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// History of the Ponylympics 
// Story: Shooting Star 
// by Comet Burst 
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There are many tales of how the Ponylympics came into existence, but this is the truest account, passed down from pony to pony and confirmed by the royal archives. Shortly after the founding of Equestria, the three breeds of pony, the pegasus, the unicorns and the earth ponies had difficulty adjusting to their once worst enemies becoming their best friends. To help strengthen the ties between the breeds, the three rulers held a series of contests to show off the skills and benefits of the ponies. These contests were centered around the three greatest traits of the breeds: athleticism, intelligence and endurance. The winners of the contests were showered with fame and were awarded a gemstone. Diamonds were given to the victor while second received a ruby and third, a sapphire.

For years the Ponylympics were the greatest spectacle in all Equestria. Ponies of all breeds came and cheered the competitors on, cementing a bond of friendship between the cities and ponies of all kind. The greatest contest among all of them was the Daybreak Dash. Considered to be the ultimate test of all three key attributes, competitors raced the sun itself to prove themselves the best in the land. The popularity of the sport continued to grow, stretching to the Griffin Kingdom and beyond. As it grew, the feelings of kinship it was supposed to instill were gradually replaced by a supercompetitive spirit. The winners of the race were mostly pegasus, causing their breed to brag excessively and sowed distrust among the unicorns and earth ponies. Resorting to underhanded methods, unicorns began to teleport during the race, leaving earth ponies with a severe disadvantage.

Frustrated, earth ponies everywhere began to call for the rules to be altered. The unicorns and pegasus were extremely opposed, claiming the earth ponies were trying to destroy the integrity of the race. Distrust crept into every corner of Equestria, turning city inhabitants against one another and threatening the unity of the kingdom as a whole. Princess Celestia had the ponies send delegates to her to discuss the Daybreak Dash and, much to Celestia's protest, an extreme version of the race was created. Dubbed the Dragon Dash, the traditional race was altered to pass straight through a canyon known for its dragon population. All three breeds of ponies agreed that whatever type of pony won this race, it would be considered the best pony breed, regardless of past victories. Princess Celestia pleaded with the ponies to rethink their decision, but the pride of their breed blinded their reasoning.

When the fateful day came, the best of each breed lined up at the starting line. The pegasus named Hypersonic, the unicorn Opelucid and the earth pony Clydesdale lined up at the starting line, waiting for the first rays of dawn to start the race. When it did, the three took off in a cloud of dust, Hypersonic and Clydesdale in the lead while Opelucid struggled to keep up. As the three thundered by cave after cave in the canyon, they woke up the residents. Dragons spewed fire and roared at them, but the ponies kept on racing. Then one large red dragon gave chase, covering distance faster than the ponies ever could. It caught up to Opelucid and chased her as Clydesdale and Hypersonic fled for their lives. Terrified and not quick enough, Opelucid was caught and devoured in several sickening bites.

Princess Celestia, horrified by the race, ended the Ponylympics permanently and declared the day as a memorial to Opelucid. Ponies everywhere mourned her death and for five years, the familiar sound of hooves rumbling at the crack of dawn was a fading memory. However, at the request of others, Princess Celestia eventually reinstated the Daybreak Dash, allowing only pegasus and earth ponies compete, leaving the unicorn spot empty in memory of Opelucid. Eventually the Daybreak Dash was used to herald the day Princess Celestia would raise the sun, and it continued like that from the Dragon Dash onwards.