//------------------------------//
// Episode 1, Part 3 
// Story: The Princess’s Library Reopened 
// by TwiShine45 
//------------------------------//

That night, the brewery opened its doors to patrons for the first time. As in the previous season, Twilight would stand at the head of things, reading out orders and checking to ensure quality. The ten ponies had been split into five groups of two. These would run the various stations around the brewery. Each of the four main elements (earth, air, water, and fire) had its own station with potions rounding things out. Just like in a restaurant, the ponies in the library would order from a selection of Twilight’s creations. But, in addition to the regular menu, Twilight had added a very special fire spell that she’d worked closely with her brother, Shining Armor, in creating. 

When Comet and Astral threw the doors open, ponies of all kinds poured into the library, ecstatic for opening night. They came from all backgrounds and levels of interest. There were those scholarly types, intensely focused on learning Twilight’s incredibly unique spell techniques. A second group consisted of aristocrats and the very elite of Canterlot society. These ponies weren’t as interested in seeing as in being seen, but the inevitable show would act as a perfect cherry atop that particular sundae. The third group were simple curious onlookers, interested in what made Twilight’s library such a foreboding, yet fulfilling, place. 

Once the first guests had been seated, Twilight received the first orders of the evening. She turned, rapidly wished her team luck, and then began barking out tickets. The orders came fast and furious, and Twilight was even quicker with her call outs. This was overwhelming for a couple of ponies who were newer to the magical brigade system, but they pushed on and began working. For the team of Grouse Wing and Smoke Stack, on the fire station, the evening’s special turned out to be a particular bane. It was complex, requiring three or four different types of fire powder and three to four minutes of gestation just to get it to the base level. Once this was complete, five more types of fire powder and another five minutes completed the spell.

“On order, five ponies, table 35, five special fire spells!” Twilight barked as the brewery began buzzing.

“Heard! It’s gonna be…40 minutes on that!” Grouse yelled back.

“Buck that,” Twilight growled before moving over to the station. “40 minutes?! Why so long?!”

“Um…er…” Grouse stammered.

“BUCKING ANSWER ME!” Twilight screeched. “You’re prepared to tell my guests to wait 40 minutes for bucking spells, then you’d better have a bucking good reason!”

“We…erm…erm…”

“You what?!”

“We didn’t pre-gestate the fire powders before service, mage!” Smoke finally said.

“You didn’t pre-gestate the spells?” Twilight asked in shock. 

“Yes, mage!”

“So, what you’re telling me is that everypony who orders the special is going to have to wait at least 20 to 30 minutes for each one to get done?!”

“Yes, mage!”

Twilight nearly blew a fuse. Opening night was barely under way and things were already shot to pieces. By not pre-gestating the spells, Smoke and Grouse had guaranteed their station’s failure. All their mage could do was move back to the pass, levitate another ticket, and bark it out. Unfortunately, it contained three more special spells, and she was not prepared to tolerate such a long waiting period. So, she did something drastic. She used her magic to pre-gestate all the fire powder in one sitting. Normally, this would be somewhat taboo, especially in Twilight’s library. But pressure and need had conspired against her.

“There. Now your bucking fire powder’s pre-gestated. Now, for the love of Celestia, get your BIT TOGETHER!”

“YES, MAGE!”

The decision to pre-gestate the spells wound up working, but Grouse and Smoke were very much behind. Twilight sent Trust Fall, another fire mage, over from the water station to help out. Thanks to that, the team was able to push out their special spells, along with their regular ones. Unfortunately, Trust’s involvement away from water put her station partner, Dove Dawn, in a hole. The haughty young mare didn’t appreciate being placed in such a situation, especially when a flurry of water spells came flying into the brewery.

“Wakey-wakey, Dove! Let’s go!” Twilight said. “On order, four ponies, table 42, three water spells, one fire spell. Water spells requested dancing and the fire spells are a mid-flame. HEARD?!”

“HEARD, MAGE!”

“Five minutes to the window! Let’s bucking go!”

Dove was trotting around a bit, but was going much too slow for Twilight’s liking. She seemed rather incongruent with the rest of the brewery. Everypony else was rushing about, putting out spells as quickly as possible while Dove continued to lolly gag at her station. This did not get past Twilight, who was rather famous for having eyes in the back of her head. She suddenly whirled around after receiving a water spell that spit a pitifully tiny amount of liquid. To say that this level of performance was unacceptable was an understatement. Her nostrils flared as she descended upon Dove Dawn. 

“DOVE DAWN!”

“Yes, Mage Twilight?” Dove answered in a tone that sounded like she was having a conversation with an old pal. 

This only pissed Twilight off even more. “Don’t bucking dare! DON’T BUCKING DARE! Hey, witch, bucking listen to me! You send me a spell as pathetically weak as the one you just sent me and then you have the audacity to speak to me like we’re on a Sunday picnic with mother bucking mommy in the Canterlot park! Your performance tonight has been bit! GET IT TOGETHER!”

“Yes, mage,” Dove said, rolling her eyes in protest.

“HEY! MISSY!” Twilight roared as she made her way to the station, towering over the now quivering Dove. “Your attitude royally sucks! Now, either get your bit together or buck off out the front door! Your choice!”

Dove could only nod. She had no idea that Twilight could be so intimidating. The normally kind, cheerful, and sweet Princess of Friendship turned into a completely different pony within the brewery. Dove still had a lot to learn about what being a head mage was really about. The pressures demanded of such a position, especially in one of Twilight’s prestigious schools, was almost indescribable. However, Dove had one problem, and that was an insane level of pride. All her life, she’d been told that she was great. The Dawn family were well known in Canterlot for their lavish lifestyle, expansive spending, and, above all, business failures. Playing the capitalistic game had never worked out for them. However, their arrogance wouldn’t allow them to admit such things…so they kept it hidden. Dawn family members had even been jailed by Celestia for falsifying financial documents. 

Now, Dove found herself in a situation where she could win 250,000 bits and help her family. But, first, she would need to put aside her pride and push herself to become humble. For her, this was almost impossible. She saw the ponies around her as second rate pawns to be used in different schemes. She was manipulative, an excellent con artist, and was willing to do almost anything to reach the top. Her eyes flashed as she watched Twilight, jealous of the success of a Canterlot pony whose name didn’t end in Dawn. 

Someday, Twilight, Dawn mused as she worked, I’m going to run your empire…and what’s more, you’re gonna be the one handing me the keys. Mark my bucking words.