Twilight breathed in deep as she prepared to go on camera. It was a somewhat difficult moment for her. She wasn’t used to being publicly displayed so much, despite being The Princess of Friendship. But, ever since being named successor to Celestia and Luna, she’d had to deal with the constant stream of the press. This particular moment was somewhat different, however, as it had nothing to do with the journalistic ambitions of those ponies. This was her very own reality television show, and she wanted to make a good first impression. But it wasn’t just any reality show. It would help her decide the brand new head mare or stallion of her latest magic school in Manehattan. She’d have to transform from the kind Princess of Friendship into the somewhat dictatorial master mage that she was. So, she mentally rid herself of any kind of want for attachment.

“Princess?” Her assistant, Astral Streak asked, slowly entering the room.

“Yes?”

“They’re here.”

“Good. Have them start their first challenge. I’ll be down shortly.”

“Yes, Mage.”

Astral headed downstairs to where ten ponies waited with baited breath. Their hindquarters shook in anticipation and he had to stifle a smile. For, after all, in The Princess’s Library, there was no room for levity. Each pony had a job to do, and he was no different. True, he was one of the Princess’s secondary commanders, but even he fell under her orders. He just needed to bark them out and whip these newcomers into shape. Upon arriving on the ground floor, he joined forces with his mare co-sous mage and best friend, Comet Tail. The two had feelings for each other, but now was not the time for romance. They each took up a stern look, nodded at each other, and faced the competitors.

“Welcome to The Princess’s Library,” Astral said in a welcoming, yet somewhat threatening tone, “over the course of the next 10 weeks, you will be tested in all areas relating to magic. Spells, incantations, magical potions, you name it, you’ll be tested.”

“Each of you holds an equal playing ground,” Comet said in the same way, “Mage Twilight plays no favorites. At the end of this, only one of you will be left standing and take home the prize. Our Mage will explain that in greater detail in a little while.”

“But for now, you need to get started and create your signature spells. You have forty-five minutes before Mage Twilight gets here.”

Nopony moved. They all just stood there gawking at him. He was shocked. Could these ponies not take the simple cue that they needed to move their flanks? Seeing that the answer to his question was obviously affirmative, he decided to do something about it. So, he trotted over to a bell and began ringing it furiously while screaming at them. This got their rumps in gear, and they galloped off into the library’s brewery to begin whipping up their spells. The smile that Astral had been keeping in finally made its way to his face. Conveniently, it was right as Comet approached him.

“I haven’t seen you smile like that since the night I told you I loved you,” she said.

“Well, I like seeing young ponies with such a passion for magic. It makes me feel that the future of our craft in Equestria is secure.”

“Passion is one thing,” Comet quipped, “skill is another.”

Astral nodded and the two trotted into the brewery to make sure everyone was working. Much to their relief, the competitors were busily humming away, creating something that they were sure would impress Mage Twilight. What they didn’t know, and what most ponies don’t know, is that when it comes to magic, Twilight is extremely strict. Make one false move, and you’re history. Twilight didn’t play around and she knew talent when she saw it. She also knew arrogance, falsity, and disharmony among teammates. She would tolerate none of these things. If someone was struggling and dragging a team down, they would be gone. If someone was haughty and playing for their own ego, they’d be gone. She was concerned with the success of her library. For, after all, her reputation as a master mage was on the line.

Within the brewery, the ponies continued to work. One of them, Starshine Manebright, had concocted something that was certain to please. In fact, she’d copied it direct from Mage Twilight herself! Another pony, Zesty Shifts, was interested in combining magic with cooking. He’d already made something of a name for himself as a chef in his hometown of Sire’s Hollow. Even better, he’d been recommended for the competition by Starlight Glimmer, Twilight’s friend. Now, he just needed to work on pleasing the mage. Yet a third pony, Fire Streak, was hotly pounding away at his own spell. It was coming together nicely, and he was very pleased with himself. But, then again, he was nothing but pleased with himself. He was so arrogant and vicious that, when it came to light that he’d been accepted into the competition, his hometown threw him a massive farewell party. He saw it as high praise. They saw it as getting rid of a nuisance.

“Alright, you’ve got twenty minutes to go!” Astral yelled as he suddenly spied one of the ponies putting their spell onto the table at the front. “Um…you, there! What’s your name?”

“Stone Throw, Mage,” the grey stallion responded.

“You know there are twenty minutes left, right?”

“Yeah, but…I think my spell’s good.”

“You also know that a spell can go horribly wrong if left unchecked for that length of time, right?”

Astral furrowed his brows a bit, showing Stone that he meant business. The contestant sheepishly took back the beaker containing his spell and tried to make it better. Astral could only shake his head. If this was the kind of talent that Twilight had chosen for her first library contest, they were in trouble. It was frustrating for him, as secondary mage, because he was supposed to keep these contestants in line. Without the proper know-how on their part, it would be damn near impossible. But, he remembered the pep talk Twilight gave he and Comet before they began, and he sealed his feelings away. Just in the nick of time, as well, for Twilight was coming down the stairs.

“…5…4…3…2…1…and stop!” Comet Tail called.

The ponies all placed their beakers on the table up front as Twilight entered the brewery for the first time. She trotted to the front and gave them all a look. It was somewhere between a stern mother and a horrifying, yet extremely wise teacher. This was their first test, and nopony wanted to fail her. After all, they’d read that the prize for winning this competition was absolutely outstanding. None of them wanted to miss out on it, and conquering every obstacle was crucial to their success.

“I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle, but for now, you may call me ‘Mage,’” Twilight said, “welcome to my library. Each of you has a chance to show off and impress, not only myself, but our guests as well. Every couple of days, we will open for magic demonstrations. Just like a restaurant, we’ll take orders and we’ll make orders. I will NOT tolerate failure during these times. If a spell or potion is made incorrectly, we’ll do the whole thing over again. Is that understood?”

“YES, MAGE!” The chorus sang out.

“Good,” Twilight said, “now, then. This library is not only filled with thousands of books for you to read at any time you aren’t working, but it’s also a competition. Those who rise to the top will stay. Those who fall to the bottom will be kicked out. I may be The Princess of Friendship, but in here, we’re all about business. Understood?”

“YES, MAGE!”

“Alright. Now, the prize for winning this extraordinary competition is amazing. The winner of The Princess’s Library will become the head mare or stallion at my brand new magic school in Manehattan! That comes with a salary and a cash prize of 250,000 bits out of my own personal treasury. BUT…I’m not just gonna give a job with such importance to somepony I don’t trust. So, show me your talent. Show me your enthusiasm for magic. But most importantly, show me that I can trust you with this position. Clear?!”

“YES, MAGE!”

“Excellent. Okay, each master mage in this country has a signature spell that they’re known for. I want to see yours. Let’s begin with…you! Orange mare in the back, please step forward!”

The mare did as she was told, though she quivered a bit when she got up to face Twilight herself. The mage was harshly strict, and it frightened her a bit. But, she stood her ground and gave Twilight the same look she gave her.

“What’s your name?” Twilight asked.

“Orange Peel,” the mare responded.

“…and what’s the spell?” Twilight asked.

“It can peel oranges without any kind of mechanical assistance!” Orange said proudly.

Twilight looked dumbfounded. “…show me.”

So, Orange turned and zapped a nearby orange in the food storage. It dropped its peel…and then just sat there. The unicorn seemed to be extremely proud of this spell, but Twilight was not. The mage was shocked that something so underwhelming had been produced from the amazing brewery she’d set up for them.

“Really? That’s it?” She asked.

“Yes,” Orange said, suddenly thinking that she might have gone wrong, “um…ta-da?”

“Oh, buck off with your ta-da,” Twilight said, “I’ll have none of that kind of foalish foolishness in my library! As for your spell, it was pathetic! Absolutely bucking pathetic! Orange peeling, really. My friend Rarity’s filly sister can do that. Come on, Orange. I expect more! Now, buck off back in line.”

Orange, near tears, trotted back to stand with the other contestants. She hadn’t realized just what a terrible attitude Twilight had. She always saw her as the kind, gentle princess. But in here, she was a stern mage and nopony needed to step out of line. She realized that her spell was underwhelming, and she promised herself that she’d do better. Her spot in the competition depended on it.

The next few ponies who went were just as underwhelming. Lock Jaw’s spell to fix a broken lock was lukewarmly received, and Spell Caster’s spell to remember every spell in a book exploded in his face. Rune Stone tried to overly complicate her spell with the use of too many runes, and Dark Cloud’s spell backfired when it zapped Twilight’s rump with lightning! Needless to say, the mage was quite angered by this poor start to the signature spells. So, she called the next pony forward, hoping and praying that this one might have some talent.

“What’s your name?”

“Fire Streak, Mage,” Fire said without hiding his haughtiness.

“Ah, yes, Fire Streak, the pony whose entire town recommended him for some reason,” Twilight said, “let’s see if that recommendation was warranted.”

Fire caused his horn to glow, and soon, controlled bits of flame shot from everywhere in the room! Twilight was astounded and very impressed by his talent. Nothing was out of place, and none of the fire came close to injuring anypony or burning anything. It was simply magical, and even his other competitors looked with slacked jaws. He soaked in their silent adulation, adding it to the pile of arrogance growing in his chest. Pleased with his performance, he stopped the spell and turned to face Twilight.

“Wow!” Twilight breathed, “that was bucking outstanding. Well done, Fire, well done!”

“Thank you, Mage,” Fire said, his arrogance spiking in his tone, “I always try and put my best hoof forward.”

“I’ll say you did that today,” Twilight said, “now, get back in line and let’s have…you, the brown mare, step forward.”

High Tower, a veteran of the Vanhoover magic scene, made her way up to stand in front of Twilight. She performed her spell, a wonderful little concoction that made flowers appear on all the tables and filled the room with an intoxicating aroma. Twilight breathed it in, loving the way it played with her nose. She also noted that High was a bit flirtatious with her performance, batting her eyes at some of the stallions in the room. Stifling a giggle at just how adorable she looked, Twilight told her that she’d done well and asked her to get back in line.

The final two ponies were called up together. Zesty and Starshine both prepared to do their spells. Zesty’s was a fine spell, whipping up an instantaneous feast that would feed twenty ponies! When she went to taste the food, Twilight was astounded at the amount of flavor. Considering the amount of time Zesty had been given, she thought he’d done the best out of all of them so far. She told him so, praising his effort and telling him that he was an early frontrunner. This did not sit well with Fire Streak, who stewed in the line. He thought his fire spell was a lot better than Zesty’s. After all, any foal could conjure up food, he said to himself.

Then, it was Starshine’s turn. The pretty golden mare shook as she prepared to demonstrate her work. But then she remembered that she’d simply copied it from one of Twilight’s books. Surely, Twilight would not be turned away by her own spell…right? Starshine, at a nod from the mage, shot her blast into the air. Twilight watched, and then blushed as the spell came together. She remembered creating the spell, which formed the term “I (heart) You” when she had a silly crush back in grade school. It came complete with rather wimpy little fireworks. The colt in question had been rather impressed as, for a filly of Twilight’s age, the spell was quite advanced. But now, it just looked sad. What made Twilight even angrier was the unoriginality involved.

“HOW BUCKING DARE YOU?!” She turned fiercely on Starshine, “YOU COPIED ME?! What in the HELL were you thinking?!”

“I…I just…I-“

“No, it doesn’t matter! I know exactly what ran through your tiny mind at that point!” Twilight roared, “you thought you’d one-up everyone else here, do a spell of mine, and get your rump sitting pretty on my throne of favor. Well, guess what, missy?! There IS NO THRONE OF FAVOR! All of you are expected to do your best, and this is not your best work! In fact, it isn’t even YOUR work! I will NOT accept plagiarized spells here! IS THAT BUCKING UNDERSTOOD?!”

“Y…Yes, mage,” Starshine said quietly as her spirit took a pounding.

“Good. I don’t want to EVER see this again. I’m very disappointed, Starshine. Now, piss off back in line.”

Starshine returned to her spot. Her heart was shattered. She’d idolized Twilight for so long, and she’d always wanted the chance to show her what she could do. But on this day, it seemed she’d made a grave mistake. It was one that could have possibly sent her home. She was thankful that Twilight had been somewhat merciful in that regard. But in everything else, her small show had been decimated. She learned the hard way that one survived on one’s own creativity with magic. Oh…what do I do now? She thought, I…I might have just blown this entire competition!