“And it is now time for our final event!”
Shining raised his voice, cheering along with the crowd, gently bouncing Flurry in a booster seat that had been procured for her. So far it had been a tight competition. Back and forth through the contests, different princesses had come out on top. The point totals stayed close, and depending on how the last competition would be scored, anyone could be the winner.
But still, after the final challenge, they would know the victor. After that, he would either be congratulating his beloved wife, consoling her, or doing something in between if she landed somewhere in the middle.
The four princesses were standing in the center of the field that had been the stage for almost every challenge so far. There were divots in the grass, a few slashes here and there, but nothing that wouldn’t heal over with some time and tender care. Starlight Glimmer was approaching the princesses, walking across the grass before eventually coming to a stop in front of them. As with everyone else, her voice was enhanced by magic, letting it be heard across the crowd.
“We’ve now come to the challenge of magic, a very ill-defined challenge,” Starlight said. “One could argue that, in the spirit of the Elements of Harmony, the last challenge should epitomize all the elements. That it should be a challenge of friendship and cooperating, but that’s also hard to judge in a reasonable amount of time. So, we’ll be getting a little creative.
“Alicorns are known for wielding powerful magic. When Tirek attempted to seize all of Equestria’s magic, he had to save the alicorn magic for last due to its raw power. It is the magic that allows Celestia to move the sun. Such an act, in centuries past, would require a group of unicorns working together at great personal cost. It is also alicorn magic that allows Princess Luna to not only guide the moon in the sky but to also guard our dreams."
Starlight raised a forehoof, sweeping it across the princesses. “This is the magic you wield, and it is an enormous responsibility. Thus, the best princess of our land should be able to use her magic to its greatest effect while also applying their knowledge and experience to a dangerous situation. So, for the last challenge… I’ve recruited some assistance.”
“Ba, Ba, Baaaaaa!” Shining jumped a little at the sudden intrusion of a new voice, and he could tell the princesses had been just as startled. Discord had popped out of Starlight’s mane, his noodly form expanding skyward like a jack-in-the-box springing out after the final needed turn of a crank. He was wearing a huge grin, and though it was faint, Shining was sure he heard Discord’s snickering continuing even after his sudden appearance. Discord being involved… Shining didn’t know whether or not to be worried or excited.
He had heard, from Spike, that Discord made O&O games very interesting.
“For this final challenge,” Starlight said, trying to keep her composure even as Discord was extracting himself from her mane, “I am not going to say how your points are scored or what your objective is. Part of this challenge is to figure out the solution and then apply it while under pressure.”
Starlight gave a nod to Discord, who was grinning ear to ear as he brought up his claw. He gave one of his trademarked claw snaps, and suddenly Shining found himself looking down at his wife and the other princesses through tinted colors. A magical barrier had appeared. The outer surface was a swirling soup of subtle hues. It made Shining think of a stained glass window that had melted and was pooling on the floor.
Shining heard another snap of Discord’s claws. He and Starlight vanished from inside the barrier, leaving behind a lingering plume of smoke. It was a plume that did not slowly dissipate into the air. It instead billowed, churned, and grew in size. Flashes of light began to come from inside the smoke, and it began to spit out little squalls of rain. It was a thunderstorm, squatting on the ground like some angry, grumbling bear.
“Now, to introduce the opposition for this challenge.” Starlight's voice filled the stadium again, even though Shining could not see from where she was speaking.
Shining’s eyes remained fixed on the cloud, though he reached out a hoof to gently pat Flurry’s head. His daughter appreciated the gesture, giggling happily, but he was doing it to be selfish. The gentle patting was helping him stay calm. Something about this last challenge was putting him on edge. The grandeur of it, the mysterious wording… Maybe he was being paranoid, but from his O&O experience, this was like the introduction of a boss fight.
Shining found his fears confirmed as a figure took shape from the billowing stormcloud, a tall and slender silhouette that lingered but for a moment before emerging from the storm.
The creature had a tall, regal form. She was as tall as Princess Celestia, lithe in form and black as the darkest night. Her mane, a mist of purple miasma, flowed with menacing intent. She wore a helmet, a chest piece, and armored shoes, all of them in a brutal blue color. Shining found himself leaning forward in his seat, and around him, he could hear other spectators gasping or murmuring in disbelief.
“Hahahahahahahaha!” Nightmare Moon cackled, the alicorn queen of the eternal night fully emerging from the storm cloud.
“Wow, you even appeared with an evil laugh.” Those words, condescending and almost disappointed, came from Princess Celestia. Shining saw she was looking at Nightmare Moon, though perhaps it was more accurate to say she was looking through Nightmare Moon, as if knowing Discord was just behind her, pulling the strings.
“Discord, this is not amusing!” Luna said, frowning at her dark reflection. “This is an insult! To bring back this… this… I am not amused!”
“And is this really the final challenge. What, do we have to face all the villains that have threatened Equestria in recent years? That hardly seems an appropriate challenge,” Celestia said, still speaking as if she was certain Discord was just hiding in the cloud.
“Oh, you aren’t getting off that easy.”
The new voice sounded like Celestia, at least to Shining’s ears, but there were tonal differences. This new voice was not warm and nurturing, like a teacher. No, it was scalding, sharp, and condescending.
Another figure emerged from the squatting thunderstorm. It was another alicorn, one of similar build to Nightmare Moon, yet vastly different in so many ways. A white coat, like white-hot metal, was clad in metal armor that glowed a dull orange like it was being kept on the verge of its melting point. The helmet upon the alicorn’s head seemed to serve a second purpose as an ornate crown and a third as a brazier. From the top of that helm, a mane of fire poured forth, its heat already causing the grass beneath the alicorn’s hooves to wither, as if baked by an unforgiving summer sun.
“Hello, Celestia… did you really think you’d be done with me that easy?” Daybreaker said, flashing a wild, murderous smile that revealed her fanged teeth.
“This… this is absurd,” Celestia said, protesting loudly as she took a step towards Daybreaker. “Discord, for one this… this thing is not even real. Daybreaker is nothing but a nightmare dreamed up by Starlight Glimmer. And what, do you expect us to… fight these dark reflections? This is obviously just some chaotic game that you convinced Starlight Glimmer into participating in, and we will have—”
“Shut up!”
A bolt of lightning surged from the cloud, one that struck Celestia. She yelped, stumbling back, making the crowd gasp. Shining too might have sucked in a disbelieving breath at the same time, though he couldn’t be entirely sure. The rest of the world, even the sense of his own body, seemed to be fading as his eyes were drawn in on what was occurring below.
“Foul!” Discord’s voice echoed across the stadium. “Combat may not begin before the bell sounds.”
“Sorry, my horn slipped,” a third, new voice said. It was another figure in the clouds, this one lingering inside the storm a bit longer. “I just felt Princess Celestia needed to be shown how serious we are. Maybe we know we’re just manifestations of chaos magic, but well… you always take pride in your work, Discord. We are as real as we ever were. Right now, in this field of magic, that Nightmare Moon is a carbon copy of the original. Daybreaker is a manifestation of Starlight Glimmer’s nightmare in all her ferocity.
“As for me, I was a very real threat. Maybe not directly to Equestria, but I would have gotten here eventually.” The third figure began to emerge from the storm. Shining saw another alicorn, a bit shorter than the others, but still at eye level with Cadance. A dark purple coat fell away to raven black wings, which were kept spread open. This alicorn bore no armor, but magic seemed to be pouring from her. Her horn radiated with a sickly, ghostly colored magic, and the same thread of energy shrouded her eyes in a devilish mask. A mask that obscured the face, but not so much that Shining didn’t feel a twist in his gut. He recognized that face. Following the flow of energy further, he saw it formed glowing lines across her wings and around her hooves. The final touch was a wild and manic mane, which stood and flowed upward, as if unable to contain all the magic within the alicorn’s body.
“What, no! Twilight, you’re not like this. Sunset Shimmer saved you,” Twilight said, looking at the alicorn that had come to a stop in front of her.
“Well, you’re such a goodie four hooves, Discord had to get creative with his source material. And yes, the original version of me was defeated by sunset Shimmer, but I am not the same. Now, I’m in Equestria, and I feel… the magic I crave all around. I will understand it all and have it all,” the mare smiled, the ghostly magic that looked to flow in her veins pulsing. “This time, Midnight Sparkle is your problem, Princess.”
Shining, almost instinctively, reached out to take Flurry Heart from her booster seat to sit between his forelegs. It lowered her head, bringing it down beneath the edge of the balcony. It made it much more difficult for her to see anything, but at the moment, Shining felt that was for the best. Luna, Celestia, and Twilight… Discord had manifested a dark reflection of each of them.
The final reveal felt like an inevitability.
And a fourth and final silhouette appeared from the smoke, stepping forward… and… it was just another Cadance. Yes, there were a few notable differences. This Cadance seemed to be a few shades darker, and her mane looked to hang straight down. She also, at first glance, looked too thin. Shining would almost say she looked malnourished, but she still moved with purpose. The second Cadance appeared and stepped forward to join the line of other dark reflections.
The stadium was quiet except for a low, constant murmur as every creature watching was trying to come to grips with what they were seeing. Shining looked at the princesses. Luna and Celestia, after the abrupt shock of lightning, had taken battle stances. Twilight looked far less prepared, having fallen back onto her haunches as she just stared at her doppelganger. And Cadance… she was standing rigid as if she was looking at something that didn’t agree with her. Shining felt it too. Something about the other Cadance just didn’t feel right, though he couldn’t put his hoof on it.
“The challenge begins at the sound of the bell.”
Starlight’s voice flowed over the stadium, doing little to disrupt the growing tension in the air. A few more moments, a few more times Shining felt his heart beating in his chest, and then he heard it. The clean, crisp sound of a ringing bell.
The four dark princesses charged, leaping eagerly forward in an all-out attack.
~~~
Cadance flared her wings, horn alighting as a barrier formed around her. It was just in time to block a burst of magic, the beam splashing against her barrier. She winced from the force, feeling the impact in her horn, but her barrier did not buckle. It held strong through the blast, and once it ended, Cadance quickly opened a hole in the front of her shield to unleash her own blast. Her doppelganger banked, using her airborne position to dodge the incoming magic. She would circle around for another attempt.
Magic was being slung in a near-constant barrage within Discord’s magic bubble. The terrain was pitted with craters and scared with troughs, each mark left by a powerful spell that had missed its mark. The dark princesses were aggressive, firing off destructive beams at every opportunity. Equestria’s true princesses were trying to fight back, but from the very first moment of the battle, they had been on their back hooves.
Celestia and Luna, believing they understood Discord’s game in some capacity, had traded. Celestia faced Nightmare Moon while Luna dueled with Daybreaker. Yet, their tactics were bearing no better results than what Cadance was using. Nightmare Moon had Celestia on the defensive, forcing her to block and dodge under a never-ending assault of blasts and lightning.
On the flip side of the coin, Luna wasn’t doing any better. Daybreaker unleashed battle tactics that could be called draconic. She was unleashing gouts of flame, cones of fire that she poured across the ground, forcing Luna to either shield or hope she could outrun the flames. Thankfully, likely because of some interference with Discord, the grass of the arena wasn’t catching fire. It would be singed, for a moment, but the damage would then slowly be undone as the grass grew back.
Twilight, who like Cadance was facing her doppelganger directly, was in less a battle of power and more a duel of knowledge. Midnight was wielding a large repertoire of spells, forcing Twilight to quickly conjure the counter charm. Midnight would conjure a spell to make vines grow from the ground, and Twilight would have to burn them back with fire. Midnight would unleash a stone cutting spray of water, and Twilight would use a chilling wind to freeze the water. Twilight was unable to get ahead of the curve, unable to turn a block into a counter-attack.
Cadance took to her wings, avoiding a broad cone blast from her doppelganger as they began to circle one another in the air. Cadance began blasting, and the dark Cadance began doing the same, the pair trading blasts back and forth while also dodging the incoming fire. Cadance knew she could aim better, that she could try getting more creative with her attacks, but her mind was unable to let go of the uneasy feeling she got from the other Cadance.
The other dark princesses each made sense in some way. Nightmare Moon, what happened when Princess Luna perverted her magic to become a living nightmare to ensure Eternal Night. Daybreaker, a version of Celestia that holds nothing back, almost reveling in unbridled power. Midnight Sparkle, the dark result of Twilight had she become addicted to learning more magic and growing more powerful with each new spell.
But her dark reflection just looked a little off in her color scheme and seemed a bit malnourished. That and she kept smiling. The grin on her face wouldn’t go away, no matter what Cadance did. It was a toothy grin, like she was looking at some tasty morsel. It was the grin of a predator ready to bite into the meal it had been hunting.
Cadance tucked her wings, going into a dive to avoid another blast from her opponent, getting to the ground before pulling up. Her hooves gently tickled the top of the grass as she flew. Looking over her shoulder, Cadance could see her opponent in pursuit. Blasts of magic started to come down towards her on the ground, throwing up chunks of the earth that, shortly after, would crawl back into place and repair themselves.
Finally, Cadance began to formulate a more concrete attack plan. After a few more jukes and dodges, she banked hard. The tip of her wing touched the ground, drawing a faint line in the grass as she made her U-turn and began flying towards her opponent. The opposing Cadance grinned and began firing her shots of magic ahead of Cadance. This started to cause debris to fly up into Cadance’s way, but it was what she was hoping for.
She landed and cast a barrier spell, letting the debris pile on top of her shield. It obscured her from view. It would only last a few short seconds before the terrain would begin to repair itself, but that was all Cadance needed. She released her barrier, letting the dome of dirt and grass support its own weight for a few moments as she cast a teleportation spell. She popped out of existence and reappeared above the other Cadance.
The other Cadance was charging her magic, preparing to fire at the moment her prey appeared. This gave Cadance the window she needed, unleashing her spell. She struck the dark princess square in the back, landing the first real hit of the battle. The other Cadance fell, flopping to the ground and laid still. Cadance knew it was just a construct of magic, just some game of Discord’s, but… she couldn’t deny a pang of regret ran through her heart at the thought she had injured some living creature so badly.
So, Cadance flew down towards her dark reflection, trying to keep a spell in her horn on a hair-trigger. She had to be sure she had defeated her opponent before she could consider trying to go and help the other princesses.
She landed gently on the grass and remained a few steps away from the other Cadance. The fake princess did not move or twitch. There was no magic building in her horn. Even if she sprang up suddenly, she’d be unable to prepare a spell fast enough to beat the one Cadance already had prepared.
What was even supposed to happen once they defeated one of the dark princesses? Were they just supposed to lay like this on the ground, or were they supposed to disappear? Cadance lited a hoof and dared to take one more step forward.
The other Cadance twitched, snapping her head up with an almost sickening crack. She hissed, a glob of something shooting out of her mouth. Cadance unleashed her prepared blast of magic, but when it struck the incoming glob, it only managed to cut it in half. Part of the glob sailed past Cadance, but the other half struck her forehoof. It was sticky, goopy, and green as a venomous toad. Yet, already the goop was hardening, encasing Cadance’s hoof.
Cadance had seen goop like this before, and she looked in horror as her other self stood up. Her head was turned the wrong way, but with another sickening crack, the other Cadance managed to turn her head forward again. Then a ring of fire enveloped her, burning away the muted tones of pink to reveal black and green.
For a moment Cadance was sure she saw Queen Chrysalis, but no… the changeling queen in front of her did not have the right build. The face was still Cadance’s, even though it now hissed with sharp teeth.
The final piece of the puzzle fell into place for Cadance. Who was Luna without compassion? A brutal queen of the night who gladly caused nightmares. Who was Celestia without control? An unbridled wildfire that would burn everything up in its path. Who was Twilight without friendship? Someone so obsessed with magic that she became defined by it.
Who was Cadance without love? A love-starved changeling who was willing to take love from every other living creature.
Luna yelped as her wing was struck. The fleshy parts of her wing were fine, but her primary flight feathers were burned. No matter how she flapped, she could feel herself tumbling towards the ground. She scrambled her hooves and called on her magic, even as she felt more pillars of flame erupting in her direction. She had to turn her magic to create a shield, even as she tried to right herself. She was going to crash.
Though the crash came sooner than even Luna anticipated.
Something slammed into her, a larger body that sent her tumbling horizontally. She rolled and fell with this mass of white, the pair of them eventually landing and bouncing off the grassy terrain. Luna’s world spun. She ached all over, but as her senses began to regain their focus, she was able to see what had slammed into her.
“Sister!” Luna yelped, quickly working to separate herself from Celestia.
“Hey! Watch where you’re throwing your trash. You made me miss!” This bellow came from Daybreaker, who was now flying over and glaring down NIghtmare Moon.
“You were not going to finish her,” Nightmare Moon snapped back. “She was moments from recovering her balance. You should be thanking me for seizing the opportunity you were about to throw away.”
Luna managed to get to her hooves, and with a nudge and nuzzle, was able to help Celestia do the same. “This… is not going well,” Luna said, panting as their attackers’ argument gave them a moment’s respite.
“No… no it's not,” Celestia said, using a touch of magic to wipe the sweat from her brow. “You were truly frightening as Nightmare Moon sister. If I did not have the Elements of Harmony a thousand years ago, you would have surely defeated me.”
“Yet if you had been willing to fight like Daybreaker, then I feel my attempted coup would have been burned to cinders before it started,” Luna said as they stood next to one another. Yet, even as they stood, finding comfort in one another, their dark forms continued to bicker and argue. And in that, Luna saw an opportunity.
“Sister, each of these dark princesses, on the surface, share a common goal.” Luna dared to glance away from Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon a moment, to inspect her wing and ensure it was no longer smoldering. “Yet, to my eyes, that is but a coincidence. They each have a goal to conquer and destroy, but each goal belongs only to the one who holds it. For if they all had a shared goal, then in the first moments of the battle their wisest move would have been to focus a single target. If they could knock even one of us out, the battle swings in their favor. But they did not do that.
Finished inspecting the damage to her primary feathers, Luna focused back on Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon. “Each fight with their own goals, their own motivation. While they are truly frightful, I would not call them a truly unified force.”
Celestia glanced at Luna, then back to Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, still arguing. Still, foolishly, giving their opponents respite as their hatred for one another seemed all-consuming. Celestia began to smile. “Starlight Glimmer claimed at the start that creating a challenge to judge friendship and cooperating was difficult, that such a concept was hard to judge in a reasonable amount of time. Yet, she did not say it was impossible, did she, Luna?”
“I recall her making no such claim, Sister.” Luna nodded with a smirk, she and Celestia adjusting their stances so they stood shoulder to shoulder. “We must each be strong enough to face and defeat our dark desires, to overcome the weaknesses and temptations that come with our powers and position. But, as with much in life, no one said such trails had to be faced alone.”
“Friends and family can stand beside you and support you as you face your demons.” Luna saw Celestia’s horn beginning to glow as the pair of them drew closer to Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon, who now seemed to be taking notice of the approaching princesses. “This is Equestria’s strength.”
“It is a strength shared by its royal princesses.” Luna began forming magic at the tip of her horn as well. Though she and Celestia had not spoken it, Luna could tell what spell Celestia was going to cast and knew just how to compliment it.
Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon landed, glaring and roaring as they prepared spells of their own. Luna could see the flames flickering from Daybreaker’s mouth while Nightmare Moon’s horn sparked with lightning. Fire and lightning, powerful attacks but not ones that would readily mix.
“I am Princess Celestia of the Day!”
“I am Princess Luna of the Night!”
“And we will not—”
“— condone your existence —”
“Anymore!”
Luna heard Celestia echo, their voices intertwining and mixing just as their magic did. They each released a blast of magic from their horn, but the spells quickly began to spiral together, spinning like the tip of a drill bit.
Daybreaker and Nightmare Moon unleashed their spells, a torrent of fire and a cascade of lightning, but the spiraling beam of magic pierced through the maelstrom of elements. Nightmare Moon and Daybreaker were both struck head-on. They tumbled backward, skipping and bouncing across the grass. For a brief moment, the two dark princesses even seemed to fade from existence. The semi-transparency didn’t last, but it was the first sign that the doppelgangers had truly been hurt.
“It would seem two princesses of Equestria were not enough,” Celestia said.
“Perhaps it wasn’t,” Luna answered before flashing a smile at Celestia. “Good thing we’re not the only two.”
Twilight’s brain ached. Again and again, she had to dip into her knowledge of spells, remembering things both well studied and barely glanced at. The library that was her intellect was in shambles, a swamp of misplaced books and scattered papers that had been removed from their shelves.
All just to defend herself from Midnight Sparkle.
Her raven winged reflection was already preparing another spell, colors swirling. The last time Twilight remembered being pushed to her mental limit like this, it had been when she was trying to stop Starlight. Even then, there were respites. Though she would often jump back into the fray quickly, using the time travel spell to leap back to the moment of Rainbow Dash’s race, Twilight could take a moment to rest and prepare her next strategy.
Midnight offered Twilight no such respite. The variety of spells came as an unending onslaught. Twilight had been just forced to deflect a deflection spell that Midnight had somehow focused into a beam attack, and it took remembering a vague reflection spell that she had seen cast only once to counter it. Twilight still wasn’t sure she had cast it right, but it had been enough to block that particular attack.
But hastily or poorly assembled spells were draining. It took more magic to keep them together, and Twilight was feeling the physical strain on top of her mental fatigue. And Midnight was already preparing her next attack. Something with three colors of magic, swirling in a corkscrew. A tri-balanced beam attack. Another very complex and high-level attack spell, one where the caster braided three-beam attacks together.
To block it, Twilight would need to not only figure out how to counter each beam, but she’d have to know how Midnight was braiding them together. It could have just been a swirl, the three beams rotated around one another, or it could be an actual braid, with the different kinds of beams interleaved in a specific pattern. Or maybe Midnight was mixing them all together in an entirely different way. Maybe she was using some method that Twilight herself didn’t know, or at least at the moment, couldn’t remember.
The beam was coming. Midnight was grinning ear to ear as she unleashed her latest attack. Twilight’s eyes darted, but her brain felt foggy. Her vision blurred. It was too much… it was just too much. She couldn’t keep up. This was the attack… after blocking so many, this was the one that was going to get through. She just couldn’t think anymore.
Her eyes closed, she crumbled. The beam was going to hit soon. Her horn could feel the impending surge of energy. With her eyes shut, she could sense some of the nature of the beam. A ray of heat and a ray of cold… opposing temperatures. You’d either burn or freeze if you didn’t block both beams. Normally such beams would collapse into one another and neutralize, but the third beam in the braided attack was somehow separating them.
Yet, as Twilight tried to grasp what was going on, her sense of the attacks suddenly disappeared. She instead sensed warm magic, like a summer day dancing on her horn and forehead. The magic, so familiar and comforting, made Twilight open her eyes. Though it took her a moment to focus, a smile spread on her face as she registered who was standing in front of her, blocking the incoming attack.
“Princess Celestia!”
“Twilight, are you all right?” Celestia asked as she kept them surrounded in a bubble barrier.
“I’m… sorry, I just couldn’t out-think her.”
Celestia chuckled, managing to bend down and nuzzle the side of Twilight’s face, encouraging her to stand back on her hooves even as she maintained the barrier. “You are brilliant, Twilight. The fact you were able to go blow for blow for so long is a testament to that. But, I do believe you are overthinking it a little bit.”
Twilight blinked, forcing her senses to stay in focus as she stood next to Celestia, feeling safe in the shadow of her shield magic. Midnight was raging outside, trying to blast through the barrier, but at the moment was unable to breach it.
“What’s the biggest danger of complicated spells? Of things that have to be woven and carefully balanced? It’s one of the first lessons you learned at my school.”
Twilight had to blink a few times, her mind still aching. Still, she fumbled through her memories to recall that particular lecture, such a simple thing. She learned no spells that day, but just concepts of magic that she had, largely, internalized into her day to day thinking.
“It takes time.” Twilight listened as she spoke those words, rolling them in her mouth. “It… takes time. It takes… it takes time!” Twilight’s mind decluttered in an instant as if suddenly seeing the very clear exit signs scattered about a complex labyrinth.
Celestia smiled and began to lower her barrier. A few moments before, Twilight might have shouted at her for being so foolish, but instead, she stepped forward and glared down Midnight.
“Oh, done hiding behind Celestia’s flank!” Midnight called out, spreading her wings. “Well then, let’s see you try and stop this!” Midnight called on her magic, starting to weave and form a ball of energy in front of her.
Twilight cast the simplest beam spell she could, shooting it through the ball of energy. The energy popped, the amassed magic inside exploding and sending Midnight flying to the far side of the enclosed space.
“The simplest answer,” Twilight said, looking back at Celestia and smiling. “I guess I do overthink things once in a while.”
“That tendency to overthink is, I fear, something I helped you learn,” Celestia said as she walked up to Twilight. “But I know, in time, your wisdom will come to outshine even my own. Just as it is your wisdom, your lessons of friendship, that will help us beat this challenge. All we need—”
A sharp shout drew Twilight and Celestia’s attention. They saw the changeling queen Cadance rocket past them to slam into a nearby part of the protective dome.
“— is Luna and Cadance,” Celestia said, smiling as she watched Luna and Cadance come from the same direction as the changeling queen. The four princesses of Equestria stood together. They were all looking a bit worn down, a bit exhausted, but together they were all smiling.
“So, who should we deal with first?” Luna asked.
“Well, I’d like Flurry to be able to watch the end of this contest. If I know Shining, he’s been hiding her away from having to see me fight the very buggy version of myself.”
“Yeah, that does sound like my brother. That and it makes certain tactical sense. She is the closest.” Twilight turned, looking over her shoulder to see the changeling queen Cadance just barely starting to pick herself up off the ground.
“Then, shall we, princesses?” Celestia asked as she began to stride forward.
“Yes,” Twilight said, her voice joined by Luna and Cadance as the four of them began to move on the downed dark princess.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Nightmare Moon fell, marking the final defeat of the dark princesses. Starlight smiled at the four princesses as she and Discord moved onto the field. She was carrying in her magic a large golden trophy, one that was engraved with the words “Best Princesses.”
“And that’s the end of this challenge!” Starlight announced to the stadium, causing the applause to grow even louder. Ponies were stomping their hooves, raising their voices. Truly, it had been a moment when many in Equestria got to witness their four princesses triumphing over the forces of evil.
“And I should congratulate all of you for doing so well in the challenges,” Starlight continued as she came to a stop in front of the four princesses. “You have each shown your strengths and abilities, and thus have proven you are each the best in your own way. For Equestria to single out just one of you as best in all things is unfair to the accomplishments you have all achieved and will continue to achieve.
“Yes, every creature of Equestria might look up to one of you in particular. We might relate to you more than the others. And yes, in the future, there might be other silly, misinformed popularity polls. But I hope that you four and the rest of Equestria never forget how lucky we are to have all four of you leading and protecting our country.
“So, after speaking with the rest of the judges, we hereby wish to award all four of you with the 'Best Princess,' title.” Starlight’s magic flared, and suddenly the singular trophy became four. Each trophy had been etched with dozens of different words and phrases, each one something a particular princess was best at. Celestia’s, for example, mentioned she was the best cook of the four princesses. Twilight had the honor of being the best at reading. Cadance was the best foalsitter and Luna was the best at sculpting.
“And all together, I think I speak for all of Equestria when I say, you four are the best rulers that any nation could ever hope for.”
Each princess took their trophy from Starlight’s grip, looking over the engraved metal before smiling and looking to one another. In a single fluid motion, the four princesses moved into a group hug, Celestia’s large form encompassing the other three while Luna and Cadance hugged Twilight. Looking over her shoulder, Starlight saw even Discord was a little teary-eyed, using what looked like a piece of bread to dry his eyes.
Maybe Starlight had worried about trusting Discord to help with the last challenge, but in the end, she couldn’t argue with the results. The Best Princess challenge was ended, a friendship lesson was learned, and hopefully, no one else would think to post a “Best Princess” poll in a magazine again for a long time.
“Yak disagree!”
Starlight, Discord, the princesses, and every creature in the crowd all turned their heads as four figures stepped into the stadium. At the front of the group was Prince Rutherford, stomping forward and leaving distinct hoofprints in the soil. Behind him was Dragon Lord Ember, Queen Novo, and Prince Pharynx.
“Pony princesses are good, but yaks are best, so yak prince is the best ruler. Simple logic.”
Starlight quickly teleported to the far side of the princesses. “When did all of you get here?”
“Not long after it started,” Queen Novo said. “My niece, Silverstream, overheard you talking about the best princess contest. She told her friends, and then we all heard from our respective students.”
“And we all ended up showing up at the same time, so we decided to watch together. It was actually pretty entertaining, especially that last challenge,” Ember said, smiling. “Didn’t know you ponies could be so epic when you fight.”
“But then you say your rulers best. Your rulers not best! Yaks prove it!” Prince Rutherford said with a stomp.
Ember took a firm stance, clenching a claw as fire flared from her nostrils. “Dragons will prove it!”
“I mean, not to point claws, but I managed to keep all my citizens safe from the Storm King. In fact, my daughter had to help bail your flanks out,” Novo said. “So, yeah, maybe I’d like to prove a point too.”
Starlight looked over the three other rulers, then let her gaze flick to Pharynx. “What about you?”
“Thorax thought it’d be good for me to work with other rulers,” Pharynx answered, gesturing to a part of the crowd. King Thorax and several changelings were filing into an open section, holding up signs to support Pharynx. “That and this is the most exciting thing I’ve had to do in a while. So, yeah, I’m in too.”
Starlight turned her head back to Equestria’s four princesses, who had assembled into a singular unit against the other nations. Starlight felt her stomach sink a moment, seeing the competitive fire flaring in the eyes of all four princesses.
Starlight felt Discord swoop around her, the draconequus resting his chin on his paw. “What do you say Starlight, same time again tomorrow?”
Starlight glanced back and forth, flicking her eyes between the two opposing lines of royalty. “This… is either going to turn into another friendship lesson or an international incident. You know that, right?”
Discord nodded. “Yes, but you can’t say it won’t be exciting.”
Starlight sighed, hung her head a moment, but then smiled. “No, I suppose I can’t.”
And thus began the yearly tradition of the international best ruler competition.