to the surface, but hopefully, things wouldn’t escalate between the two of them.

Shifting her focus, Twilight was a bit surprised to see where Princess Luna was standing. The princess of the moon was standing several body lengths away from the starting line. Fluttershy seemed to share Twilight’s concern, as she went to speak with Luna. Yet, even after speaking with Fluttershy, Luna did not move any closer. She remained several dozen steps back, wings spread and at the ready.

Once more, Fluttershy announced the start, and immediately Luna used her wings to take off from the ground. She was doing as the weather ponies usually did, keeping herself in a hover while trying to control the breeze. She also seemed to be creating a stronger wind than Celestia did. Twilight’s eyes flicked to the volunteers, actually a bit worried about them if such a strong breeze should hit them. Yet, they were lifting off from the bird perches gently.

As the breezies moved down their course, Princess Luna gently flew forward as well, closing the gap between her and the starting line of the course. Twilight now better understood Luna’s tactic. Luna was creating a stronger wind around herself, one that was cascading outward away from her position. Yet, the further the wind got from Luna, the weaker it became. By the time it reached the volunteers, it was just the right strength.

Yet Luna’s tactics revealed a part of the equation that Twilight had not considered. That the further away the breezies got from the pony creating the breeze, the weaker the breeze could get. This was especially true when it was just a single pony making the breeze, even if it was a princess. Princess Celestia had managed to account for that fall off. Twilight assumed she had just flapped her wings with greater force as the breezies got further away. Princess Luna was taking an alternative approach, keeping the strength of her breeze constant by maintaining a constant distance between her and the volunteers.

Yet, as Twilight was watching, she could see something that Luna wasn’t accounting for. Since she was airborne, her wind had a slight downward angle. The breezies were heading not towards the soft cushions at the finish line. They were on a collision course with the table itself.

Taking her eyes from the volunteers to Princess Luna, Twilight could tell that Luna had come to the same realization. With the course almost over, she abruptly made a very strong flap with her wings, directing most of it towards the ground. The wind bounced and swirled off the grass, and came up beneath the breezies to give them a final push upward so they would land on the pillows.

It was a successful tactic, but it certainly didn’t look like it was the gentlest of maneuvers.

“And that’s a run of 1:24 for Princess Luna,” Spike said, his voice filling the air and layering over the cheering crowd. “Now let’s see what the score is from the volunteers.”

As before, Fluttershy spoke with the volunteers briefly before holding up a scorecard so that it was visible to the hot air balloon.

“Oooo, but that’s a three from the judges,” Spike continued. “That last little gust of wind did look pretty rough.”

Though Twilight couldn’t see it, she could almost hear Baritone nodding his head as he spoke. “An unfortunate mistake right at the finish line. Princess Luna still walks away from this challenge with eight points, which means she’s still well in the running for the title. Next up is Princess Cadance.”

Already, Twilight found that she was next up to the challenge. She shifted on her hooves and twitched her wings, feeling the nerves starting to build in her muscles. Yet, that was truly the last thing she wanted in a challenge that required such a high level of control. With each new piece of information, her own strategy was evolving and getting more detailed. Yet, no matter how good the plan, it would fail if she was unable to execute it properly.

Cadance took a position similar to Celestia, planting her hooves very near the starting line. Yet, she was already doing something that Twilight and the crowd had not seen before. She was facing the wrong way, with her head pointing away from the starting line. Once more, Fluttershy went up and looked to be ensuring that Cadance was ready to proceed. Twilight saw Cadance nod her head and, as before, Fluttershy started the clock.

Cadance began flapping her wings as if she was getting ready to take off, but at the same time was keeping her hooves very firmly planted on the ground. The breezified volunteers began to gently float, and slowly Twilight began to see the brilliance of Cadance’s position. Yes, Cadance had to look over her shoulder to judge and manipulate her wind, she was doing so with a high level of control.

Pony wings, like bird wings, were designed by nature to propel a pony forward while maintaining the desired altitude. By standing with her back facing the course, Cadance was working with that natural design instead of against it. It was ensuring Cadance was able to use her wing muscles to their full potential, both in power and control. In a way, Twilight realized the vertical hovering technique Luna employed had many of the same benefits. It was likely why the weather teams used the same hovering position when the breezies were floating through Ponyville as part of their migration.

It allowed them to generate the breeze using the natural mechanic of their feathering wings while also allowing a squad of weather ponies to stay airborne together. That thought made Twilight further appreciate how Celestia had chosen to make her attempt, as flapping in reverse was surely more difficult than Twilight had initially realized.

Still, besides the odd starting position, Cadance’s attempt ended up looking a lot like Celestia’s. The breezies had some small gusts of wind that they rode in a gentle waveform until they finally arrived at the finish line. The time was 1:39, good for four points, and the volunteers’ score was five. Cadance had netted herself nine points as well, tying her up with Celestia.

“And last up to the kindness challenge, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Baritone’s voice boomed over the stadium as the crowd cheered. Twilight felt her nerves rise again, and they tried to bring her lunch up as well as she tasted a bit of bile form in the back of her throat. Still, Twilight swallowed those nerves back down and began to trot out, passing Cadance who had a rather pleased look on her face.

She had every right to be happy. A nine out of ten was a great start, but that smirk helped calm Twilight’s nerves further. She was intent now. She was going to be the only princess to get a perfect score in the kindness challenge. She would do it to beat Cadance.

“Are you ready, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked once Twilight was at the starting line. Fluttershy had already done as she did for all the other rounds and gotten the volunteers positioned back on the bird perches at the start of the course.

“Yes,” Twilight answered as she took her position facing the course as Celestia had. “Wait, actually…” She turned around, taking Cadance’s posture. She then took a few steps back and took to the air as Luna had, but no, none of those felt right. She was putting together the last details of her plan, and it came down to how she wanted to stand.

“Okay… wait… wait… okay, for real this time,” Twilight said, standing perpendicular to the course with the starting line on her right side. Perhaps she was going against the natural design of her wings, but for her plan, she was willing to risk it.

“All right then. Ready… Go!” Fluttershy cheered, a quiet sound that, even if it was amplified across the stadium, was still very demure and polite.

Twilight began flapping her right-wing and only her right-wing. She did not move it in a traditional wing beat, but instead was just gently fluttering it up and down. It was a kind of wing flap more similar to how an insect would buzz its wings, but it was having the effect Twilight was hoping for. It was letting her produce a very consistent, controlled breeze, one that had already lifted the volunteers off their bird perches and was carrying them down the course.

Up, down, up, down, up, down. Twilight’s wing was already getting tired from the rather unnatural wing flap. Such short, stiff, quick strokes were taxing on her wing muscles, but she only had to do it for a minute and a half at worst. The breezies passed the halfway point, the only part of the course that was marked. Twilight could tell she was a little slow, and that her breeze was starting to fall off. So she had to buzz her wing even harder, widening her stance a little as she began to strain herself more.

Updownupdownupdownupdown. Her wing was going to feel weird after the challenge was done, and hopefully, the next challenge wouldn’t involve any flying. But still, she had to keep focused… keep up the wind and keep gently increasing its strength so that it would be at the appropriate intensity once it reached the volunteers. Updownupdownupdownupdown. Updoupdoupdoupdo. Ududududududud.

The last breezie crossed the line, and Twilight let her wing flop limp as she felt some sweat on her brow. That had taken way more energy than she anticipated, but it was done. She was sure she had locked down a perfect score from the volunteers. The gust of wind had been controlled and calm the entire way, smoother than any of the other princesses. The only thing she was uncertain of was her time. How long did it take her to get the breezies across the finish line?

“And we’ve gotten a score of 5 from Fluttershy,” Spike’s voice announced across the audience. “And with a time of 1:29, Princess Twilight Sparkle has gotten a perfect score on the kindness challenge.”

Twilight smiled, looking across the crowd as she heard cheers. Yes, she had beaten Cadance! She went to look in the direction of her sister-in-law and saw Cadance was applauding respectfully. Yet… Twilight soon realized that Luna and Celestia were looking at her with similar expressions.

It was then the realization hit Twilight. Yes, she had beaten Cadance… but she had beaten Luna and even Celestia as well. She had beaten her mentor at something, and Twilight wasn’t entirely sure how to feel about that.

That and Twilight knew her fellow princesses would be eager to close the gap in the next challenge.

Race to the Rescue

“Wow, I did not expect that as the final conclusion for Applejack’s challenge. Lie detectors, changelings, and a bushel of apples. And all credit to Princess Celestia for scoring the best in the final round. She really knows how to tell the good apples from the bad, am I right?” Spike said, speaking both to his co-announcer, Baritone, as well as to all the ponies below that could hear his voice, despite their cheering.

“Yep, and after two rounds it's still anyone’s contest,” Baritone said, injecting enthusiasm and excitement into each word. “Princess Celestia and Princess Twilight are the front runners, tied at eighteen points. Princess Celestia managed another nine points in the last round, and Twilight managed eight after her perfect ten in the first round. Cadance comes in next at seventeen points and Princess Luna brings up the rear with sixteen points.

“Princess Luna may be in the back, but I wouldn’t count her out yet, especially as we go into our third challenge: Rainbow Dash’s challenge of Loyalty! Let’s head down to the field to hear the rules straight from one of the fastest mares in all of Equestria.”

“All right, every… princess, my challenge is going to be a race!”

Cadance chuckled to herself and could see Twilight rolling her eyes. Rainbow Dash’s challenge being a race wasn’t any surprise. On top of the fact they all knew the pegasus’s need for speed, they were standing on a starting line and there was a flight course clearly visible in the clouds above them.

“But it isn’t going to be just any old race,” Rainbow said as she hovered in front of the princesses, a whistle dangling from her neck. “I mean, I have to give Twilight at least a chance at winning.”

“Hey!” Twilight barked.

Cadance had to chuckle again and could hear Luna and Celestia doing the same. Yes, it wasn’t very fair. Twilight was the least experienced when it came to flight, and it was good of Rainbow Dash to try and think of her friend in that regard. But still, not just a traditional race. Cadance was now curious just what Rainbow Dash had come up with.

“We’re going to be doing this as a time trial. Every princess will make one lap around the course on your own. But, for once, it isn’t all about speed,” Rainbow said as she motioned toward Starlight Glimmer, who was standing just off to the side. Starlight levitated into place a chalkboard map, which seemed to depict Ponyville and how the racetrack wound around the town.

“Yes, your time is going to matter. The princess with the fastest time is going to get the best points for completing the race, but a lesson I’ve learned is that you can’t be so focused on yourself that you fail to help your friends, or in your case, the citizens of Equestria you rule.” Rainbow slapped her hoof against the board. “At several places around the course, there are going to be ponies in peril. You’ll need to help some of them if you’re hoping to get full points in this challenge, but not all of them.”

“And why would we not help all those ponies we see in danger?” Celestia asked, though she used a tone of voice that Cadance knew all too well. It was Celestia’s rhetorical question voice. Celestia used it when she felt the answer to a question was rather obvious, at least to her, and she was asking for those who didn't have the same realization.

“Because not all of them need your help. Some ponies in peril are the real deal or as real as we can make it for the challenge. But there are… are… red bearings…”

“Red herrings,” Starlight corrected from the sideline.

Rainbow blushed a little and rubbed the back of her head. “Right, red herrings along the course as well. There will be ponies who look like they're in trouble, but they can either help themselves or have someone nearby that can. That’s why you’re each running the course solo.

“For every pony you help that actually needs your help, you’ll have that portion of your time forgiven. If, however, you help a red herring, you’re burning seconds off the clock. So, take it slow and steady,” Rainbow said, crossing her forehooves before she chuckled. “Though not too slow. It is still a race after all.”

Cadance had a feeling Rainbow got help from one of her other friends with this challenge, but… it certainly made things more interesting. Yes, it was still a race. The time it took you to complete the single lap would be a big factor in whether you won or lost. Part of Cadance’s mind turned over the rules, and she realized a small gap in the ruleset. She put a hoof into the air. “What happens if we fail to help somepony that does need our assistance?”

“For that, we’re doing something Applejack calls Rodeo Rules. You make a mistake like that, you take a time penalty.”

Cadance nodded. That both answered her real question and also told her who helped Rainbow plan her challenge. If you asked Cadance’s opinion, the loyalty challenge had some undercurrents of honesty to it. Still, no one was asking, and as the other princesses began to step away from the starting line, Cadance had to refocus herself. For this challenge, the rotation had gotten to her.

For the Challenge of Loyalty, she had to go first.

The stadium roar began to shift. The sections of the stands that were filled with ponies cheering for her grew louder as others grew quiet, but still, the din of the audience washed over her with relative consistency. Cadance took a glance up to the royal box and saw Flurry, Shining, and Shining’s parents. At some point, Shining had purchased what could only be described as princess merch in Cadance’s colors. He was waving a pink flag with Cadance’s cutie mark on it, and Flurry had something pink as well. It was hard to be sure from a distance, but it looked like one of those foam hooves, though Flurry was currently wearing it like a hat.

Cadance felt her heart flutter just imagining how cute it would be to see up close. They’d have to get a picture once the contest was over.

“You ready, Princess Cadance?” Rainbow landed next to the starting line, her whistle sticking out of one corner of her mouth while her hoof stood on a mechanism that would trigger the race clock.

Cadance took one more moment to look at Flurry and Shining before turning her attention to Rainbow. She gave a nod and then turned her head forward. She dug her hooves into the ground, spread her wings, and got into what was a very common starting position for a flight race.

“On your mark… get set…. TWWEET.”

Cadance took off like a firework, a gust of wind following in her wake as she headed for the first cloud hoop. The first few hoops circled the stadium, creating a long, curving upward climb that would carry her past the crowd and out of the stadium. Cadance tried to get her momentum going during this simple section, gaining speed even as she ascended higher and higher into the air.

After completing three full circles and gaining several hundred feet in altitude, the next hoop of the race broke away from the stadium and headed off towards the center of Ponyville. Cadance tucked her wings a little and went into a dive. She looked ahead, following the line of the hoops to try and optimize her path between them.

She dropped out of the air like a rollercoaster descending from its first hill, the cloud hoops guiding her to the streets of Ponyville. Normally Cadance didn’t fly this fast so low to the ground, but at the very least the chosen streets were wide and empty. She could see that the roads chosen for the flight course had been blocked off.

Yet, as she took a bank and began flying down another straight away, Cadance saw some ponies on the side of the street. One was a mare Cadance recognized from her visits with Twilight’s friends. It was Granny Smith, Applejack’s grandmother.

The elderly mare, with a coat as green as the apple that shared her name, was howling, calling to the heavens. “Stop, thief!”

The pony Granny Smith was shouting at was someone Cadance didn’t immediately recognize. A big, sturdy stallion wearing a mask over their face. In the stallion’s teeth was a purse, jiggling and dangling about.

Cadance pumped her wings and brought her hooves to the ground, skidding across the dirt road as she called on her magic. She levitated up the thief, stopping his escape and making him yelp. A pair of guards came around a cornerback earlier on the course and were running in the direction of the commotion.

Separating the thief from the purse, Cadance dropped the thief on the ground near the officers before taking herself and the purse back over to Granny Smith. “Here you are. I hope you’re alright.”

“Oh… why thank you, dearie. I don’t know what I would have done if that thief got away,” Granny answered, likely a scripted line she was told to say. Though, Cadance was sure she was ad-libbing a bit as well.

“It was no trouble. You have a safe day now,” Cadance said before quickly turning and getting back into the air. Even as Cadance got back on the course, she felt that she had done the right thing. Helping an older mare that had just gotten her purse stolen, that had to be something worth stopping for. That had to be a service even a princess could do for Equestria.

And so the course went. As Cadance flew through the streets of Ponyville and the farms beyond, she spotted a total of ten different emergencies. The first one was, obviously, helping stop a purse thief. The other tests along the course only seemed to escalate upward from that.

There was a cat stuck in a tree, and shortly after Cadance saw a mother who dropped her groceries and was trying to pick them up, only for her baby's carriage to start rolling away. There was a young filly, crying alone in a park. In an intersection, two carts had collided, spilling fruit and what looked like vegetable oil on the street. After that, Cadance passed a building that was “on fire.” In reality, it was just a building with fire-colored streamers flowing out the windows thanks to some well-placed fans. But there was a fire crew on the scene, spraying water at the fake flames.

Leaving the center of Ponyville behind, the tests grew more serious. Cadance saw one group of ponies being chased by someone in a Timberwolf costume, and literally on the other side of the street, she saw a pony trapped in a deep hole, calling out for help. From there, Cadance began banking back towards the stadium, on the final stretch.

The last test Cadance saw was a group of logger ponies, who were shouting as a pile of logs they had stacked had broken free and was rolling away. The logs… were bouncing oddly, making Cadance think they were just large, inflatable props. Despite the lack of danger, the fake logger ponies were doing a good job shouting like their lives were in true danger.

Yet after all that, having to make quick decisions on the fly, Cadance got back into the stadium, passed through a few final cloud hoops, and crossed the finish line. The crowd roared and the time on the clock stopped. Cadance landed, skipping and skidding before managing to stop herself.

She felt she had done well. Yes, she had been the first one to finish her course. Her time was now the time all the other princesses were going to try and beat, but she felt she had kept a good pace and had done well addressing the different challenges along the way.

She helped the mother with the runaway carriage. She stopped and made sure the crying filly found her parents. She helped the ponies being chased by the Timberwolves as well as the one stuck in the hole. And Cadance helped wrangle the rolling logs. Those all felt like things that deserved a princess’s attention, even if the princess in question was running a race.

Now, it was just a matter of how Twilight, Celestia, and Luna did. They wouldn’t know the results of the test until after every princess had run the course. That way, they could record all the times before making sure all the penalties and bonuses had been accounted for.

Luna drank in the view of Ponyville from the highest point on the course before, like every other princess before her, she dove down into the streets, following the course set out by the cloud hoops.

So far Celestia had the best time, and Luna had her doubts she could beat it. She could get close, she was certain of that, but only if she focused on nothing but racing. She, of course, couldn’t do that without ignoring the tests. She did not know how the other princesses had done. Rainbow had ensured any princesses who had not yet run the race were kept in a quiet room. That way, she could minimize if not eliminate the advantage those that went later would receive.

So she was going into the course blind, not knowing what she would face, but she was the guardian of the dream realm. Of all the princesses, she had the most recent and consistent experience defending ponies. This was her time to shine. She knew how fast she could fly without sacrificing her ability to make good decisions. She just had to keep her pace.

A hard bank and Luna heard the shout of an old mare. She saw a thief galloping away. She began to slow, but her mind was playing back what she had seen on the course earlier. There were two ponies, dressed as guards, just around the corner. She hesitated and waited, watching… but once the thief got close to the end of the street, the guards jumped out and caught him.

Luna smiled, turned, and went back to the course. She, as the princess of dreams, could swoop in and end almost any nightmare with her powers alone, but then the ponies did not learn. They did not come to understand why they were having the nightmare and how to make it stop recurring. To truly defend Equestria, at least in the dreams, was to empower the ponies to help themselves and others.

The next few tests Luna found almost painfully obvious what needed to be done. A filly lost in the park needed to be helped before something could happen, and stopping a baby carriage from rolling away from a mother was equally simple. A cat stuck in a tree, while worrisome to the owner, was not a concern. The tree was healthy and the weather was calm. Any unicorn or pegasus could help the cat down.

The next thing Luna came across was more complicated. The collision of carts in an intersection. No pony appeared hurt, but… Luna took the risk and flew down to the ground, the air around her starting to smell strongly of vegetable oil.

“Is anyone hurt?” she asked, looking at the ponies involved with the crash.

“N-no, you’re highness,” one of the actors answered. “We’re all fine… if a little oily.”

“The oil may be a nuisance, but I feel it is best if I help you clean it. One errant spark and all this oil, the carts, and even you, citizen, could go up in flames.” Luna’s horn lit, the blue hue of her magic surrounding just about everything in the scene. The oil was being picked up and drained away. Luna used her magic to fix the barrels that had leaked and to pour the oil back in. Though there was still some residue here and there, the worst of the spill was cleared and the ponies were properly de-oiled.

“I imagine I can leave the rest to you. Be safe,” Luna said before quickly taking off and getting back to the race. Though it wasn’t long before she crossed another situation. A building that looked to be “on fire,” though she would compare the production value to a rather low budget stage play. Still, Luna flew down and entered a hover, moving close to one of the firefighter stallions that was helping to control the hoses of water.

“Good fighter of fires,” Luna said, getting the stallion’s attention. “Do you require assistance?”

“Princess Luna! No, I think we have this fire under control. The building has been emptied, and there’s no risk of it spreading to anything nearby.”

Luna nodded firmly. “Then I must commend you on your excellent work. Carry on your brave duty to our nation. I, unfortunately, have important business I must attend to.”

“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” the firefighter shouted, even as Luna turned to fly away and resume her race.

Outside of Ponyville, where the buildings gave way to country roads, fields, and orchards, Luna happened upon the next set of tests. Some actor, dressed and howling as a timber wolf, was chasing a group of ponies, one of each species. That and nearby, Luna could hear shouts of help coming from what was a very deep hole.

Dispatching the timberwolf actor was almost laughable. A single blast of magic and the actor went running away yipping. Luna landed next to the ponies, who quickly ran up to her with happy expressions.

“Thank you, Your Highness. We don’t know what we would have done!”

Luna lifted a hoof and placed it on the shoulder of the nearest pony she had “rescued.” “Twas nothing. I was glad to help, but now your princess must ask for something from you in return.”

“Yes, Your Highness?” One of the actors asked.

“Over there, across the road, another pony requires aid. They are trapped in a hole. Even from where we’re standing, you can hear the shouts. I have other urgent business I must attend to. Can I trust you three to help that other pony?”

“Of course, Princess Luna! We won’t let you down!”

“Then you do a great service to your country,” Luna said as she unfurled her wings, flapped them once, and got airborne again. “Now I must depart, but thank you for your aid!”

Another flap of her wings and Luna was back on the race track, though she took a moment to glance behind to ensure the three other actors were going to aid the fourth who was stuck in the hole. When she saw them running across the street, the pegasus already hovering above the hole and shouting down to the pony inside, she knew that the matter was addressed and she could focus back on the race.

Cadance stood next to Celestia and Twilight. Since they had all run the race before Luna, they were allowed to watch with the rest of the audience. Luna’s actions were being broadcast to the stadium using a large spell being cast by Starlight Glimmer. Starlight was channeling the vision of various race referees, letting the audience as a whole see what those officials were seeing. This was letting every spectator see every action of the race, even as it stretched far beyond the temporary stadium and into the neighboring town.

And to be honest, Cadance was feeling very uneasy about her own performance as she watched Luna’s. So much of what Luna was doing was making sense that Cadance couldn’t see how the princess of the night wasn’t correct in every judgment call she made. Still, Luna’s pace was giving her one of the slower times. Faster than Twilight’s, but still notably behind Cadance’s own time, which was, in turn, behind Celestia’s time.

But still, this was the last leg. Luna had reentered the stadium and was on the final stretch towards the finish line. Yet, even as Cadance was flicking her eyes between Luna, the clock, and the finish line, she saw Luna suddenly bank away. Luna streaked into the stands, causing some of the audience to yelp in surprise… but then she snatched something out of the air.

A pony, one who was wearing a lot of protective gear, had been leaning too far over a cloud guard rail in one of the floating seating sections, a set of clouds enchanted so that any pony might sit in them. This earth pony had been leaning over the rail and went too far. He lost his balance and began to fall. But the protective gear, and the few pegasi that seemed to come out of nowhere beneath the falling earth pony, sent a cold chill running down Cadance’s spine.

Either Luna had just saved somepony in true danger or there had been a final test inside the stadium itself. A test that, over the roar of the crowd, Cadance hadn’t noticed. A test that had been overlooked by Twilight and Celestia as well. A life and death situation that was similar to the time Rarity fell out of the cloud stadium during the Best Young Flyer’s competition: a classic lesson for Rainbow Dash.

Luna finished with the slowest time because of that last moment rescue, but when all the penalties and bonuses were calculated, Cadance was in no way surprised to hear that Luna had taken top marks and the top score in the Challenge of Loyalty.

Dark Reflections

“And it is now time for our final event!”

Shining raised his voice, cheering along with the crowd, gently bouncing Flurry in a booster seat that had been procured for her. So far it had been a tight competition. Back and forth through the contests, different princesses had come out on top. The point totals stayed close, and depending on how the last competition would be scored, anyone could be the winner.

But still, after the final challenge, they would know the victor. After that, he would either be congratulating his beloved wife, consoling her, or doing something in between if she landed somewhere in the middle.

The four princesses were standing in the center of the field that had been the stage for almost every challenge so far. There were divots in the grass, a few slashes here and there, but nothing that wouldn’t heal over with some time and tender care. Starlight Glimmer was approaching the princesses, walking across the grass before eventually coming to a stop in front of them. As with everyone else, her voice was enhanced by magic, letting it be heard across the crowd.

“We’ve now come to the challenge of magic, a very ill-defined challenge,” Starlight said. “One could argue that, in the spirit of the Elements of Harmony, the last challenge should epitomize all the elements. That it should be a challenge of friendship and cooperating, but that’s also hard to judge in a reasonable amount of time. So, we’ll be getting a little creative.

“Alicorns are known for wielding powerful magic. When Tirek attempted to seize all of Equestria’s magic, he had to save the alicorn magic for last due to its raw power. It is the magic that allows Celestia to move the sun. Such an act, in centuries past, would require a group of unicorns working together at great personal cost. It is also alicorn magic that allows Princess Luna to not only guide the moon in the sky but to also guard our dreams."

Starlight raised a forehoof, sweeping it across the princesses. “This is the magic you wield, and it is an enormous responsibility. Thus, the best princess of our land should be able to use her magic to its greatest effect while also applying their knowledge and experience to a dangerous situation. So, for the last challenge… I’ve recruited some assistance.”

“Ba, Ba, Baaaaaa!” Shining jumped a little at the sudden intrusion of a new voice, and he could tell the princesses had been just as startled. Discord had popped out of Starlight’s mane, his noodly form expanding skyward like a jack-in-the-box springing out after the final needed turn of a crank. He was wearing a huge grin, and though it was faint, Shining was sure he heard Discord’s snickering continuing even after his sudden appearance. Discord being involved… Shining didn’t know whether or not to be worried or excited.

He had heard, from Spike, that Discord made O&O games very interesting.

“For this final challenge,” Starlight said, trying to keep her composure even as Discord was extracting himself from her mane, “I am not going to say how your points are scored or what your objective is. Part of this challenge is to figure out the solution and then apply it while under pressure.”

Starlight gave a nod to Discord, who was grinning ear to ear as he brought up his claw. He gave one of his trademarked claw snaps, and suddenly Shining found himself looking down at his wife and the other princesses through tinted colors. A magical barrier had appeared. The outer surface was a swirling soup of subtle hues. It made Shining think of a stained glass window that had melted and was pooling on the floor.

Shining heard another snap of Discord’s claws. He and Starlight vanished from inside the barrier, leaving behind a lingering plume of smoke. It was a plume that did not slowly dissipate into the air. It instead billowed, churned, and grew in size. Flashes of light began to come from inside the smoke, and it began to spit out little squalls of rain. It was a thunderstorm, squatting on the ground like some angry, grumbling bear.

“Now, to introduce the opposition for this challenge.” Starlight's voice filled the stadium again, even though Shining could not see from where she was speaking.

Shining’s eyes remained fixed on the cloud, though he reached out a hoof to gently pat Flurry’s head. His daughter appreciated the gesture, giggling happily, but he was doing it to be selfish. The gentle patting was helping him stay calm. Something about this last challenge was putting him on edge. The grandeur of it, the mysterious wording… Maybe he was being paranoid, but from his O&O experience, this was like the introduction of a boss fight.

Shining found his fears confirmed as a figure took shape from the billowing stormcloud, a tall and slender silhouette that lingered but for a moment before emerging from the storm.

The creature had a tall, regal form. She was as tall as Princess Celestia, lithe in form and black as the darkest night. Her mane, a mist of purple miasma, flowed with menacing intent. She wore a helmet, a chest piece, and armored shoes, all of them in a brutal blue color. Shining found himself leaning forward in his seat, and around him, he could hear other spectators gasping or murmuring in disbelief.

“Hahahahahahahaha!” Nightmare Moon cackled, the alicorn queen of the eternal night fully emerging from the storm cloud.

“Wow, you even appeared with an evil laugh.” Those words, condescending and almost disappointed, came from Princess Celestia. Shining saw she was looking at Nightmare Moon, though perhaps it was more accurate to say she was looking through Nightmare Moon, as if knowing Discord was just behind her, pulling the strings.

“Discord, this is not amusing!” Luna said, frowning at her dark reflection. “This is an insult! To bring back this… this… I am not amused!”

“And is this really the final challenge. What, do we have to face all the villains that have threatened Equestria in recent years? That hardly seems an appropriate challenge,” Celestia said, still speaking as if she was certain Discord was just hiding in the cloud.

“Oh, you aren’t getting off that easy.”

The new voice sounded like Celestia, at least to Shining’s ears, but there were tonal differences. This new voice was not warm and nurturing, like a teacher. No, it was scalding, sharp, and condescending.

Another figure emerged from the squatting thunderstorm. It was another alicorn, one of similar build to Nightmare Moon, yet vastly different in so many ways. A white coat, like white-hot metal, was clad in metal armor that glowed a dull orange like it was being kept on the verge of its melting point. The helmet upon the alicorn’s head seemed to serve a second purpose as an ornate crown and a third as a brazier. From the top of that helm, a mane of fire poured forth, its heat already causing the grass beneath the alicorn’s hooves to wither, as if baked by an unforgiving summer sun.

“Hello, Celestia… did you really think you’d be done with me that easy?” Daybreaker said, flashing a wild, murderous smile that revealed her fanged teeth.

“This… this is absurd,” Celestia said, protesting loudly as she took a step towards Daybreaker. “Discord, for one this… this thing is not even real. Daybreaker is nothing but a nightmare dreamed up by Starlight Glimmer. And what, do you expect us to… fight these dark reflections? This is obviously just some chaotic game that you convinced Starlight Glimmer into participating in, and we will have—”

“Shut up!”

A bolt of lightning surged from the cloud, one that struck Celestia. She yelped, stumbling back, making the crowd gasp. Shining too might have sucked in a disbelieving breath at the same time, though he couldn’t be entirely sure. The rest of the world, even the sense of his own body, seemed to be fading as his eyes were drawn in on what was occurring below.

“Foul!” Discord’s voice echoed across the stadium. “Combat may not begin before the bell sounds.”

“Sorry, my horn slipped,” a third, new voice said. It was another figure in the clouds, this one lingering inside the storm a bit longer. “I just felt Princess Celestia needed to be shown how serious we are. Maybe we know we’re just manifestations of chaos magic, but well… you always take pride in your work, Discord. We are as real as we ever were. Right now, in this field of magic, that Nightmare Moon is a carbon copy of the original. Daybreaker is a manifestation of Starlight Glimmer’s nightmare in all her ferocity.

“As for me, I was a very real threat. Maybe not directly to Equestria, but I would have gotten here eventually.” The third figure began to emerge from the storm. Shining saw another alicorn, a bit shorter than the others, but still at eye level with Cadance. A dark purple coat fell away to raven black wings, which were kept spread open. This alicorn bore no armor, but magic seemed to be pouring from her. Her horn radiated with a sickly, ghostly colored magic, and the same thread of energy shrouded her eyes in a devilish mask. A mask that obscured the face, but not so much that Shining didn’t feel a twist in his gut. He recognized that face. Following the flow of energy further, he saw it formed glowing lines across her wings and around her hooves. The final touch was a wild and manic mane, which stood and flowed upward, as if unable to contain all the magic within the alicorn’s body.

“What, no! Twilight, you’re not like this. Sunset Shimmer saved you,” Twilight said, looking at the alicorn that had come to a stop in front of her.

“Well, you’re such a goodie four hooves, Discord had to get creative with his source material. And yes, the original version of me was defeated by sunset Shimmer, but I am not the same. Now, I’m in Equestria, and I feel… the magic I crave all around. I will understand it all and have it all,” the mare smiled, the ghostly magic that looked to flow in her veins pulsing. “This time, Midnight Sparkle is your problem, Princess.”

Shining, almost instinctively, reached out to take Flurry Heart from her booster seat to sit between his forelegs. It lowered her head, bringing it down beneath the edge of the balcony. It made it much more difficult for her to see anything, but at the moment, Shining felt that was for the best. Luna, Celestia, and Twilight… Discord had manifested a dark reflection of each of them.

The final reveal felt like an inevitability.

And a fourth and final silhouette appeared from the smoke, stepping forward… and… it was just another Cadance. Yes, there were a few notable differences. This Cadance seemed to be a few shades darker, and her mane looked to hang straight down. She also, at first glance, looked too thin. Shining would almost say she looked malnourished, but she still moved with purpose. The second Cadance appeared and stepped forward to join the line of other dark reflections.

The stadium was quiet except for a low, constant murmur as every creature watching was trying to come to grips with what they were seeing. Shining looked at the princesses. Luna and Celestia, after the abrupt shock of lightning, had taken battle stances. Twilight looked far less prepared, having fallen back onto her haunches as she just stared at her doppelganger. And Cadance… she was standing rigid as if she was looking at something that didn’t agree with her. Shining felt it too. Something about the other Cadance just didn’t feel right, though he couldn’t put his hoof on it.

“The challenge begins at the sound of the bell.”

Starlight’s voice flowed over the stadium, doing little to disrupt the growing tension in the air. A few more moments, a few more times Shining felt his heart beating in his chest, and then he heard it. The clean, crisp sound of a ringing bell.

The four dark princesses charged, leaping eagerly forward in an all-out attack.

~~~

Cadance flared her wings, horn alighting as a barrier formed around her. It was just in time to block a burst of magic, the beam splashing against her barrier. She winced from the force, feeling the impact in her horn, but her barrier did not buckle. It held strong through the blast, and once it ended, Cadance quickly opened a hole in the front of her shield to unleash her own blast. Her doppelganger banked, using her airborne position to dodge the incoming magic. She would circle around for another attempt.

Magic was being slung in a near-constant barrage within Discord’s magic bubble. The terrain was pitted with craters and scared with troughs, each mark left by a powerful spell that had missed its mark. The dark princesses were aggressive, firing off destructive beams at every opportunity. Equestria’s true princesses were trying to fight back, but from the very first moment of the battle, they had been on their back hooves.

Celestia and Luna, believing they understood Discord’s game in some capacity, had traded. Celestia faced Nightmare Moon while Luna dueled with Daybreaker. Yet, their tactics were bearing no better results than what Cadance was using. Nightmare Moon had Celestia on the defensive, forcing her to block and dodge under a never-ending assault of blasts and lightning.

On the flip side of the coin, Luna wasn’t doing any better. Daybreaker unleashed battle tactics that could be called draconic. She was unleashing gouts of flame, cones of fire that she poured across the ground, forcing Luna to either shield or hope she could outrun the flames. Thankfully, likely because of some interference with Discord, the grass of the arena wasn’t catching fire. It would be singed, for a moment, but the damage would then slowly be undone as the grass grew back.

Twilight, who like Cadance was facing her doppelganger directly, was in less a battle of power and more a duel of knowledge. Midnight was wielding a large repertoire of spells, forcing Twilight to quickly conjure the counter charm. Midnight would conjure a spell to make vines grow from the ground, and Twilight would have to burn them back with fire. Midnight would unleash a stone cutting spray of water, and Twilight would use a chilling wind to freeze the water. Twilight was unable to get ahead of the curve, unable to turn a block into a counter-attack.

Cadance took to her wings, avoiding a broad cone blast from her doppelganger as they began to circle one another in the air. Cadance began blasting, and the dark Cadance began doing the same, the pair trading blasts back and forth while also dodging the incoming fire. Cadance knew she could aim better, that she could try getting more creative with her attacks, but her mind was unable to let go of the uneasy feeling she got from the other Cadance.

The other dark princesses each made sense in some way. Nightmare Moon, what happened when Princess Luna perverted her magic to become a living nightmare to ensure Eternal Night. Daybreaker, a version of Celestia that holds nothing back, almost reveling in unbridled power. Midnight Sparkle, the dark result of Twilight had she become addicted to learning more magic and growing more powerful with each new spell.

But her dark reflection just looked a little off in her color scheme and seemed a bit malnourished. That and she kept smiling. The grin on her face wouldn’t go away, no matter what Cadance did. It was a toothy grin, like she was looking at some tasty morsel. It was the grin of a predator ready to bite into the meal it had been hunting.

Cadance tucked her wings, going into a dive to avoid another blast from her opponent, getting to the ground before pulling up. Her hooves gently tickled the top of the grass as she flew. Looking over her shoulder, Cadance could see her opponent in pursuit. Blasts of magic started to come down towards her on the ground, throwing up chunks of the earth that, shortly after, would crawl back into place and repair themselves.

Finally, Cadance began to formulate a more concrete attack plan. After a few more jukes and dodges, she banked hard. The tip of her wing touched the ground, drawing a faint line in the grass as she made her U-turn and began flying towards her opponent. The opposing Cadance grinned and began firing her shots of magic ahead of Cadance. This started to cause debris to fly up into Cadance’s way, but it was what she was hoping for.

She landed and cast a barrier spell, letting the debris pile on top of her shield. It obscured her from view. It would only last a few short seconds before the terrain would begin to repair itself, but that was all Cadance needed. She released her barrier, letting the dome of dirt and grass support its own weight for a few moments as she cast a teleportation spell. She popped out of existence and reappeared above the other Cadance.

The other Cadance was charging her magic, preparing to fire at the moment her prey appeared. This gave Cadance the window she needed, unleashing her spell. She struck the dark princess square in the back, landing the first real hit of the battle. The other Cadance fell, flopping to the ground and laid still. Cadance knew it was just a construct of magic, just some game of Discord’s, but… she couldn’t deny a pang of regret ran through her heart at the thought she had injured some living creature so badly.

So, Cadance flew down towards her dark reflection, trying to keep a spell in her horn on a hair-trigger. She had to be sure she had defeated her opponent before she could consider trying to go and help the other princesses.

She landed gently on the grass and remained a few steps away from the other Cadance. The fake princess did not move or twitch. There was no magic building in her horn. Even if she sprang up suddenly, she’d be unable to prepare a spell fast enough to beat the one Cadance already had prepared.

What was even supposed to happen once they defeated one of the dark princesses? Were they just supposed to lay like this on the ground, or were they supposed to disappear? Cadance lited a hoof and dared to take one more step forward.

The other Cadance twitched, snapping her head up with an almost sickening crack. She hissed, a glob of something shooting out of her mouth. Cadance unleashed her prepared blast of magic, but when it struck the incoming glob, it only managed to cut it in half. Part of the glob sailed past Cadance, but the other half struck her forehoof. It was sticky, goopy, and green as a venomous toad. Yet, already the goop was hardening, encasing Cadance’s hoof.

Cadance had seen goop like this before, and she looked in horror as her other self stood up. Her head was turned the wrong way, but with another sickening crack, the other Cadance managed to turn her head forward again. Then a ring of fire enveloped her, burning away the muted tones of pink to reveal black and green.

For a moment Cadance was sure she saw Queen Chrysalis, but no… the changeling queen in front of her did not have the right build. The face was still Cadance’s, even though it now hissed with sharp teeth.

The final piece of the puzzle fell into place for Cadance. Who was Luna without compassion? A brutal queen of the night who gladly caused nightmares. Who was Celestia without control? An unbridled wildfire that would burn everything up in its path. Who was Twilight without friendship? Someone so obsessed with magic that she became defined by it.

Who was Cadance without love? A love-starved changeling who was willing to take love from every other living creature.

Luna yelped as her wing was struck. The fleshy parts of her wing were fine, but her primary flight feathers were burned. No matter how she flapped, she could feel herself tumbling towards the ground. She scrambled her hooves and called on her magic, even as she felt more pillars of flame erupting in her direction. She had to turn her magic to create a shield, even as she tried to right herself. She was going to crash.

Though the crash came sooner than even Luna anticipated.

Something slammed into her, a larger body that sent her tumbling horizontally. She rolled and fell with this mass of white, the pair of them eventually landing and bouncing off the grassy terrain. Luna’s world spun. She ached all over, but as her senses began to regain their focus, she was able to see what had slammed into her.

“Sister!” Luna yelped, quickly working to separate herself from Celestia.

“Hey! Watch where you’re throwing your trash. You made me miss!” This bellow came from Daybreaker, who was now flying over and glaring down NIghtmare Moon.

“You were not going to finish her,” Nightmare Moon snapped back. “She was moments from recovering her balance. You should be thanking me for seizing the opportunity you were about to throw away.”

Luna managed to get to her hooves, and with a nudge and nuzzle, was able to help Celestia do the same. “This… is not going well,” Luna said, panting as their attackers’ argument gave them a moment’s respite.

“No… no it's not,” Celestia said, using a touch of magic to wipe the sweat from her brow. “You were truly frightening as Nightmare Moon sister. If I did not have the Elements of Harmony a thousand years ago, you would have surely defeated me.”

“Yet if you had been willing to fight like Daybreaker, then I feel my attempted coup would have been burned to cinders before it started,” Luna said as they stood next to one another. Yet, even as they stood, finding comfort in one another, their dark forms continued to bicker and argue. And in that, Luna saw an opportunity.

“Sister, each of these dark princesses, on the surface, share a common goal.” Luna dared to glance away from Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon a moment, to inspect her wing and ensure it was no longer smoldering. “Yet, to my eyes, that is but a coincidence. They each have a goal to conquer and destroy, but each goal belongs only to the one who holds it. For if they all had a shared goal, then in the first moments of the battle their wisest move would have been to focus a single target. If they could knock even one of us out, the battle swings in their favor. But they did not do that.

Finished inspecting the damage to her primary feathers, Luna focused back on Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon. “Each fight with their own goals, their own motivation. While they are truly frightful, I would not call them a truly unified force.”

Celestia glanced at Luna, then back to Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, still arguing. Still, foolishly, giving their opponents respite as their hatred for one another seemed all-consuming. Celestia began to smile. “Starlight Glimmer claimed at the start that creating a challenge to judge friendship and cooperating was difficult, that such a concept was hard to judge in a reasonable amount of time. Yet, she did not say it was impossible, did she, Luna?”

“I recall her making no such claim, Sister.” Luna nodded with a smirk, she and Celestia adjusting their stances so they stood shoulder to shoulder. “We must each be strong enough to face and defeat our dark desires, to overcome the weaknesses and temptations that come with our powers and position. But, as with much in life, no one said such trails had to be faced alone.”

“Friends and family can stand beside you and support you as you face your demons.” Luna saw Celestia’s horn beginning to glow as the pair of them drew closer to Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, who now seemed to be taking notice of the approaching princesses. “This is Equestria’s strength.”

“It is a strength shared by its royal princesses.” Luna began forming magic at the tip of her horn as well. Though she and Celestia had not spoken it, Luna could tell what spell Celestia was going to cast and knew just how to compliment it.

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon landed, glaring and roaring as they prepared spells of their own. Luna could see the flames flickering from Daybreaker’s mouth while Nightmare Moon’s horn sparked with lightning. Fire and lightning, powerful attacks but not ones that would readily mix.

“I am Princess Celestia of the Day!”

“I am Princess Luna of the Night!”

“And we will not—”

“— condone your existence —”

“Anymore!”

Luna heard Celestia echo, their voices intertwining and mixing just as their magic did. They each released a blast of magic from their horn, but the spells quickly began to spiral together, spinning like the tip of a drill bit.

Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon unleashed their spells, a torrent of fire and a cascade of lightning, but the spiraling beam of magic pierced through the maelstrom of elements. Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker were both struck head-on. They tumbled backward, skipping and bouncing across the grass. For a brief moment, the two dark princesses even seemed to fade from existence. The semi-transparency didn’t last, but it was the first sign that the doppelgangers had truly been hurt.

“It would seem two princesses of Equestria were not enough,” Celestia said.

“Perhaps it wasn’t,” Luna answered before flashing a smile at Celestia. “Good thing we’re not the only two.”

Twilight’s brain ached. Again and again, she had to dip into her knowledge of spells, remembering things both well studied and barely glanced at. The library that was her intellect was in shambles, a swamp of misplaced books and scattered papers that had been removed from their shelves.

All just to defend herself from Midnight Sparkle.

Her raven winged reflection was already preparing another spell, colors swirling. The last time Twilight remembered being pushed to her mental limit like this, it had been when she was trying to stop Starlight. Even then, there were respites. Though she would often jump back into the fray quickly, using the time travel spell to leap back to the moment of Rainbow Dash’s race, Twilight could take a moment to rest and prepare her next strategy.

Midnight offered Twilight no such respite. The variety of spells came as an unending onslaught. Twilight had been just forced to deflect a deflection spell that Midnight had somehow focused into a beam attack, and it took remembering a vague reflection spell that she had seen cast only once to counter it. Twilight still wasn’t sure she had cast it right, but it had been enough to block that particular attack.

But hastily or poorly assembled spells were draining. It took more magic to keep them together, and Twilight was feeling the physical strain on top of her mental fatigue. And Midnight was already preparing her next attack. Something with three colors of magic, swirling in a corkscrew. A tri-balanced beam attack. Another very complex and high-level attack spell, one where the caster braided three-beam attacks together.

To block it, Twilight would need to not only figure out how to counter each beam, but she’d have to know how Midnight was braiding them together. It could have just been a swirl, the three beams rotated around one another, or it could be an actual braid, with the different kinds of beams interleaved in a specific pattern. Or maybe Midnight was mixing them all together in an entirely different way. Maybe she was using some method that Twilight herself didn’t know, or at least at the moment, couldn’t remember.

The beam was coming. Midnight was grinning ear to ear as she unleashed her latest attack. Twilight’s eyes darted, but her brain felt foggy. Her vision blurred. It was too much… it was just too much. She couldn’t keep up. This was the attack… after blocking so many, this was the one that was going to get through. She just couldn’t think anymore.

Her eyes closed, she crumbled. The beam was going to hit soon. Her horn could feel the impending surge of energy. With her eyes shut, she could sense some of the nature of the beam. A ray of heat and a ray of cold… opposing temperatures. You’d either burn or freeze if you didn’t block both beams. Normally such beams would collapse into one another and neutralize, but the third beam in the braided attack was somehow separating them.

Yet, as Twilight tried to grasp what was going on, her sense of the attacks suddenly disappeared. She instead sensed warm magic, like a summer day dancing on her horn and forehead. The magic, so familiar and comforting, made Twilight open her eyes. Though it took her a moment to focus, a smile spread on her face as she registered who was standing in front of her, blocking the incoming attack.

“Princess Celestia!”

“Twilight, are you all right?” Celestia asked as she kept them surrounded in a bubble barrier.

“I’m… sorry, I just couldn’t out-think her.”

Celestia chuckled, managing to bend down and nuzzle the side of Twilight’s face, encouraging her to stand back on her hooves even as she maintained the barrier. “You are brilliant, Twilight. The fact you were able to go blow for blow for so long is a testament to that. But, I do believe you are overthinking it a little bit.”

Twilight blinked, forcing her senses to stay in focus as she stood next to Celestia, feeling safe in the shadow of her shield magic. Midnight was raging outside, trying to blast through the barrier, but at the moment was unable to breach it.

“What’s the biggest danger of complicated spells? Of things that have to be woven and carefully balanced? It’s one of the first lessons you learned at my school.”

Twilight had to blink a few times, her mind still aching. Still, she fumbled through her memories to recall that particular lecture, such a simple thing. She learned no spells that day, but just concepts of magic that she had, largely, internalized into her day to day thinking.

“It takes time.” Twilight listened as she spoke those words, rolling them in her mouth. “It… takes time. It takes… it takes time!” Twilight’s mind decluttered in an instant as if suddenly seeing the very clear exit signs scattered about a complex labyrinth.

Celestia smiled and began to lower her barrier. A few moments before, Twilight might have shouted at her for being so foolish, but instead, she stepped forward and glared down Midnight.

“Oh, done hiding behind Celestia’s flank!” Midnight called out, spreading her wings. “Well then, let’s see you try and stop this!” Midnight called on her magic, starting to weave and form a ball of energy in front of her.

Twilight cast the simplest beam spell she could, shooting it through the ball of energy. The energy popped, the amassed magic inside exploding and sending Midnight flying to the far side of the enclosed space.

“The simplest answer,” Twilight said, looking back at Celestia and smiling. “I guess I do overthink things once in a while.”

“That tendency to overthink is, I fear, something I helped you learn,” Celestia said as she walked up to Twilight. “But I know, in time, your wisdom will come to outshine even my own. Just as it is your wisdom, your lessons of friendship, that will help us beat this challenge. All we need—”

A sharp shout drew Twilight and Celestia’s attention. They saw the changeling queen Cadance rocket past them to slam into a nearby part of the protective dome.

“— is Luna and Cadance,” Celestia said, smiling as she watched Luna and Cadance come from the same direction as the changeling queen. The four princesses of Equestria stood together. They were all looking a bit worn down, a bit exhausted, but together they were all smiling.

“So, who should we deal with first?” Luna asked.

“Well, I’d like Flurry to be able to watch the end of this contest. If I know Shining, he’s been hiding her away from having to see me fight the very buggy version of myself.”

“Yeah, that does sound like my brother. That and it makes certain tactical sense. She is the closest.” Twilight turned, looking over her shoulder to see the changeling queen Cadance just barely starting to pick herself up off the ground.

“Then, shall we, princesses?” Celestia asked as she began to stride forward.

“Yes,” Twilight said, her voice joined by Luna and Cadance as the four of them began to move on the downed dark princess.

The crowd erupted in cheers as Nightmare Moon fell, marking the final defeat of the dark princesses. Starlight smiled at the four princesses as she and Discord moved onto the field. She was carrying in her magic a large golden trophy, one that was engraved with the words “Best Princesses.”

“And that’s the end of this challenge!” Starlight announced to the stadium, causing the applause to grow even louder. Ponies were stomping their hooves, raising their voices. Truly, it had been a moment when many in Equestria got to witness their four princesses triumphing over the forces of evil.

“And I should congratulate all of you for doing so well in the challenges,” Starlight continued as she came to a stop in front of the four princesses. “You have each shown your strengths and abilities, and thus have proven you are each the best in your own way. For Equestria to single out just one of you as best in all things is unfair to the accomplishments you have all achieved and will continue to achieve.

“Yes, every creature of Equestria might look up to one of you in particular. We might relate to you more than the others. And yes, in the future, there might be other silly, misinformed popularity polls. But I hope that you four and the rest of Equestria never forget how lucky we are to have all four of you leading and protecting our country.

“So, after speaking with the rest of the judges, we hereby wish to award all four of you with the 'Best Princess,' title.” Starlight’s magic flared, and suddenly the singular trophy became four. Each trophy had been etched with dozens of different words and phrases, each one something a particular princess was best at. Celestia’s, for example, mentioned she was the best cook of the four princesses. Twilight had the honor of being the best at reading. Cadance was the best foalsitter and Luna was the best at sculpting.

“And all together, I think I speak for all of Equestria when I say, you four are the best rulers that any nation could ever hope for.”

Each princess took their trophy from Starlight’s grip, looking over the engraved metal before smiling and looking to one another. In a single fluid motion, the four princesses moved into a group hug, Celestia’s large form encompassing the other three while Luna and Cadance hugged Twilight. Looking over her shoulder, Starlight saw even Discord was a little teary-eyed, using what looked like a piece of bread to dry his eyes.

Maybe Starlight had worried about trusting Discord to help with the last challenge, but in the end, she couldn’t argue with the results. The Best Princess challenge was ended, a friendship lesson was learned, and hopefully, no one else would think to post a “Best Princess” poll in a magazine again for a long time.

“Yak disagree!”

Starlight, Discord, the princesses, and every creature in the crowd all turned their heads as four figures stepped into the stadium. At the front of the group was Prince Rutherford, stomping forward and leaving distinct hoofprints in the soil. Behind him was Dragon Lord Ember, Queen Novo, and Prince Pharynx.

“Pony princesses are good, but yaks are best, so yak prince is the best ruler. Simple logic.”

Starlight quickly teleported to the far side of the princesses. “When did all of you get here?”

“Not long after it started,” Queen Novo said. “My niece, Silverstream, overheard you talking about the best princess contest. She told her friends, and then we all heard from our respective students.”

“And we all ended up showing up at the same time, so we decided to watch together. It was actually pretty entertaining, especially that last challenge,” Ember said, smiling. “Didn’t know you ponies could be so epic when you fight.”

“But then you say your rulers best. Your rulers not best! Yaks prove it!” Prince Rutherford said with a stomp.

Ember took a firm stance, clenching a claw as fire flared from her nostrils. “Dragons will prove it!”

“I mean, not to point claws, but I managed to keep all my citizens safe from the Storm King. In fact, my daughter had to help bail your flanks out,” Novo said. “So, yeah, maybe I’d like to prove a point too.”

Starlight looked over the three other rulers, then let her gaze flick to Pharynx. “What about you?”

“Thorax thought it’d be good for me to work with other rulers,” Pharynx answered, gesturing to a part of the crowd. King Thorax and several changelings were filing into an open section, holding up signs to support Pharynx. “That and this is the most exciting thing I’ve had to do in a while. So, yeah, I’m in too.”

Starlight turned her head back to Equestria’s four princesses, who had assembled into a singular unit against the other nations. Starlight felt her stomach sink a moment, seeing the competitive fire flaring in the eyes of all four princesses.

Starlight felt Discord swoop around her, the draconequus resting his chin on his paw. “What do you say Starlight, same time again tomorrow?”

Starlight glanced back and forth, flicking her eyes between the two opposing lines of royalty. “This… is either going to turn into another friendship lesson or an international incident. You know that, right?”

Discord nodded. “Yes, but you can’t say it won’t be exciting.”

Starlight sighed, hung her head a moment, but then smiled. “No, I suppose I can’t.”

And thus began the yearly tradition of the international best ruler competition.