Ponies tightly packed together flowed through Canterlot’s street. Their current was directed by guards set up to block alleyways, keep the crowd from disturbing stores, and look out for any suspicious individuals or activity.
Shining Armor stood on a roof that overlooked one of several major checkpoints, watching the crowd below move along. At the same time, he was constantly getting new reports relayed to him and he was replying in kind. In the brief intermissions between watching the streets below and checking in with the guards under his command, he glanced at where all the citizens were headed.
Even from this distance, he could make of the tiers of the grand arches that composed the outer face of the Canterlot Colosseum. With seating five times that of the nearby Wonderbolts Racecourse, it was the largest sports and entertainment venue in Equestria. For centuries up to the present, it served only three purposes though: the Provisional Hero Licensing Exam, the Professional Hero Licensing exam, and the CSGP Sports Festival. The attendance from just these three events was enough to finance the colosseum.
Velvet and Night Light shuffled along with the rest of the crowd. Both were glad for the shade the scheduled clouds for the day provided since, despite having gotten up early to see Twilight off, they still had to go through regular security like everypony else. Glancing up for a second, Velvet noticed a pair of Wonderbolts zip over them and around the colosseum.
At the same time Velvet watched the Wonderbolts zoom off, Night Light spotted faces that were familiar from the papers. Nearby, the heroine Gaia corralled ponies into orderly lines with the help of a few tree groves she summoned up. Further away, he saw strange glowing tribal signs direct ponies into lanes. Amidst all the different colored ponies, the stark black and white stripes of Zecora, the Hornless Mage, stood out amongst the sigils she cast. Night Light had no doubt other pro heroes were scattered through the crowd and helping control it.
Elsewhere, Donut Joe munched on his namesake. “Sheesh, the rush is usually when the third years are up… guess the WTF incident has got ponies interested in the first years.”
Making their way forward, Velvet and Night Light came to the final regular security checkpoint and the only one that was clearly marked to be noticed by the public at large. When Velvet lifted her saddle bags off her back, she pulled two tickets out of them. All around her, ponies were flashing similar pieces of paper, but while theirs were green, Velvet and Night Light’s were gold.
After checking their bags and temporarily sealing their magic, the guard told the pair to move ahead and then turn right at the first chance. He also told them to keep their tickets out. Following his instructions, the pair moved with the crowd until they made the turn and found themselves in a slightly less crowded hallway. Ahead of them was another checkpoint with two guards standing before a velvet rope.
“Pretty nice treatment, eh?” asked a stallion in a straw hat and a flower print shirt. A mare with a visor sticking out of her beehive mane stood at his side.
Night Light thought they looked familiar, but he couldn’t place from where. Then, he saw the three footballs on the stallion’s flanks. He gasped, “You’re Hondo Flanks!”
“Woah, woah.” Hondo flexed a leg down. “No need to yell. Plus, my days in the spotlight are over. It’s my daughter’s time to shine.”
“Literally,” his wife, that Night Light now recognized as Cookie Crumbles, chuckled. She smiled at Night Light and Velvet and extended a hoof out to them. “Cookie Crumbles, pleasure to meet you.”
The four were halfway through introductions when they reached the rope. After a momentary pause to show their tickets, the group continued with pleasantries.
“Ah, so your daughter’s the one that helped take down that dragon,” said Hondo. “We owe her a bit since our Rarity frequents the shopping district and was unfortunately there that day.”
“Not that she couldn’t handle protecting herself and Sweetie,” Cookie beamed.
Night Light found himself tripping on his tongue. Here was Hondo Flanks, the Implacable Stallion, making small talk with him. To his relief, Velvet was able to stay a bit more composed and was even sharing a laugh with Cookie.
Past the rope was another turn and then a set of steps that led up into open air. Night Light took a breath, glad not be pressed up against walls and other ponies. Just a few yards ahead of him was the center of the colosseum. Glancing back and up, he took note of the rest of the parents’ section and then further above where the private boxes were. One box in particular was graced with golden pillars and regal purple curtains that hid its occupants from view save for when the Princesses wanted to make their appearance known.
Velvet gave him a poke in the side. “Move along, dear. You can look around when we have seats.”
“Right.” Night Light shook his head. “Really incredible to be here.”
“Yep.” Hondo took a whiff of the air. “Brings back good times.”
The group moved along until they came to a set of four open seats by a pegasi couple. Both pegasi were adorned with faded hats and foam pointers emblazoned with a cloud shooting out a bolt of tri-colored lightning. Despite the shabby props, they both wore wide grins.
Night Light decided to extend out a hoof to the stallion of the pair. “Morning. Night Light, nice to meet you.”
“Morning!” the rainbow maned stallion exclaimed. He grasped Night Light’s leg and gave it a vigorous shake. He did the same to Velvet. “Name’s Bow. Bow Hothoof. You ready to see my little girl crush the competition?”
“Depends,” Night Light answered. “Is your daughter in Class 1-A or 1-B?”
“1-A,” replied the mare. She then extended a hoof out and mimicked her husband’s salutation. “Windy Whistles, pleasure to meet you.”
“Twilight Velvet,” said Velvet.
“Twilight…” Windy rolled the name on her tongue for a second before jabbing a hoof at Velvet. “Oh! Is your daughter Twilight Sparkle? Our little Dashie has got quite the rivalry going against her!”
“She’s got a what?” Velvet gasped.
Windy blushed and lowered her head. “Sorry, sorry. Got a little overexcited there and Rainbow probably wouldn’t want us saying too much, but she’s made it sound like she really admires your daughter’s skill.”
“She usually just has her eyes on other flyers, so we were pretty surprised too,” Bow added.
Velvet furrowed her brow. “Twilight has mentioned a very powerful pegasus… hopefully, she’ll bring all these friends she talks about over sometime.”
“Or to our place,” said Cookie. “We’ve got more than enough room.”
Night Light could only imagine what Hondo’s house was like. He was certain he had seen it reported in a few magazines. Focusing back on Twilight, he mentioned, “She does have those study parties set up for finals already, after all.”
“Ah, completely forgot!” Hondo chuckled. “Rarity mentioned those too.”
Bow opened his mouth to say something but then raised a hoof and waved it over his head. “Oi! Swirly! Blossom! Grab a seat next to us! We’ll make this the 1-A winners’ row!”
Night Light glanced back to see who Bow was gesturing at and spotted a pair of timid-looking pegasi: one a light green stallion with a swirl of a pink mane and the other a creamy yellow mare with flower earrings.
“Good to see you,” Swirly murmured as he and Blossom shuffled over the empty seats next to Cookie. “Oh, um, hello, pleasure to meet you all, I’m Swirly Shy and this is my wife, Blossom.”
“N-nice to meet you,” Blossom stuttered. “Sorry, a little jittery.”
“I can relate,” Velvet sighed. When she introduced herself, their eyes widened.
“Oh,” said Blossom. “Your daughter must be the one that ours has been raving about. We’re so glad Fluttershy has made such a good friend.”
“Sounds like our daughters know how to pick ‘em,” Bow chuckled. He then turned his head down and sighed, “Wish Dashie was that talkative about school.”
“I’m sure she’ll come around…” Swirly had mimicked Bow with a lowered head, but he raised it and displayed a small smile. “Let’s root hard for them today.”
“Right!” all the other parents cheered.
A few rows back, a purple stallion in a stately cloak took a seat. His neighbor’s sequin vest and silver trimmed cape stood in contrast with the stallion’s more reserved attire. Both were unicorns and they greeted each other with a smile despite their clashing styles.
“Surprised to see you here, Jack. I thought you and Big were on tour.”
“Oh, we are, Firelight, but I’m pulling a personal disappearing act to see my daughter in action,” replied the showily dressed stallion. His grin pressed into a thin line. “I’m really curious to see how she fares against your ‘Glimmy-wimmy’ if they divvy up the classes.”
Firelight let out a hearty laugh. “Want to bet on that?”
“I am familiar with the odds from working in Las Pegasus so much.”
“I’m willing to take that bet.” Jack Pot and Firelight looked to their left to see a mare with a fiery short-cut mane that clashed with her ocean blue coat. “My Sunset is no slouch, and she’s not losing to any other class.”
“My, my,” Firelight mused, “I presume you’re Ms. Shimmer?”
Twinkle Shimmer snorted and planted herself next to Firelight. “I’m just here to see my girl knock this out of the park.” In an undertone she muttered, “Better not lose her head this time.”
~~~
“Ohmigosh!” Pinkie exclaimed. She zipped around the prep room below the stands asking, “Are you excited? Are you ready? I’m super ready!”
Maud held up a leg and managed to stop Pinkie.
“Oh, right.” Pinkie took a breath. “Gotta save up my energy for the real deal.”
Nearby, Fluttershy and Spike did some stretches. Twilight stood by them but instead of stretching, she brought a hoof close to her chest when she inhaled and circled it out when she exhaled.
“Hey.” Dash’s sharp tone seized Twilight, Spike, and Fluttershy. Her eyes were focused but not to the level of piercing and her lips were pressed into a neutral line that rivalled Maud’s. Pinkie kept an eye on the group and lifted a leg to get between Dash and Twilight, but Maud held her back and shook her head. Sunset continued with her own stretches, but kept an ear turned toward the discussion.
Dash huffed, pushing up a tuft of her mane. She raised a leg and pointed it straight at Twilight. “This time, I won’t fall for any tricks. I’m stronger than you, Twilight. I’m faster. Don’t think just because Princess Celestia has her eye on you that changes anything. I will beat you.”
“Rainbow…” Fluttershy started to plead but Twilight stepped forward.
“Rainbow Dash.” Twilight faced her head on. “I’m not sure what’s driving you, but it’s not healthy. You’re strong, and so is everypony else. Objectively, I probably get outpaced by a lot of the class…”
Spike put a claw on Twilight’s side. “Hey, no need to be that hard on yourself.”
Twilight brushed Spike’s claw off and refocused her gaze on Dash. “Everypony here is aiming to succeed here, so I’m going for it too, with everything I’ve got!”
Twilight enunciated her declaration with a stomp. Flecks of rainbow tinted her irises. Dash took a breath and remained composed. “Right…”
~~~
“Heeeeyyyyyy!” Vinyl’s voice rang through the colosseum. The crowd went quiet and turned their heads up to a box that was dwarfed only by the royal suite. Vinyl sat in one of the seats while a shadowy substance in the rough shape of a unicorn’s head floated above the seat next to her. “I hope you folks are reaaaaaddddy! It’s time for CSGP’s Sports Festival to start!”
Vinyl allowed the roar of the crowd to swell and then die down before she turned to her co-host. “And with me is the Nightmare Knight himself, Tantabus! He took a beating for his students, but he’s here today to offer his commentary! What an outstanding pro!”
While the crowd cheered, Tantabus grumbled to Vinyl, “I’m not that big on public appearances, you know.”
Before Vinyl could reply, Tantabus addressed the colosseum with his own booming voice. Chills went through some members of the audience. “I’m pleased to be here today. This year’s festival is a chance to show what the next generation of heroes is made of. I have high hopes for all the participants.”
“And I’m sure you’re rooting for your class to do well too!” Vinyl teased.
“As a teacher, yes, I do want to see my students succeed,” Tantabus answered in a blunt tone. “I want all the School’s students to do well though. That matters more than playing favorites just based on class.”
“Wow, not mincing words,” Vinyl chuckled. “Better be ready for some biting commentary, folks! Anyway, here they come!”
Doors at the bottom of the colosseum opened. Twilight strode out alongside her friends and classmates. Rarity’s eyes glistened, taking in the sights and sounds. Spike wore a similar expression, but his wonder dimmed when he spotted some ponies glaring at him and whispering to their neighbors. Applejack had to force her jaw from slacking.
“There’s Class 1-A!” Vinyl cheered. The crowd roared in approval.
Pinkie hopped at the head of the group, repeating, “So excited! So excited!”
Sunset marched forward, eyes on the massive marble ring that took up the majority of the arena. Dash matched her intensity, but her eyes scanned the crowds until the group came to a stop by a smaller stage on the opposite side from where they had entered. There were three raised platforms on the stage. Applejack’s gaze focused on the highest platform. Many of her classmates shared the fixation.
“And here comes Class 1-B!” Cheers once more went up.
Class 1-B came up next to Class 1-A with Starlight in the lead. Unlike Pinkie, she marched in a rote step that was matched by Trixie, Lightning, and Suri. Wallflower and Coco followed after them but kept their attention on the ground. Blueblood’s group tried to push ahead to be at the front of the class, but every time they neared Wallflower, their pace slowed enough to keep them in the middle. Their jostling did succeed in pushing back Junebug, Roseluck, Golden Harvest, and Thunderlane. Mudbriar was at the very end. Coincidentally, Maud was also at the tail of Class 1-A.
“Let’s also give a round of applause to our Management and Costuming Branches!” For a third time, applause rang through the crowd. Twilight spotted two sections that were not caught up in the cheers. Everypony in those sections appeared around her age and almost all of them had a notepad and pencil in hoof or floating beside them.
“Now…” A new voice drew attention to the stage in front of the classes. When Cheerilee stepped forward in her full hero attire, Twilight’s jaw nearly dropped. Many other students responded in a similar manner. Spike and Rarity shook their heads. She whipped her cat-o-nine-tails against the stage. “Let’s get started!”
“She’s fine with wearing that in public?” Applejack wondered aloud.
“So…” One of Rarity’s eyes twitched. “So garish.”
“She’s Heat Stroke?” Twilight gasped.
“Is that really okay to wear at an event like this?” Junebug asked Roseluck.
“I’m not getting into another clothing argument,” Roseluck sighed. “Do you really want Suri and her lapdog breathing down our necks again?”
“At least I don’t think Coco would come up with something like that,” said Thunderlane. He glanced up. “Suri… not so sure.”
Cheerilee smacked the stage again. “Eyes forward! Your teachers taught you that, right?”
Everyone got a chill when she grinned at them.
“No need to get stressed,” Cheerilee chuckled. “Before we get onto the first round, let’s have our student representative give the athlete’s oath! Ms. Sunset Shimmer, if you would please step forward!”
Twilight felt her stomach drop watching Sunset ascend the steps, but sighed, “Well, I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise.”
“W-what do you mean, Twilight?” Fluttershy quibbled.
“The athlete’s oath for the first years is traditionally given by whoever places first in the entrance exams,” Twilight explained. She bit her lip. “I just hope she doesn’t go all out.”
Sunset marched to the center of the platform. She sensed the air directly in front of her was distorted, a testing exhale that echoed across the colosseum revealed that there was an enchantment on it. Sunset scanned over the attendants and then down at her fellow students. She opened her mouth but paused for a second and then glared daggers straight at Class 1-B. “Make no mistake, I am taking first place.”
Everyone in Class 1-A save for Dash and Maud paled. Many in Class 1-B scowled.
“How brazen,” Blueblood mused with an upturned muzzle. “I suppose I’ll need to knock her down a few pegs before courting her.”
“It’s unbecoming,” Jet Set muttered.
“Quite,” Upper Crust added.
“Don’t get cocky!” Golden Harvest shouted. “Especially Applejack!”
“Huh?” Applejack exclaimed. “What’d I do?”
“Heh.” Starlight’s posse turned to her. “Quite the confident one. I’m looking forward to crushing her.”
“Wait…” Suri’s eyes narrowed. “That wasn’t you putting words in her mouth?”
“She repelled me,” Starlight answered while watching Sunset leave the stage. “That was all her.”
When Sunset strode back over to her class, they parted to distance themselves from her. She responded with a snort. Twilight was far enough away that she did not need to move, and she kept her eyes on Sunset.
She’s changed, Twilight thought. Still had to get the other class’s ire, but before this summer, she would have been way more boisterous.
“Now, now,” Cheerilee chuckled. “This is a chance to have fun. Speaking of which, let’s get to showing you what’s in store for your first round!”
A blinding flash went off a few yards to the left of the stage. When everyone’s eyes cleared, an array of polished single-rider, single-hitch chariots stood nearby. They glistened in the early morning sun. All of them bore CSGP’s mark and the royal emblem.
“Get on your marks!” Cheerilee exclaimed. “Our first round is a three-lap race around the center of the arena. Pair up with whoever you want, though I’m betting you’ll want to stick with your classmates. The first eight pairs to cross the finish line move onto the next round! Now, get set up, get ready, and go!”