Dawn arrived bright and sunny the next day. Clover the Clever shielded her eyes as she glanced skyward. "Phew! It feels more like midsummer's day than the first day of the season."

"Aye," Fleetscut said. "It's goin' t'be what us hares call a bloomin' scorcher, wot!" He turned to Dotti. "How d'ye feel today, young miss? Chipper, wot?"

The haremaid's reply was summed up in two fervent words. "Flippin' famished!"

"Well, you won't be flippin' famished anymore after today!" Chancellor Puddinghead cried excitedly.

"But remember, pace yourself," Princess Platinum put in. "Don't get excited an' eat too fast. You've got to remain cool and calm."

The crowd had already gathered around the arena when Dotti's party arrived.

"Oh no, are we late?" Pansy fretted. "I thought it was supposed to start right at dawn."

"Don't worry," said Brocktree. "They can't start without Dotti."

A table with two chairs was laid in the center of the ring, bare save for two plates, two goblets, and cutlery. Dotti took the seat nearest to her. Bucko was already sitting down in the other chair, but he had his chair turned around with his back to the table so he didn't see Dotti. "Weel, it looks like the lassie hasnae shoon up," he said. "Ah guess that means ah win by default…"

"Uh, she's right there," said a hare standing next to him.

Bucko looked over his shoulder and saw Dotti waving prettily at him. "Good morrow to you, sah. Thanks awfully for getting here early and being ready, wot."

Bucko smiled sarcastically. "Och weel, better late than never, eh? All right, everybeast, clear the ring?"

The zebra referee entered the ring, followed by a line of servers pulling trolleys laden with pies, puddings, breads, salads, flans, and pasties. Her considerable voice had lost none of its volume.

"Hearken to me, goodbeasts, while I say,

The Feasting Challenge will take place today.

Contestants can eat whatever they want,

But the one thing they can't do is, they can't

Waste food by throwing it away.

And the one who eats most by the end of the day

Will win.

Begin!"

The servers began loading food onto the table. Bucko piled salad, cheese, and an onion and leek turnover onto his plate and dug in eagerly. Dotti filled her plate with salad, but forced herself to eat at a normal rate, though the ten chews per mouthful routine that her mother had enforced at home was too much for her.

By midmorning she was still maintaining her sedate pace, though she had eaten a latticed pear tart, some gooseberry crumble with meadowcream topping, two plates of vegetable salad and a plate of fruit salad. Which was only about a quarter of what King Bucko Bigbones had downed. His supporters were yelling encouragement, egging him on.

"Ye show her how 'tis done, sire!"

"Aye, scoff her under the table, yer majesty!"

Bucko downed a goblet of plum and beetroot wine. "Ah'm verra partial to plum 'n' beetroot wine. Here, server, brang me another goblet!"

Luna murmured to the other ponies, "Keep silent now. Don't encourage her to eat fast- leave that to yonder bigboned fool."

Commander Hurricane could not help shaking her head in admiration. "By the feathers, that longear king's really putting it away. He's a glutlet!"

"You mean he's a blutton, isn't that right, Cookie?"

Smart Cookie nodded, knowing it was useless to argue. "That's right, Chancellor. Look, Bucko's callin' the referee over!"

The officious zebra listened as the king registered his complaint. "Ah'm fair sweatin', ye ken- yonder sun's beatin' doon on mah heid like a furnace. Can ye no brang me a sunshade?"

The zebra replied,

"Nothing in the rules, I'm afraid,

Says that you can have a sunshade."

"Weel now, is there anythin' in the rules whit states that ah cannot have a sunshade?" Bucko demanded as he shoved fruitcake into his mouth.

The zebra considered this.

"Hmm, er, yes, well, tell you what I'll do.

If she wants a sunshade, you can have one too."

Dotti nibbled a woodland trifle thoughtfully. "No thanks, I don't need one, 'tis far too nice a day. Actually, I quite enjoy the early summer sun, don't you, marm?"

"Yes, I do," the zebra said. She turned to Bucko. "No sunshade for you."

Bucko sprayed cakecrumbs as he glowered at his opponent. "Ah'll still beat ye, miss prissypaws!" He downed another two goblets of wine, cold from the keg, thinking it would calm him down.

It was midday. The sun was beating down on both contestants. Dotti was full. She did not want to look at, smell, or taste any food that day, but she carried on, keeping up a good front, as she had been instructed by her friends. She marveled that Bucko, hot and perspiring as he was, carried on bolting down huge quantities of food. He was slopping the wine about a bit, but still going at it. Bucko, like all March hares, was unpredictable. He was wolfing his way through a strawberry shortcake when he paused and winked at Dotti.

"Ye cannae defeat me by consuming yer vittles slow. Ho, ho, ho, ah'm watchin' ye, pretty one. Weel now, two can play at that wee game, missie, ah can eat as slow as ye. Aye, an' still be settin' here taenight at sunset!"

Dotti put aside her mint tea and chose a small almond tart. For the first time, Bucko noticed that she appeared slightly disturbed. She fussed about wiping her spoon. "Then do so, sah- 'tis no concern of mine at what rate you fill your flippin' face!"

Bucko grinned triumphantly and began chewing his food slowly. He drained his goblet leisurely and picked up a honeyed scone. Slowly he chewed it, ever so slowly, washing it down with lingering draughts of wine.

Shortly before midafternoon, most of the onlookers moved into the willow shades on the streambank. Dotti plodded on with a single slice of dry bread, hating the very thought of food, her appetite completely sated.

Then the eyelids of King Bucko Bigbones started to droop. His head started to nod forward onto his chest, and a morsel of wild cherry turnover slipped from his half-open mouth. His goblet toppled gently over onto the tabletop. He did not seem to notice. The king's eyelids drooped lower… lower… then closed softly, his ears flopped forward and he started to snore.

Dotti continued eating as silently as she could, nibbling on the same piece of bread. After what seemed like an age, she saw Lord Brocktree stamp heavily across to the referee. The zebra had fallen asleep too. Abruptly she started awake to find Brocktree standing over her. She tried to regain her composure, declaiming,

"You shouldn't be here in the ring.

The only ones allowed are the challenger and king."

Brocktree nodded in silent agreement. "I know, marm, and I apologize, but from this angle you can hardly see that one of your contestants has stopped eating."

"What? What? What? Stopped eating, ye say?

Let me take a look right away!"

The zebra trotted anxiously across to the table. Dotti stopped eating her bread to point at Bucko.

"I'm terribly sorry, but this chap's been like that for quite a while now. Would you wake him, please?"

But Bucko could not be wakened. His head fell forward onto an apple pie and he lay there snoring lustily. The zebra was extremely upset. She climbed onto the table, taking care not to tread on any food, and shouted,

"Miss Dotti has won!

The Feasting is done!"

She went on to rhyme about how the king had forfeited the day by not being able to continue. King Bucko slept on, oblivious of what was going on around him. A crowd of mountain hares lifted him onto a food trolley and bore him off, still snoring, with his cheek resting in an apple pie. Defeated!

Fleetscut and Puddinghead and Hurricane leaped into the ring and set about demolishing the remainder of the feast. Dotti tried not to watch them, her eyes glazing over in disgust. "Yuurgh! How can you dreadful savages even think of food! I never want t'see another flippin' pie, bloomin' pudding, or blinkin' salad again in my young an' fatally beautiful life, d'ye hear? Get all vittles out o' my sight!"

"That's what we're trying to do," said Commander Hurricane with her mouth full of trifle. "Pass the scones an' honey, will you Fleet?"

"Pass 'em yourself- you young rips are too fast for me. A bit of respect for age, please, wot!"

Lord Brocktree's eyes twinkled as he shook Dotti's paw. "Two down, one to go, miss. That was a decisive victory, I'd say."

Celestia agreed. "It was no small thing to vanquish him at his own game, in his own court, and under his own rules. You were probably the first one to beat him at anything. You're a worthy champion!"

Dotti attempted to rise and fell back, holding her waist. "Y'mean I'm an overstuffed wreck. D'y'know, I think my ears have gone fatter!"

Platinum heaved Dotti upright, a smile hovering on her normally serious features. "Up you come! Clover, take her other paw. A good long walk until nightfall will cure you, and if that fails, there's always an old unicorn remedy for one who has overeaten, eh, Fleetscut?"

The old hare glared at her. He had not forgotten. "Take the walk, young 'un, tramp about till your bally paws feel ready to drop off. If y'don't I know what'll happen. Those horned poisoners will boil up half the woodlands in a pot an' sit on you till you drink it!"

Brocktree, Celestia, and Luna watched the haremaid totter off between the two unicorns. Celestia sat back on her flanks. "Our little Dotti, a future queen of hares. Who'd have thought it?"

The Badger Lord replied confidently, "I would, friend, that's why I chose her. That young 'un has courage, nerve, and wit. She'll make a truly perilous queen."

"But she hasn't won yet," Pansy mentioned. "She's still gotta win the Fighting tomorrow. And you read the rules. The one who wins the Fighting wins the whole thing. The other contests don't matter."

"Dotti kin do it," said Cookie.

Luna had remained quiet, not congratulating Dotti with the rest. "Is something the matter, sister?" Celestia asked.

"I can't bear to think of our Elements of Harmony in the paws of King Mortspear's son," said Luna. "Who knows what he'll do with them?"

"I know, he's probably taken over Salamandastron by now," said Brocktree.

"I haven't forgotten about Trunn," said Celestia. "But remember, the Elements can only be used for good. They won't work in the hands of an evil beast."

"And once Dotti becomes the queen, she can rally the hares and lead them to Salamandastron. Then I can take my mountain back and you can take your Elements back. Everything will be okay."

"I hope you're right," said Luna. "It seems all our hopes rest on this young haremaid."

Hurricane had finished eating and had wandered over to them. "Well, if Dotti fails, I can always challenge the king next. What was it you said, Puddinghead? I'll smack his tail with a big stick!"

And everypony laughed.