//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 - Challenges // Story: Off The Mark // by Goldfur //------------------------------// The next five days of preparations went by in a blur. Day Court was postponed until after the challenge. Trixie, Raven, Steady, and I strategized, rehearsed, brainstormed, improved our plan of action, and maybe went through a bottle of whiskey in the process… for lubricating the creative gears, of course! Finally, the afternoon of the fifth day arrived. The fountain at the center of the Hurricane Courtyard had been removed (no clue – pony magic, I guess), replaced with a low wooden platform. Flagstone pathways formed rings around the center with flowers and low bushes between them. Ponies crowded the windows and hallways around the circular courtyard but only three had their hooves inside it. Those gathered to witness the unprecedented event included the Elements of Harmony, Spike, the Guild of Mages, the Parliament of Nobles, and an assortment of lesser nobles, castle staff, and common ponies. Raven and I watched from the fourth and top storey, overlooking Hurricane Courtyard from the private enclosed balcony of the Royal Suite. The nature of the privacy enchantment on the glass allowed us to see and hear what happened outside without anypony looking in. When the sun was directly overhead, Lord Fancy Pants strode to the center of the platform. “Mares and gentle-stallions. We are gathered here today to perform the Challenge of Royalty as prescribed by Alicorn Law that predates our kingdom. In their wisdom, Celestia and Luna decreed that blood would not be spilled in a contest for the leadership of Equestria. Instead, I will present three tasks to the challengers: the first being pegasus, then earth pony, and lastly unicorn. I will provide my judgment at the end of the challenge. The winner will be the undisputed leader of our nation.” He waited for several seconds but no pony dared to speak. He looked at Equestria’s newest alicorn. “Twilight Sparkle, please step forward.” With the clomp of her golden horseshoes, Twilight came up to Fancy Pants’ right side and stopped. Thanks to Rarity, no doubt, Twilight wore a very fashion-forward gown that certainly looked the part for a princess of Equestria. Gold fabric was tastefully draped over a dark pink dress. A white train completed the look. It was fortunate that hoof-to-hoof combat wasn’t on the list of activities for the day because that was definitely not appropriate attire. Actually, that would be pretty much an automatic win for Twilight, to the point that attire wouldn’t make a difference. Ultimately, I had to see the logic in her choice of clothing. Dress for the job that you want. “Are you prepared to continue with your challenge for the leadership of Equestria?” “I am,” she said. I didn’t hear any emotion in her voice, just confidence. “Do you accept me as Arbitrator of this challenge, and will you abide by my decision?” She nodded. “I do and I will.” Fancy Pants turned to his left. “Princess Trixie Lulamoon, please step forward.” Platinum horseshoes clopped onto the wood. Trixie stood with a relaxed smile just a few feet from Twilight Sparkle. Trixie wore a more practical outfit – a tight-fitting jacket underneath her most resplendent royal purple cloak. The cloak ended in sharp lapels over her shoulders and was held in place by a large platinum clasp with a star in front. Instead of light blue and white stars, the cloak was adorned by the logo of the day and night alicorns chasing each other in a circle. Instead of a hat or crown, Trixie’s headgear consisted of a pair of flight goggles on her forehead. “Are you prepared to defend your right to be the leader of Equestria?” She turned to the crowd and gave her most beaming smile. Here we go. “When the mantle of leadership was passed to me by the great Princess Celestia, I was uncertain of my worthiness for the office.” I saw Twilight sigh and her ears droop, but the audience was paying full attention. Trixie began to pace the stage in a wide circle, waving with one hoof as she addressed every part of the crowd. “But these months have done something wonderful to my heart. Do you know what that is?” She looked around with a smile full of affection. Damn, that mare could work an audience. “I found the love that Celestia and Luna had for all My Little Ponies. I know now why they worked so tirelessly for you all. I learned of the many ways that make the Ponies of Equestria the most generous, kind, loyal, good-humored, and honest beings in the entire world.” Twilight’s ears and head perked up at that. Stealing your lines? That one had to hurt. Trixie had paced almost back to where she had started. “And in closing, let me tell you, one and all, that every breath I take, every move I make, every step I take, it will always be for you.” I heard sniffs and saw some handkerchiefs coming out around the crowd. I turned to Raven and hissed under my breath, “She cribbed my lyrics!” “Quiet,” she whispered back. “She totally stole them!” “Doesn’t matter. Pay attention.” I looked back to see Trixie make the final step back to face Twilight Sparkle again. “I will defend my right to the throne with every fiber of my being, my honor, and my life.” I believed her. Apparently Twilight did too because her eyes widened a bit. This was absolutely, positively, not supposed to be a battle to the death, but Trixie just pushed all her chips to the center of the table and I could tell it rattled the purple alicorn. Showing no irritation at the delay, Lord Fancy Pants continued. “Do you accept me as Arbitrator of this challenge, and will you abide by my decision?” She nodded. “I do and I will.” I whispered to no one in particular. “Showtime.” Fancy Pants addressed the crowd and the two mares. “The first trial is the pegasus challenge. You will each demonstrate your flying prowess.” He turned to Trixie. “Princess Trixie, you will be first.” I heard Raven retreat back into the room behind me. Trixie kept her eyes on her opponent, unfastening the clasp on her cloak, folding it and placing it on the ground. Her vest was now shown to be a standard Equestrian military flight vest, her wings poking out of the holes made for that purpose. She lowered her flight goggles and smiled wider as her wings rustled slightly. I turned and looked back. The room was dark, with the windows set to let in only a small amount of light. All furniture had been removed and Raven stood to the side, her hooves spread wide and her horn alight. Steady floated in the center of the chamber in her magic. He wore a flight jacket identical to the one worn by Trixie, except his wings were completely stiff and unmoving. “Now,” I said to my valet. He tapped his flight goggles. “I see it. Counting down. Five… Four…” I turned back to face the courtyard. We had worked on dramatic timing and synchronizing movements for many hours. “…Three… Two…” Trixie finally took her eyes off of Twilight, looked upwards, spread her wings fully, and crouched – all the while wearing the same confident smile. “…One… Now… Grruh!” In the courtyard, Trixie sprang upwards like a shot. I could hear her happy laughter cut through the air. Steady grunted in strain. “Brake… flip… open… dangit! Right hard… climb into loop… out into… crap!” Well above the courtyard, I saw Trixie come out of her loop off-angle and she had to project a bubble on the side of the castle to keep from crashing into it. She bounced off the barrier into a graceful flip and her wings reopened. “Oh, yeah!” she yelled. Throughout the next couple of minutes, she kept a constant stream of laughter and whoops and hollers, occasionally using her magic to bounce off of an obstacle or grab onto a surface to execute an especially tight turn. Steady moved his head to look down. “…slow spin to courtyard… and now… balconies…” This was the part we practiced the most. Trixie grinned hugely as she galloped along the solid barriers that ringed the balconies on the three top levels, giving every observer a close-up look at her mastery of the aerial element. When she was done with the last layer, she sprung off, turned to fly directly over Twilight, then flared her wings to hover over the spot she had started. As she descended, she turned around and alighted on all four hooves simultaneously. I could see Twilight’s frown from where I was standing and heard her voice clearly. “Nice ‘wings,’ Trixie. I’m curious. Would you mind taking off your jacket?” Trixie, uncharacteristically, said nothing. She just smiled and reached for the zipper on her flight jacket. I called out Trixie’s movements precisely. “Zipper pull… done… grabbing… out… forward… backward… half… done.” Looking in the courtyard, I saw what appeared to be Trixie’s slightly-open wings slowly emerge from the holes of the flight jacket then furl back to her sides. Trixie carefully folded the jacket then levitated her cloak back onto herself, clasping it in place. She looked expectantly at her opponent. Twilight blinked in obvious confusion. I heard Steady and Raven come up beside me. Steady was huffing and puffing a bit, flexing the kinks out of his wings. “I never, ever want to put any part of my body through dimensional portals again!” “Join the club,” I deadpanned. “Miss Sparkle’s turn now.” We heard Fancy Pants from the courtyard break Twilight’s contemplation. “Twilight Sparkle: it is now your turn.” The purple alicorn looked away from Trixie to the stallion. She exhaled and closed her eyes. After a few deep breaths, her wings shot out to the sides, then upwards dramatically. She raised her head skyward, opening her eyes with resolve set in her face. Twilight crouched down, the wooden planks shivering from the magic building in her. With a roll of her shoulders, she burst upwards at incredible speed… only to turn sharply into horizontal flight and smash through a wall on the third storey. A series of crashes followed. Ponies that had dived out of the way peered into the hole, only to be moved aside by the other five Element Bearers who charged in after her. Curiously, Rarity brought along a large bag floating in her magic. A few minutes later, Twilight stumbled out of the wreckage, looking embarrassed but not worse for wear. She was now wearing a royal purple dress with silver lace highlights and silver shoes. Her mane and tail were braided with silver chains throughout their length. The audience let out applause at both her returning safely and her new wardrobe. The rest of the Elements fanned out on the balcony as Twilight glided back down to her place in the courtyard. Twilight nodded to Fancy Pants, indicating she was ready to continue. There was a knock at the door to the Royal Suite. Raven trotted towards it as Steady and I kept our eyes on the courtyard. Fancy Pants motioned to a page that had been staying out-of-sight in a room at the lowest level of the courtyard. The unicorn servant floated two pots full of soil in her magic, resting one in front of each mare on the platform. Each earthenware pot was perhaps the size of a pony’s head and each held a small sapling or vine that only had a couple of small leaves. The page then returned to the room from which she had come. Steady asked. “What kind of plant is that?” “No clue,” I replied. Fancy Pants addressed both mares. “The second challenge is earth pony magic. Attempt to make the plants grow.” He turned to the purple alicorn. “Twilight Sparkle, you are first.” Twilight got down on her knees, removed her horseshoes and gently placed one forehoof on the soil in the pot while staring intently at the sprig within. She exhaled and the pot seemed to shimmer slightly but when the effect vanished, the plant looked the same. Twilight narrowed her eyes and tapped the pot with her forehoof a few times. The mare then picked up the pot and walked off of the platform. Her magic lifted a flagstone and a large plug of soil from underneath it. The pot separated itself from the soil surrounding the small green growth and the young plant was gently placed in the ground. Raven came up carrying Trixie’s flight jacket and goggles in her magic. “What did I miss?” I growled. “Miss Sparkle is thinking outside the box. Fancy Pants did not say she had to leave the twig in the pot and she figured that out.” In the courtyard, more flagstones floated away and Twilight stood with all four hooves on the soil. She closed her eyes and lowered her head. The ground beneath her began to turn the dark color of rich soil and small weeds started to sprout from it. The dirt turned that rich color in a slow-moving wave, followed by the second wave of tiny weeds coming up from the ground. The waves reached out to where the small plant lay dormant. After a few seconds, the dark soil surrounded the plug of earth from the pot. The sprouting greenery dutifully followed where the soil had darkened but did not penetrate the dirt that had been transplanted with the sprig. Twilight opened her eyes and frowned at the stubborn plant. After several seconds, she lifted her head and wings and her eyes glowed white. A sphere of magic began to rotate in the air above the courtyard. It was almost as wide as the space and had splotches of color all along its surface. Slowly, it shrunk, growing less transparent as it descended. A faint crackling sound could be heard and a wind started to circle around the area. When the ball was the size of a melon, it touched the small plant. It continued to shrink until it appeared that its entirety had been absorbed by the small leaves and stem. The wind died down and Twilight was left glaring at the uncooperative twig. She frowned and tilted her head for a few moments, her brow furrowed in thought. Then she clopped a forehoof against her forehead, leaving a dirty imprint. “Of course! I completely forgot.” With a flash of her magic, a watering can appeared just above the plant. Twilight leaned in as she carefully sprinkled out the first drops. I saw the purple alicorn spin away in midair as the plant grew skyward with the roar of earth being moved and flagstones flying away. It took less than a second to reach the level of the top of the courtyard and perhaps two more to grow beyond the height of the tallest castle tower. I glanced down to the courtyard and saw Fancy Pants sensibly backing up while Trixie, her pot safely floating in her magic, walked slowly up to the rapidly expanding trunk of what now was clearly a type of vine. As the growth slowed, she raised a hoof dramatically and lowered it in time with the deceleration of its growth. “Duck!” I heard Steady yell as he shoved me and Raven down to the floor. A vine burst through the window right where my head had been. He pulled me away from the branch as he simultaneously pushed Raven towards the far wall. After a few more seconds, the vine had stopped its growth. A glance showed it had snaked throughout the chamber and as we watched, large bunches of grapes appeared all along its length. We heard Trixie call out from the courtyard. “Everypony! Check yourselves and your neighbors for injuries. Call down for any assistance you require or if you cannot locate anypony.” I looked back down in time to see her pointing to the medical staff which had been sitting nearby. “Pegasi, fly up to the upper levels. Unicorns and earth ponies, start at the bottom and work your way up. This contest will not continue until every pony is accounted for.” She then seemed to catch herself and looked back at Fancy Pants. “Do you agree, Arbitrator?” I looked back to the unicorn stallion who nodded and said, “I do.” Raven gasped next to me and I followed her gaze. There was a large branch of the vine that had shot down one of the hallways on the second floor that led to the courtyard. From here, I could see that it had lifted the floor of the storey above as it expanded the hallway well beyond its original size. That branch was mirrored by several others that went off in other directions both above the roof and below it—the ones below the roof had punctured their way through whatever wall or window was in their path. The trunk itself was at least forty feet around. As I watched, Twilight emerged from a demolished stone wall on the second floor. Her dress was ruined (again) and she gaped. Trixie called up to her. “Twilight Sparkle! Assist Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash with any casualties on the upper storeys.” The blue mare didn’t wait for a response, instead trotting over to talk to ponies that lined the bottom of the courtyard. In a very short period of time, all ponies had been found, the few scrapes and cuts had been bandaged and most spectators were now happily dining on bunches of grapes that were mere hooflengths away. Rarity had come through again and now Twilight wore a fuchsia dress with a pink saddle and lace along every edge. However, it seemed the fashionista had run out of hoofwear and Twilight was now bare-hoofed. The three ponies in the courtyard had shifted over a bit, as the place formerly occupied by Twilight had been reduced to kindling by the explosive power of the grapevine’s growth. Fancy Pants looked at the blue mare. “Princess Trixie, it is now your turn.” I found myself holding my breath and Trixie studied her pot and the tiny plant inside. She smiled at it and gently set it down. Looking at Fancy Pants but projecting her voice throughout the courtyard, Trixie said, “For the welfare of My Little Ponies, I decline to proceed with the earth pony trial.” That generated a great deal of discussion amongst the spectators. One voice cut through them, however. “Yeah, that’s all well and good, but there’s still a problem.” All eyes turned upwards to see a frowning Rainbow Dash hovering above the courtyard at about our level on the fourth floor. She pointed upwards. “See that cloud ceiling at about a hundred feet? The other weather pegasi and I pushed it into place along with more clouds further up to keep the vine from collapsing.” As she spoke, I noticed that much of the courtyard was now in the shade as other pegasi continued to push clouds in to buttress up the support for the vine. Rainbow waved her forelegs wide. “This fix won't last. There are over a thousand feet of vine above that cloud that needs to come down before it collapses onto somepony or somepony’s home.” Fancy Pants tapped his chin with a forehoof. “Twilight Sparkle and Princess Trixie. Your final task is to work together to take down the vine and remove it from wherever it penetrated the castle…” Twilight nodded and her horn and eyes began to glow white. The stallion continued. “…without causing further damage.” Twilight’s magic winked out. “Oh… umm…” She looked up, chewing her lip. Trixie stared directly at the purple alicorn. “Twilight Sparkle, does your magic have sufficient strength to bring down heavy sections of the vine? Say of the weight of ten ponies?” The mare’s attention snapped to Trixie. “Yes, but I have to be able to see it.” She spread her wings. “I’ll just head up there.” “No, you will not,” ordered Trixie. That made Twilight snap her gaze back to the blue mare. “You are very new to your wings. You cannot convince me that you can fly and levitate heavy objects at the same time.” Twilight blinked and hesitated, her wings still stretched upwards. “I have to try.” The blue mare made a negating gesture with a front hoof. “There is a better alternative.” She looked straight up at the Royal Suite and called out. “Pockmark Barbells! Bring down both sets of goggles!” “Is she serious?” asked Raven. “She’s writing the script as she goes. Yes, she’s serious.” Steady gathered up both pairs of goggles. “Sorry, Mark, but it’s safer if I go.” I stopped him with a forehoof. “And if someone notices that your wings no longer perfectly match your coat color? I don’t think so. Thanks for the concern, but gliding I can do just fine.” I yanked the goggles out of his grasp with my mouth. I turned and pulled one of the glass panels inwards that also acted as a door. Without giving myself more time to think, I jumped out into space and opened my wings. I actually didn’t want to hear Steady’s counter-argument because I knew what it was going to be. There wasn’t enough room to glide all the way to the ground from the height I started. I did get as low as the second storey and managed to get all four of my hooves onto that opposite wall to stop my forward momentum with a minimum of pain. From there, it was a short drop to the ground that I was able to slow somewhat by keeping my wings spread. I trotted up to Trixie and gave her the goggles, only belatedly realizing that perhaps she expected me and my clumsiness to destroy them. For her part, the blue mare waved down Rainbow Dash and gave her one pair after looking it over. She then gave the other pair to Twilight. “Go ahead. Put them on.” They both complied and Rainbow frowned. “I don’t see anything different.” Twilight, however, let out a happy “Ohhhhhh!” She then said to her friend. “Dash, look directly behind me, please.” Dash did so after a puzzled look at Twilight. The pegasus gasped when several of the flagstones glowed with a lavender radiance and lifted off the ground, then quickly settled down again. Twilight turned to talk to Trixie. “Are these the same goggles…” The mare was no longer there, however. Trixie was trotting away, barking orders to those in the gallery. “Sergeant! Open the Royal Armory. Equip pegasi with any weapon that will allow them to cut the vines. You there, chef! Gather whomever you need to collect all of the grapes and transport them to the Royal Kitchens and the four food pantries in town. If there are still extra, place them in the pool in the Royal Spa. It is currently drained. You! Scary Inspector Mare! You are in charge of clearing the hallways and rooms of vines without causing further damage to the building. Permanent fixes can wait until later.” I turned to see Rainbow ascend into the clouds, a short sword held in her mouth. A few minutes later, she escorted the first long length of vine into the courtyard. When the lavender aura winked out, Rainbow rocketed back into the cloud cover and a team of earth ponies gathered the grapes and chopped the plant into more manageable pieces. Trixie encouraged those on the ground and directed where the vine segments were to be stacked at the rear of the courtyard. I felt useless with my lack of flying skills and didn’t trust myself with wielding an axe. Eventually, I was able to procure a saw, which I could use with little chance of damaging myself or others. Spirits were high and ponies broke into a work song. I don’t want to work I just want to pluck these grapes all day I don’t want to play I just want to eat these grapes all day I watched enraptured as the ponies around me all started stomping their hooves in time with each other. In fact, all their movements were in sync. Even their voices were harmonizing wonderfully as no pony missed a beat or hit a bad note. So this was the magic of Harmony in action. I could feel some echo of it in my body and soul – like I was standing just a little ways into the surf and the waves were splashing against my ankles, inviting me to go further out in the water. The song had faded away by the time Rainbow Dash and her crew pushed the final clouds away and the top of the vine was now only a hundred feet or so above us. The entire back of the courtyard was now stacked with pieces of the vine’s branches and stem. I saw a couple of lumberjack saws being carried by teams of pegasi, each at least fifty feet in length. Ponies who had delivered grapes around the city were returning and the last of the vine sections were being brought into the courtyard from the rooms in this area of the castle. The building inspector mare (I still don’t know her name) had directed her crew to bore a tunnel through the middle of a couple of the branches. That allowed ponies to pass through without removing the wood that was supporting the seriously damaged sections. When the trunk had been altogether removed, the Arbitrator directed everyone to go to the throne room for his decision. Fancy Pants, Trixie, and Twilight moved to the front of the dais, which Trixie had recently upgraded. It now included two levels with ramps instead of stairs (yay!) and cascading pools (boo!—the sound of falling water always made me feel like I needed to pee). When everypony was in their place (even Steady was present, discretely standing in the back wearing a cloak), the room became silent. I was in the front row of spectators, the other Elements of Harmony to my right and Raven Inkwell to my left. Fancy Pants stood directly in front of the throne, with Trixie on his right and Twilight Sparkle on his left. Both mares looked confident, but Trixie’s smile was relaxed while the Element of Magic’s expression showed determination. Fancy Pants spoke with poise, his voice carrying through the hall. “I have sat in judgment of these two supremely qualified mares. This challenge was brought in accordance with Alicorn Law, and in keeping with the same, I have made my decision.” Every pony in the throne room held their breath. Somehow, I felt the magic of Equestria flowing through every pony there, including myself. “By winning all three trials, Princess Trixie Lulamoon is confirmed as the rightful ruler of Equestria.” There were more than a few gasps as Trixie bowed her head to accept the platinum crown placed there by Fancy Pants’ hooves. Twilight stared wide-eyed, her mouth hanging open. As Trixie began walking up the ramp of the dais, I could clearly hear the purple alicorn’s words. “But she didn’t do the first challenge alone, and she didn’t even try the second.” Fancy Pants turned his calm gaze to Twilight. “There was nothing in the rules prohibiting assistance from other ponies. And I was judging both of you on your ability to lead and inspire the ponies around you, not merely your capacity to perform the tasks.” Trixie had reached the landing halfway up the dais. She turned around and spread her wings. All present, some quickly, some slowly, took a knee and bowed to their sovereign. The only exceptions were the two ponies directly in front of the throne. Fancy Pants stood impassively, looking at Twilight. The purple alicorn stood still, breathing heavily. Trixie said nothing, choosing to smile benevolently and wait for Twilight’s next action. Stiffly, The Element of Magic moved directly in front of Trixie. Still gulping air, she bent her knees and lowered her head until her horn and muzzle touched the red carpet. Twilight’s wide-eyed stare did not change, as if a large part of her could not believe what she was doing. “My fate is yours to command,” she said with a quavering voice. Alicorn Law was clear – there could be no bloodshed. Other than that though, Trixie could command anything of the purple alicorn, an oath of absolute loyalty being the most likely, but banishment certainly was high on the list. The newly confirmed Princess cut the dramatic moment short. “Rise, Twilight Sparkle.” With her hooves trembling, the purple alicorn did so. Trixie raised her head. “Twilight Sparkle. Element of Magic. Finest mage in generations. I call on you once again to take your rightful place defending Equestria and serving all of its ponies.” She lowered her wings and held out a hoof. “Will you join Trixie as Princess and rightful Diarch of Equestria? Will you rule with me?” Trixie’s smile was warm and welcoming. Twilight Sparkle gasped and held a hoof to her chest. I could feel the tension of the other Elements as they waited. “Yes,” replied the purple mare. “Yes, I will serve My Little Ponies as their Princess.” Trixie’s smile grew wider as Twilight climbed the ramp to stand by her left side. I saw Rarity’s aura float the Element of Magic tiara up to Trixie, who took it in her hooves and placed it on its owner’s head. The blue mare then grabbed the purple unicorn’s right forehoof and thrust it into the air. Trixie raised her wings, which were quickly followed by Twilight’s. Trixie’s magically amplified voice reverberated across the throne room. “ALL HAIL TWILIGHT SPARKLE! PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIAAAAA!” Her last drawn-out word was completely drowned out by the cheers of every mare and stallion present as they stomped, jumped, and reared. I looked through the pandemonium and caught Pinkie’s eye. She winked and I grinned. This was going to be a hell of a party. # # # # # # # # #