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// 54 - Conclusion 
// Story: Fading Suns: A New World 
// by David Silver 
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Mayor Mare waved up into the stands before turning to a pony beside her and whispering something in her ear. The pony dashed off as Mayor Mare trotted on towards Paul. She gestured with a toss of her head for him to come with her and he rose to do that even as Laud returned to his place.

Soon she had her assembled stallions, neither of which was a stallion. "Gentlecreatures, I require your assistance," spoke the mayor. She turned to Spike, who had come running when the other pony had told him she wanted to talk to him. "Send this to Celestia, and expect a speedy reply." She produced a scroll towards him.

He saluted sharply before giving a little puff of flames, consuming the scroll into the raw stuff of magic that sped away towards Canterlot.

Paul raised a brow at the sight of it. "Curious. I hadn't known dragons were capable of magic. Should I be concerned?"

Spike snorted softly at that. "That's, like, the only trick I have. Unless you're scared of getting too much mail, you're pretty safe."

Mayor Mare nodded towards Paul. "The situation has... degraded. I have been encharged with seeing this competition through to the end, with grace and poise. The princess of friendship is living up to her title and the entire thing was called off. Lyra and Bon Bon surrendered to her."

She raised a hoof to forestall replies. "It sends bad signals. For one, it was Laud that called for it, not Twilight. Were it Twilight, that would be one less concern, but it would still be a problem. Secondly, it paints the idea that princesses simply cannot be challenged, not successfully. That is not true, but it will create the idea, and it is a poor one." She brought the hoof down, frowning. "Lastly, it is trampling on the law, as old as it may be. It has not been changed, even if I feel it will be. This is--"

"--Enough." Paul crossed his arms. "I understand what you're saying."

"I don't." Spike rolled his hand in the air. "What's the big deal?"

Paul extended a lone finger towards the mayor. "She's sharper than I gave her credit for." Mayor Mare looked scandalized, but he continued, "She's protecting her culture in the face of a technologically superior one. It's an uphill battle, but it's waged from the start, or you just accept being rolled over."

Spike's reply was cut off by puffed out cheeks. Spilling out in a burst of flames and magic, a scroll appeared hovering in the air. Mayor Mare snatched it in her teeth and unfurled it with a toss of her head. Her eyes swept over it rapidly, taking it in. "Clever..."

Paul hiked a brow. "What is the princess suggesting?"

Mayor Mare rolled the scroll back up tight. "There is a law covering this, even more arcane. Will Laud react too poorly if I insist the competition be concluded?"

Paul lifted his shoulders. "He may, but I will keep his ass on the bench. He is young yet, this is what experienced superiors are for. What's the plan?"

Mayor Mare tucked the scroll away in the pocket that ponies had. "The competition concludes, and I declare the winners, of course. Everyone will get what they want, in a manner of speaking." She glanced at her podium, then up at the restless crowd. "Take your position by Laud then, please. Spike, you're free to return to your friends. Thank you both."

Spike crossed his little arms. "Really? I was just called to send some mail?" Despite his complaint, he departed without delay, but with a bit of grumbling.

The contestants had already taken their places, expecting the competition to be called off once Mayor Mare took her spot.

Paul sat beside Laud, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes, things do not go the way we planned," he started.

"What were you speaking to the mayor about?" asked Laud with immediate suspicion.

"Local customs." His hand tightened. "They will not be rolled as the Shantor were, not without a fight. I applaud you on taking a stand with something so personal, but they aren't going to let that be a reason to start showing their brightly-colored bellies to  us."

"Ladies and gentlecolts," spoke Mayor Mare once she took her spot, though it took a few minutes before she did so, to all the creatures gathered. "I apologize for the delay. The stallion has insisted on the end of the competition, and the mares accepted, which defaults the decision to the overseeing judge." She raised a hoof to point at herself. "And that would be me. I have declared neither side worthy of taking the stallion if they are willing to let his decisions overrule their own."

Surprised gasps and conversation swept through the audience. Twilight's wings shot out to either side. "This isn't what we agreed on!" she sputtered in a half-shout.

Lyra bounced up to her hooves. "Yeah! What's the deal?"

Bon Bon scowled at the mayor, but no specific words left her snout but a low growl that she largely kept to herself.

Mayor Mare gestured downwards in placating motions. "Quiet, quiet please... If the mares do not accept my decision, then the competition will continue. I trust that is acceptable?" She looked towards Twilight first. Twilight nodded quickly, teeth clenched. Mayor Mare looked back towards Lyra and Bon Bon. They were quick to nod.

Lyra pointed accusingly at the mayor as her lyre played a few angry notes, hovering over her head. "I don't know what you're up to, Mayor, but cut it out!"

Mayor Mare brought up a hoof to cough into it once. "Now then, the last competition. Let us find who would be best suited for our stallion."

Rarity shook her head from up in the bleachers. "This has taken a turn... I wonder what Laud had insisted on, besides them ceasing this competition."

Applejack shrugged. "We may never know, least not until this whole thing's over and we can grill Twi about it."

Rainbow Dash clopped her hooves. "You can bet I'll be doing that. What the hay are they even doing?"

Spike flopped back into his seat with a huff, out of breath from his dash. "She checked with Celestia before she did that." He pointed down at Mayor Mare. "Paul too, the human in charge. Did I miss anything?"

Fluttershy pointed. "Looks like they're starting the last competition."

Mayor Mare unfurled a new scroll that fell out into two copies of the same thing. "Despite hectic days, there are always things that need doing. Still, as the mare or mares of the house, it is expected that you get them done. This competition is simple, take your list of chores and complete them. For judging purposes, a balloon has been graciously lent to us."

Summoned by her words, a round balloon descended into view, Pinkie waving excitedly from its basket. "All aboard!"

As the mayor took her position with Pinkie, Twilight floated over her list, and Lyra grabbed the other. Both sides quickly scanned down it with studious frowns.

The balloon began to lift back into he air as the mayor pulled out a megaphone. "Are both sides ready?" All three mares nodded, taking ready stances. "Go!"

They took off in a gallop, racing to get started. Bon Bon jumped over a fence in the way, sliding under some hanging clothes before bouncing back up to leap over the opposing fence, taking a bold shortcut through some pony's backyard. Lyra took off in another direction, going for an entirely different item from the list.

Twilight was by herself, but she had magic on her side. When she could see her target, she vanished and appeared beside it, claiming a bunch of flowers first. "Check," she proudly declared to herself as she turned for the next prize.

Lyra skidded to a halt just in front of the school, poking her head inside. "Is my foal ready?" she asked, not having been aware she had a foal, but the instructions said to pick them up from school, so there she was.

Cheerilee smiled. "Of course, here you are." With a toss, she sent a small bag of flour with a smiling face drawn on it flying towards Lyra.

Lyra squeaked as she grabbed the bag from the air in her magic, bringing it to a gentle stop. "Be more careful with foals. You could bruise the little, um colt?" She set the bag on her back and trotted free of the school. "Let's get you home."

Mayor Mare floated over everything, taking notes of the tactics that each employed as they ran around the town in wild patterns, bouncing from chore to chore. "Mmm"

"I know, isn't it amazing?" Pinkie leaned over the side of the basket, peering down at them all. "I don't think I've seen Twilight run that much since the Running of the Leaves, and that's not even counting when she goes pop pop pop like that."

"She has to." Mayor Mare made a scribble with the quill in her mouth. "Two ponies have a strong advantage in getting chores done compared to one, even a magical one like Twilight."

Pinkie turned an ear towards the mayor. "You have a secret. I can smell it!"

Mayor Mare smiled silently.

"Oh, c'mon! Share! We're up in a balloon, promise I won't tell anypony!" Pinkie brought her hooves together in a pleading motion. "Pretty please with all the sugar in Sugarcube Corner piled on top?"

"It's nothing too dramatic." Mayor Mare peeked down at them. "I just made a few little edits to the chore list."

Twilight pulled the chore list a little higher, another defeated. "Get a collection of candies, preferably mildly sour and blue in color." She blinked softly. There was one candy shop in town... "But..."

Bon Bon crossed off another chore from the list with a snort of triumph. "Borrow a book on local magic for your stallion to study." But there was only one pony that tended to have such books, especially to borrow. "Well..."

Mayor Mare grinned at the two ponies pausing. "I think they've reached my revisions."

"What did you put on them?" Pinkie leaned dangerously over the edge. "What's gonna happen?! The excitement is too much!"

The three competitors came together, wandering the town until they found one another. Twilight floated her list forward. "I need candies!"

"I'll trade you for a book," agreed Bon Bon.

Lyra tilted her head. "What kind of candy?"

Twilight made little circles in the air with her hooves close together. "Blue, sour, not too sour? What kind of book?"

Lyra dashed off, leaving Bon Bon behind. Bon Bon shook her head. "A magic book, preferably something that goes over the basics."

"Star Swirl's "So You're Wondering What That Thing on Your Head Is" would be perfect!" Twilight's horn glimmered as a book materialized. "Here you are." Bon Bon advanced to take it in her mouth, but it pulled away in the sparkling magic. "You get it when I get my candy, at the same time."

Bon Bon sat on her haunches. "Very well..." Her eyes slid over towards the floating list. "Making good progress?"

Twilight glanced over at Bon Bon's tucked up scroll, taking note of its making cross-outs. "As are you?"

The two met eyes a tense moment before they suddenly broke into laughter. Bon Bon shrugged softly. "We sure got back into the competition quickly, didn't we?"

Twilight shook her head. "Maybe too quickly. No hard feelings, alright?"

"Alright." Bon Bon nodded. "That doesn't mean I'm not trying to win." She glanced off as Lyra came into view, racing towards them. "Let the best mares win."

"Alr--hey!" Twilight dropped the book as she grabbed the candies from Lyra's magic just as the other unicorn got close enough to easily do so. "Bye!" She vanished.

Lyra barely caught the book in her magic before it struck the ground. "You can tell she's distracted, dropping a book like that. What's next on the list?"