Forty-five minutes later, the contestants ran back into the theater. The crowd cheered their arrival, making them each feel like a superstar. But Twilight’s presence quickly reminded them that they hadn’t made it yet. In fact, nine of them wouldn’t make it at all. It would take that one special pony among them to bring the honor, skill, and communication skills necessary to become Twilight’s new head pony. Their signature spells challenge would go a long way towards telling Twilight who they were. The smiling faces that captured their attention would need to be ignored. It was all business.
“Now, this year, I’ve decided to do something different,” Twilight said. “I’ll be judging your spells on a scale of one to one hundred. One hundred is perfection, and one is something that we don’t want to speak of. The pony who gets the highest grade will win this challenge and spend the rest of the day…here in Canterlot with their family!”
The crowd applauded the reward. Determination among the competitors was now higher than ever, and the first pony stepped to the proverbial plate. His name was Mottle Top, a male fire mage from Manhattan. He presented his signature spell of a mid-level flame with dancing elements. Twilight enjoyed it well enough, though she did offer some pointers as to how he could make his flame dance even more. A solid effort warranted a solid score, and he got one.
“85 out of 100,” Twilight said.
Next up was Steam Bath, a female potion mage and friend of Starlight Glimmer’s from Sire’s Hollow. In fact, she’d tried out for the show on Starlight’s suggestion. Upon making the cut, she had hoped that Starlight’s influence would help her along in the competition. However, her potion that was supposed to create light within darkness, quite literally, blew up in her face. Needless to say, Twilight was unimpressed. However, she did offer marks for a creative idea.
“15 out of 100,” Twilight said.
The next two ponies were both female water mages from Vanhoover. First up was Starry Skies, who was bursting with enthusiasm at meeting the princess. While, like many others, she definitely idolized Twilight, she had always dreamt of entertaining a master mage with her talents. She didn’t skip on this opportunity, as she presented a dazzling spell of gentle mists and beautiful small geysers. Twilight was duly impressed, offering her a 95 out of 100.
Next up to try and knock Starry off the pedestal was her colleague Cirrus Mane. Both ponies knew each other well from the Vanhoover independent magic scene, and both were fierce rivals. However, they shared a healthy respect for each other and secretly hoped that they could battle in the finale. But Cirrus’s spell, which was a bit more aggressive than Starry’s, put Twilight off just a bit. However, the princess did praise Cirrus for her planning and insight. The execution needed work, but that would all come in time. Cirrus took home a 90 out of 100.
The next pony was a male potion mage from Twilight’s home of Ponyville. His name was Timber Claw. In spite of his ferocious sounding moniker, he was actually somewhat timid. He’d tried out for the show on his family’s suggestion, as he’d always been a talented magic user. For Twilight’s challenge, he’d created a bit of a mixed bag of potions that seriously impressed the princess. His combination of subtle flair, excellent skill, and creative forethought were praised. In doing so, Twilight gave him a 97 out of 100, proving that it would take aseverely terrific spell to garner perfect marks. Even so, it was enough to give him the lead.
Two more ponies, earth mages Grouse Wing and Trust Fall, tried their hoof next. Grouse, a female from Catapony Island, presented a spell that could move a ton of earth without making a huge mess. Twilight was fairly impressed, offering a solid 75 out of 100. Next came Trust, a female from Manehattan, who offered up a spell that grew an entire garden from scratch. Though Twilight commended her for utilizing different types of flowers, she also said that she’d seen a ton of these spells in the past. Even so, Twilight gave Trust a 73 out of 100, and advised the young unicorn to work on her originality.
Following Trust’s average performance came Dove Dawn, a female potion mage from right there in Canterlot. Her entire family had come to support her, and they made quite the ruckus as she appeared. Her demeanor was that of the typical snooty Canterlot pony. She made no effort to hide the idea that she thought she was better than everyone else. Her smile spoke volumes as she stepped up to where Twilight stood. It was one of those bit-eating grins that ponies use when they want to delude you into friendship. Then, they stab you in the back. Dove was an old pro at stabbing her fellow equines.
“Good evening, mage,” she said politely, but with an air of superiority.
“Good evening, and first name is…?” Twilight asked.
“Dove. Dove Dawn.”
“Dove Dawn. Now, I see that you have quite the cheering section down front here. So, you’re from here, you brought your entire family, and you probably think you’re fairly talented, right?”
“I have my moments,” Dove said with a bit of a sneer towards her competitors.
“Well, that will be for me to decide,” Twilight said with the faintest hint of a growl. “Now, show me what you made.”
With great pride, Dove presented her potion…which was a vomit-inducing color of green and yellow. Twilight had to hold back as she received the vial. Looking upon it, she immediately knew who Dove was and the family she came from. The Dawns were well known all around Equestria’s capital. Unfortunately, they were known for living outside their means, mooching off of others, and believing that they were upper crust ponies simply because they lived in Canterlot. It seemed that the proverbial apple had not fallen far from the obnoxious tree.
“Describe the potion, please,” Twilight said in an attempt to remain professional.
“What you have is a play on a green tea, with elm leaves, twigs, and seeds,” Dove said proudly.
Twilight was dumbfounded. “Really? You had forty-five minutes to make me the most incredible potion or spell…and you made me a glass of bucking tea?”
“Yep!”
“Once again…FORTY-FIVE MINUTES,” Twilight said, emphasizing every word of the time parameters.
“Yes, FORTY-FIVE MINUTES,” Dove shot back.
Twilight was irked. “Hey, smart mule. Listen and bucking listen closely. You’ve got a lot to learn, starting with time management. If you want to succeed in my world, you need tobuckle down and use every last bucking second to your advantage. If not, you get bit like this. You’re lucky this isn’t an elimination, or I might ask you to head down there and sit with your cheerleaders right bucking now. Got it?”
“Yes, mage,” Dove said with no small huff in her voice.
“A 1…out of 100,” Twilight growled. “Now, piss off!”
Dove’s disastrous spell paved the way for the final two ponies to take their turn. The first was Smoke Stack, a male fire mage from Trottingham. His spell that pushed fire through a small set of tubes impressed Twilight, though his control could have used some improvement. He scored an 85 out of 100. Finally, there was Orchid Petal, a kind female earth mage from Ponyville. Twilight knew her well, as she often helped Fluttershy at the animal sanctuary. But here, the princess was in control, and she watched patiently as Orchid slowly fired up her horn. Her spell was floral based, causing showers of petals to fall from the ceiling. Though something with this many components was to be commended, Twilight found her speed lacking. She gave her an 80 out of 100.
“That means the winner of today’s challenge…is Timber Claw, fillies and gentlecolts!” Twilight announced.
The crowd cheered thunderously as a great smile spread over Timber’s face. He was so thrilled to be able to spend the rest of the day with his family. Twilight also mentioned that they would be dining that evening with her at one of Canterlot’s best establishments, The Tasty Treat. The reward was thrilling and Timber quickly joined his family to begin their day together. Meanwhile, Twilight delivered the bad news to the rest of the team. They would be returning to the library to organize books and outfit the brewery ahead of the next night’s demonstration.