Cynthia sent Red Ashes a scathing look from where she lay in the shadows. As a guard, she did not approve of the younger unicorn joining in the competitions - he'd been trained as a guard, and that's what he should be doing. Of course, this was probably just because Cynthia was incredibly overprotective of the Queen and Prince.
Lotus had overhead a little bit of the conversation, and her eyes widened with worry. A power competition? Would everyone be expected to join? They couldn't expect Spark to join them - he'd just stumbled over to his mother and was now joyfully laughing about his success in walking.