Tonight was the night of the annual Worst Baker in Equestria Competition. In order to pass the time, Twilight Sparkle busied herself about her library, or at least she tried to. The library had already been cleaned and dusted. The books had been placed back on their shelves and organized. Even the tables had been polished to the point that Twilight could use them as mirrors—which couldn’t possibly be good for the wood. Wherever Spike had vanished to this morning, he had left no chore undone. He definitely wanted to be on Twilight’s good side for some reason. With no actual work needing to be done, Twilight instead focused on packing her saddlebags and planning for the quickly approaching festivities.

Twilight wouldn’t need much for tonight. Just a couple books for reference, some note paper, a bundle of quills, and a jar of ink. Maybe more than one color of ink in case she wanted to add some cross references or personal thoughts to her notes. Actually, she would probably need more paper than this, but that would require more space that she could only get by leaving one of her books behind. Twilight sighed in frustration as she dumped out her bags and tried again. It was after her third attempt at optimizing her bag space that there was a knock on the library’s front door.

Being interrupted was a blessing: it meant that Twilight could finally start enjoying the evening instead of trying to over pack her bags. Twilight levitated her saddlebags onto her back and headed downstairs. She opened her front door and was greeted by Applejack and Fluttershy’s smiling faces. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were standing in between her friends, also smiling but in a ‘please hurry up so we aren’t late’ way.

“Oh,” Twilight said, slightly confused. “Aren’t the others with you?”

“We didn’t see Rarity or Pinkie on our way over,” Fluttershy said. “We were, um, hoping they would already be here.”

“Well, it’s only me. Spike vanished this morning along with his ticket.”

“Oh, I hope he’s alright.”

“I’m sure he’s fine,” Applejack said. “If he took his ticket, then he musta been plannin’ on being gone the whole day. I’d be more worried about Pinkie Pie. With how excited she’s been this past week, I’m findin’ it hard to believe she wasn’t the first of us here.”

“That’s true,” Twilight said. “We’ll just have to go check on them ourselves.”

Carousel Boutique was in a state of disarray when Twilight and the others arrived. Clothing and accessories flew across the room—only some of them by magic. A bored looking Sweetie Belle sat against a wall, trying not to touch anything.

“Perhaps the green one?” Rarity asked herself as a green dress levitated between her and a mirror. “Ugh, no. Green definitely isn’t my color. Maybe red?”

Sweetie Belle took notice of the newcomers and rushed over. “Guys, help!” she said. “She’s been at this for hours.”

Rarity turned around and looked at her friends. Her face lit up, and she rushed over. “More opinions, just what I needed. What do you think, Fluttershy?” Rarity said as she levitated several items of clothing before a startled Fluttershy. “Should I go with this red shawl? Or perhaps this blue dress? It’s a little bit simple, but I think it gives me that regal-yet-modest look.”

“Um... they both look nice,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity stared at her friend as a look of realization came over her face. “You’re right,” she said after a while. “Whatever was I thinking? An event as large as this needs something more than ‘nice.’ Thank you, darling. That’s two outfits I can put aside. Only twelve more to decide from.”

“Oh for land’s sake, Rarity,” Applejack said. “It’s just a sportin’ event. No need to get all gussied up for it.”

Rarity chuckled. “Oh, Applejack. There’s no such thing as just a sporting event. Ponies from all over Equestria will be there. I have to look my very best if I’m to attract more clients.”

Applejack closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with a hoof. She then looked around the room. “There,” she said, pointing to a dress. “Wear that one.”

Rarity looked at the dress being pointed to and then back at Applejack. She raised an eyebrow. “You want me to wear the unfinished dress on my dress form that’s only being held together with pins?”

“Wha? No, but... aw, it looks fine enough to me...”

Twilight laughed and stepped forward. “You may not want to wear a dress tonight, Rarity. We are in the front row, after all, and there have been times when a baker has gotten carried away and ended up splashing the audience.”

Rarity stared at Twilight in horror. “Splashing?” she said weakly as she ran a hoof along her mane. “Well, then... perhaps a hat? Yes. A nice wide brim hat would do lovely, and I know just the thing.”

Rarity disappeared into her closet and came out wearing a wide-brimmed black hat with a band of diamonds and a long blue feather. “Well? What do you think?”

“It looks lovely,” Fluttershy said.

“Yes, absolutely stunning,” Twilight agreed.

“It’s gorgeous,” Applejack said with a sigh.

“Can we please go now?” Scootaloo asked. “If we don’t hurry, we won’t have enough time to wish Rainbow Dash good luck before the start!”

“We have plenty of time still,” Twilight said, “but you’re right. We should hurry and get Pinkie.”

“Just let me pack a few accessories and we shall be on our way,” Rarity said as she walked back into her closet.

“I’ll go get her,” Applejack said as the group arrived at Sugarcube Corner. She walked inside the confectionery while the others stopped and continued chatting.

Apple Bloom looked at the sign outside the front door advertising today’s sales and then rushed after her sister. “Hey, Sis!” she called out as she went through the door.

Scootaloo started telling Sweetie Belle all the amazing things Rainbow Dash could do while baking, despite her never having actually witnessed any of it. Twilight checked the setting sun. It was about an hour until sundown and the start of the WBEs. Still plenty of time to get there, speak with Rainbow and find their seats before the start. Twilight was getting excited. She had heard of the WBEs before but never actually found time to see one. Having a friend competing was an excellent motivator for getting out and having some social activity in her life. Of course, Twilight had spent the week leading up to this event learning all she could about the WBEs, their foundation, and history. She couldn’t wait to share what she had learned. It was then that Twilight noticed something odd.

“What are you looking at, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked.

“Look up at the roof of Sugarcube Corner, just to the right of Pinkie’s bedroom window. Is that what I think it is?”

Fluttershy looked up along with the other ponies.

“Are those... teeth marks?” Rarity asked.

“Oh my, it looks like somepony actually went and did it,” Fluttershy said.

“I guess it really isn’t real gingerbread.”

The others looked at Rarity.

“What?” Rarity said, taking a step back. “Don’t tell me I was the only one wondering if it was true. Pinkie practically had the whole town asking.”

“I guess that settles it then,” Twilight said. “Sugarcube Corner’s roof is just made of wood. It must have been a Pegasus that did it, judging by how high the marks are.”

The ponies were silently thinking about who it could have been that had tried to take a bite out of Sugarcube Corner’s roof, when Applejack and a pouty-looking Apple Bloom came out of the store.

“Please, Sis?” Apple Bloom begged. “Just one?”

“I said, ‘No,’ Apple Bloom. If you’re hungry, I got plenty of apples in my bags. I even have some caramel apples for later if you behave.” Applejack turned to her friends. “Looks like Pinkie ain’t here either. Mr. Cake says she took her ticket and disappeared early this mornin’.”

“How odd,” Twilight said. “Spike did the same thing. Do you think they’re together?”

“That’s probably the case,” Rarity said. “Knowing Pinkie, she’s already got our booth done up with balloons and streamers and punch... Actually, some punch does sound rather nice. Shall we be going?”

Applejack turned to her sister. “Come on, Crusaders, be sure to—”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were all staring at Applejack with a determined look on their faces. “Ready girls?” Apple Bloom asked. “Just like we rehearsed.”

The three Crusaders sucked in a deep breath and yelled, “Cutie Mark Crusader cutie faces are go!”

The Crusaders dropped on to their haunches then stared up at Applejack with big misty eyes and quivering lips. Applejack hoofed her forehead. “Fine. One piece of taffy each, but that’s it.”

“Golly, would you look at that?” Applejack said as she stared at the stadium in the fields north of Ponyville. “I knew it would be big, but this is just ridiculous. Everypony in Ponyville could fit inside ten times over and still have room to spare.”

“Oh, yes,” Twilight said. “It seats eight-thousand-four-hundred-and-sixteen ponies to be exact. They even expanded it recently. The whole thing is modular, and once the contest is over, it will be broken down and shrunk with magic to make its transportation easier. I really hope I can speak with someone official tonight and find out what method they use. Although, there are some theories that the repeated growing and shrinking can cause warped space and other oddities to appear, but even if the theories held up, those would be extremely unlikely occurrences.”

The Crusaders looked at Twilight as they walked towards the stadium. If somepony didn’t say something fast, Twilight would pull out a book, and then there would be no stopping her.

“Twilight?” Scootaloo asked. “You’re not planning on giving us history lessons all night, are you?”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on it, but I can if you’d like.”

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle glared at Scootaloo.

“N-no,” Scootaloo said, suddenly realizing her mistake. “I don’t—”

“I did bring this with me after all,” Twilight said as she levitated a book from her saddlebags and held it in front of Scootaloo. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sighed.

Scootaloo scrunched up her face as she read the book’s title out loud. “The Complete History of the Worst Baker in Equestria Festival?”

“First edition! I specially requested it from the Canterlot Royal Library.”

“I thought this was called the Worst Baker in Equestria Competition,” Rarity said.

“It is. Now, at least. When it was first founded nearly forty years ago, it was a festival celebrating all things bad baking related. Eventually, contests started and it soon grew into a competition. And from there? Well, the rest is history as they say.”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Scootaloo said in an attempt to stop Twilight’s lecture. “Like maybe how we’re supposed to have enough time to wish Rainbow Dash good luck with that huge line?”

The group looked at the long line stretching from the stadium. Even with several ticket checkers working, it would likely be close to the opening ceremonies once they got inside.

“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy said. “Rainbow Dash got us VIP tickets.”

“And as VIPs we get to use the staff entrance,” Rarity said, then suddenly stopped walking. “Oh, my. I hadn’t even thought of that.”

Rarity lifted her hat from her head and, with a spell, folded it neatly. She placed the small cube of a hat into her bags and pulled out a gem studded tiara which she set upon her head. “There we go. A look befitting a very important pony. I really hope I remembered to pack the parasol that goes with this.”

The unicorn stallion checking tickets smiled as Twilight and her friends approached. He stood next to a break in the rope line that marked off the stadium’s ground. A strange metallic door frame with a red jewel embedded in the top was next to him. “Good evening, ladies,” he said. “May I see your tickets, please?”

“Of course,” Twilight said as she levitated all of their tickets in front of the stallion.

The ticket checker looked over the tickets and began punching holes in them. “To have such fine seats, you ladies must be friends of the champion herself.”

“We’re more than just friends!” Scootaloo yelled. “We’re her number one fans! Without us cheering for her, she’d... well... she would still be awesome. But with us there, she’ll be even more awesome!”

The ticket checker chuckled as he passed the tickets back to Twilight, who distributed them to their owners.

“Everything is in order,” the ticket checker said. “You may enter one at a time through this gate, please. You will find your seats through gate A. Go all the way to the end, and it will be booth number two on the left. Your tickets will also let you into the contestant waiting area if you would like to wish your friend good luck. You will see the signs guiding you once you get inside.”

Twilight thanked the stallion and passed through the gate, followed by her friends one at a time. When it was Applejack’s turn to walk through the metal door frame, the red jewel on top began to flash and hum.

“Oh,” the ticket checker said. “I’m sorry ma’am, but it appears you have set off the food detector.”

“The what now?” Applejack asked.

“The food detector. I’m afraid that no outside food is allowed pass this gate. There was a contestant caught cheating several years ago. Do you have any food in your saddlebags?”

“I have some apples.”

“I’m sorry but you’ll either have to leave them here or consume them now.”

Applejack stared at the food detector. “Now how does that even work? It can detect food in my bags but not in my stomach?”

“It is not my place to understand to inner workings of the food detector,” the ticket checker said matter-o-factly. “Only to trust in its judgment and prevent outside food from getting inside. Now, if you would be so kind...?”

Applejack grumbled as she placed her apples into a plastic bag provided by the ticket checker who then gave her a slip of paper with numbers on it.

“You may retrieve your apples from the food check-in station once the competition has ended. Enjoy the show.” The ticket checker waved goodbye.

Applejack looked at a stall selling caramel apples for twice what she sold her own for. “I see how it is. No outside food ’cause of cheatin’? Hah. It’s so they can sell their overpriced snacks in here, and nopony can say otherwise. Why, if I’d known there’d be so many ponies here, I woulda found a way to set up my own stand. No gougin’ either. Just good honest prices.”

“It probably costs so much to rent a space that the ponies can’t afford good honest prices,” Rarity said.

Applejack grunted and went back to grumbling under her breath. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were having the time of their lives running between the stalls, looking at all the games and prizes. A reminder that they only had time to see Rainbow Dash or play games, but not both, got them back on track. Something caught Sweetie Belle’s eye, and a smile began to spread across her face.

“Oh, oh!” Sweetie Belle said while hopping up and down in front of Rarity. “They have cotton candy here! Can we please get some, sis? Pleeeease?”

Rarity looked down into the pleading eyes of her sister and couldn’t resist. “Oh, very well,” she said as Sweetie Belle began smiling happily. “I’d actually like some too. Does anypony else want some?”

There was a chorus of ‘No’s from Rarity’s friends. Apple Bloom looked up at her sister but, seeing the sour look on Applejack’s face, wisely decided the keep her mouth shut.

“Blech,” Scootaloo said. “I can’t stand that stuff. It looks like hair on a stick.”

“We shall just be a moment,” Rarity said. “You all go on ahead, and we will catch up later.”