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// Prompt #139: Before the Start 
// Story: Ponywatching 
// by ThunderTempest 
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It was a favourite past time of Celestia's to walk int he gardens of Canterlot Castle, away from the nobles and petitioners. She did love her little ponies dearly, but there were more pressing matters on her mind.

Sunset Shimmer was gone, likely forever, and with her, one of the finest magical minds that Celestia had ever seen in Canterlot. And Celestia had a little under a decade to prepare for the second coming of Nightmare Moon. She had a deadline, one that was fast approaching, and one that she knew that she could not deal with personally. Nightmare Moon would have been frozen in the moon at the exact moment of her defeat, all of her power intact, and Celestia knew that she could not bring herself to harm her sister, even corrupted as she was. Celestia knew that she'd never entirely been able to take her sister on in a straight battle, and with her mind corrupted, not even Celestia could predict what Nightmare Moon would do. 

And so, Celestia was, for once, left without a solid plan. Unless a clear bearer for one of the Elements of Harmony presented themselves, Celestia would have to face down her sister once more. Unnoticed by her guards, she let out a soft sigh. 

That was when a blast of colour rocked across the sky, and Celestia blinked.

Then the head of a dragon punched through the roof of a nearby tower. The tower where the tests for admission to her school for Gifted Unicorns were being held, Celestia noted. She could also feel a simply massive outpouring of magical energy.  It was the work of a moment for Celestia to make her way over to the tower in question, and find a young filly at the center of the commotion.

'Well,' Celestia mused to herself, 'There's a candidate for the Element of Magic if I ever saw one.' Sunset had been a candidate for both her level of talent, and her natural curiosity. This filly was very clearly outperforming Sunset in sheer raw power. And if Celestia could teach her to harness even a fraction of that power, and instill a proper sense of how to use it, correct the mistakes that she had made with Sunset Shimmer, she would be a very worthy candidate for the Element of Magic indeed. 

Princess Celestia pressed a hoof into the young filly's side, causing the magical surge to cease, and Celestia offered her best kind smile to the young filly.

"What's your name, little one?"

"Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia," said Twilight.