The reaping was a day away and dinky doo did not want to even show up at the reaping. Doctor whooves was already gone to coal mine against his will. Dinky was panicing and wanted to leave the district. Decoy was excited, not that she has been on a streak of not getting picked for a mare tribute, but for Doctor Whooves to come visit them again. Each month Doctor gives them a gift for them to feel good. For example, Derpy wanted to go coal mining, so doctor got her in, but there was an explosion on the second day, so he didn't want to bring back Derpy to the mine. It's been an hour since he left, and dinky and Derpy felt alone. There was a knock on the door. Derpy went to open it, and at the entrance was Doctor Whooves.
"Did you get anything good?" He asked. Derpy ignored that and hugged him. Whooves blushed and hugged her back.
"Did you bring anything?" She asked.
"As in fact, I did bring something." He brought out a piece of gold out of his bag and handed it to Derpy. "I found it in a chunk of rocks, so I though you needed it. They pay me enough bits anyways." Derpy stared at it like it was her favorite flavored muffin. "Anyways, you need to send mail. Its 4:00 now." Derpy popped up from here hypnosis episode and ran and grabbed her mail bag.
"Sorry, be back soon! Please take care of dinky please." Whooves nodded and Derpy left in a hurry. He didn't like it when Derpy was away. He'd keep thinking it was too silient. He went to the kitchen andasked what Dinky wanted for lunch, time had passed fast.
"You know those delious eggs you make? I want those. I don't remember the last time I had those eggs!" Dinky pleaded. Whooves patted her on her head and gave a chuckle.
"But you had them yesterday!" He explained.
"But they are so good!" Dinky protested. Whooves gave a smile and made the eggs. He did admit he liked the smell when he cooks them. And Dinky enjoys his cooking, yet most ponies would hate his food, so he had a one of a kind friend sometimes. "Doctor! You're dozing off!" Dinky said. Whooves was falling asleep and burnt his arm while he was sleeping on the stove. He continued making the eggs as best as he could. Derpy came back a bit tired and panting.
"What's wrong?" He asked . She seemed to curl into a ball afraid, but she respond.
"Peace keepers are coming. They're trying to get everyone to the reaping." She said
"Why?" He asked.
"The reaping's today!" Derpy warned. Dinky had a tear rolling down her cheek. She wanted to cry. He frowned.
"It was suppose to be tomorrow." He sayed. They all felt scared. Derpy wish that she could bribe herself out of the reaping. The signal of the reaping was heard. He gave Derpy a pin, a pheonix pin. It was silver, yet small. "Good luck dinky, and to you too Derpy." He sobbed. He hated this so much. He couldn't hold it in. Derpy came up to him and handed him a blue berry muffin, but he didn't notice. "Let's just go." He sniffed. They went out the door and silience saturated the disctrict.
"Why is the dis-"Dinky was cut off by them running behide a building because of a peace keeper coming out of thin air and her mouth blocked by Derpys hoof. The peace keeper came across them without any notice. They ran off where the reaping usually was and Derpy noticed her quiver filled with arrows. She remember how much she loved hunting. Yes, they are carnivors now. But her bow was useless until the reaping was over or if she won the pony games. They caught sight of the reaping area. Whooves knelt down to Dinky.
"Now, you see those mares just about your age?" She nodded. "Ok, go to that line and once you're in the front, that mare is going is going to prick your hoof and print it on a paper." She gave a look that ment she understoodand rushed to the line before it could get longer. "She must be scared. Who isn't scared of their first year of the pony games?" He asked.
"Scootaloo!" Derpy replied. They both laughed. "But we should get going." Derpy said. They got in their lines and Whooves got in to the stallion section and Derpy went into the mare section. A more named Catalin came out of the building. Her orange coat and plain mane and tail style made her like an ordinary pony, which most ponies in the district wanted to be the same. She didn't look like she was from the capitol.
"Welcome to the 72nd pony games!" She said through the mycrophone. She didn't look enthusiastic as much. "We come to this reaping to celebrate the capitols victory of the rebellion that tried to terrorize the land of Panem. But district thirteen is gone. Let's get started, with the mares." She reached into a glass bowl and grabbed a card. She opened the card. "Dinky doo!" Derpy and Whooves eyes widened. Dinky stepped out of the cluster of mares that were staring at her and walked to the podium. Derpy rushed to Dinky, but peace keepers pushed her back. She stammered.
"Uh, uh, uh I volenteer!" She raised her hoof and Dinky stopped walking. Whooves stared at her.
"Well, surprising events happened just now. Volenteering for this district... well, come on up then." The peace keepers let her pass. She ran to the podium and stood next to Catalin. Catalin held up the mycrophone to Derpys mouth. "Name please?" Derpy's eye twitched.
"Derpy." She said.
"Decent. Now for the stallions" she opened the card she picked. "Doctor Whooves!" He stepped out ofc the crowd and got on the stage. "And now, the tributes for district twelve!" Some of them gave an appualse. They went inside a building and waited for a few minutes. There was a knock on the door. Dinky came in.
"Hi Derpy." She said sheepishly. Derpy felt happy with Dinky was there. They both hugged each other. "I thought you could have this." Dinky said. She handed the pheonix pin. It shone brightly. "This was too good for me to have it."
"You didn't have to." Derpy said tearfully. Whooves and Catalin came out of the door behind Derpy. Dinky walked out of the building without being noticed.
"We have to go. The train only stays for ten minutes." Catalin said.
"Well, this is the train?" Whooves asked. He stepped into the entrance to see silver in almost every wall. There was a sandwhich, a flower, a muffin, brownies, almost every food some pony would want. A motion door opened up with a cyan pegasus coming out of the neighboring room. It was Rainbow Dash. Another pony followed. It was Twilight.
"Hi Derpy. Long time no see!" Rainbow dash said. Derpy kept a straight face and ran to the muffins and wolfed them down. Twilight stared at Whooves. She didn't asked questions and neither did Whooves. Whooves turned his head to Derpy.
"Oh! Whooves, Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, Whooves." Whooves offered a hoof to shake, but Rainboe Dash gave a stick of butter. Whooves twitched his eye.
"Thanks?" Whooves said.
"You're welcome." Rainbow Dash replied. Twilight went to Catalin.
"These are the tributes?" Twilight asked
"She volenteered." Catalin said
"Derpy, should we discuss with them. They might have been here for a reason." Whooves said.
"Just let me eat this last one!" She replied. She bit the muffin and savored it. "Ok, so are you going to give us advise, or muffins?" Derpy looked like she was trying to threaten them.
"In fact we are." Derpy groaned. "It's not about how you fly, Derpy. It's for the pony games. Many people struggle during the games." Twilight said.
"We noticed." Whooves interupted.
"Well, you're going to start on a plate, do not go off it. They plant mines around it, but they deactivate after the clock hits zero. They games makers can set off traps, or even natural disasters. Don't ask me how they do it. Flying is dangerous in the pony games. Other tributes can spot you and some can throw really good. That means you Derpy. Once we get to the capitol, we'll stay there until the pony games officially start." Twilight explained. Both Derppy and Whooves were staring out the window.
"Wow, how fast are we moving?" Whooves asked. "Plus that was retorical." He added. He could barely keep his eyes on a group of trees. Whoovs was starting to get dizzy. He was walking to a door. "I'm going to go into a room of relaxing. I feel dizzy enough thinking about this." The door opened and he went to a different room.
"I do too." Derpy exageratted. She went to the same room acting like she was drunk. She met Whooves on a couch watching a news channel. It showed how Derpy volenteered. Whooves was asleep lying back on the couch. Derpy walked over to Whooves. Whooves was pretending to be asleep.
"RAH!" Whooves yelled. Derpy jumped back and shrieked
"Don't do that again!" Derpy said. Whooves was laughing a bit. Derpy sat down next to him. Whooves was still eating the stick of butter. "I want to leave." She said
"Then why don't you go to a different room." Whooves suggested.
"No, the pony games. This is torture." She said. Whooves nodded in agreement. The TV in the room was showing Dinky explaining how she felt during the reaping. Dinky said she felt sorry for Derpy and alone after that. Derpy threw a plate at the TV which smashed it. She was puffing with anger.
"Derpy! Calm down! She's going to be alright." Whooves informed.
"Yeah. Alright." She said. She started to breath normal. She felt like she wanted to kill Celestia, who started the idea of the pony games. She liked it before. She'd rather have Discord attack equestria. As long there was something terrible, she'd like it as long as it isn't as bad as this. She felt the world orbiting the sun.
"I'll get you something to drink." Whooves went out the door, making a hissing noise. It was silient. She could only hear the train moving. He came back soon enough. "They only had orange juice." He said. He handed the glass to Derpy and she drank it.
"Tasted great." She said. He also had another stick of butter. He started to eat it. Out the window showed that the capitol was in sight. They stared out the window to see the bridges and the buildings that shown in the sky. "Wow. I expected less." Derpy said. Billboards shown even from their point of view.
"I still hate this idea." Whooves said. The door opened and they jumped in surprise
"We're almost there. Just about two minutes away." Rainbow dash said. She left the room. Derpy and Whooves looked at each other.
"What will we expect. Some banquet for us. I'd like to see that happen." Whooves said. They arrived at the station with many ponys clapping and cheering. They exited the train with many noises around them.
"Don't let them get to you. Stay close to me." Catalin said. Whooves and Derpy looked around curiously. They were street lights, stores, and many things you wouldn't see at the districts. Twilight and Rainbow dash helped them get through the mase of ponies. They got out of the crown and walked to a building and entered the elevator. "Snce you're from district twelve, we get the top floor." She said. The elevator rised quickly and the doors opened and luxury filled their eyes.
"I think I should get Eddie. I'll know he'll try to carry all this." Whoovess said.
"Friends of yours?" Derpy asked. Whooves nodded. He went to a room with a bed and a TV that filled one of the walls. Derpy followed him.
"I call this room." He said. They laughed. Derpy went into another room with a switch-able backround with just a tap on a remote. She jumped into the bed in the room. In the middle of the apartment was a table with many plates and a flower pot in the middle of it. They came out of their rooms and visited more rooms. "This isn't an apartment, this is a mansion!" They felt great, yet sad. There was a knock on the door and then it opened. Twilight came in.
"Guys, don't relax yet. You're going to a training station now. There's going to be equipment that might be at the cornucopia. Every tribute is going there." She said. They headed off to the training area and the tributes were there. Somepony was using a spear and another using kunias. Derpy headed off to an archery station. She drew back the bow. But she forgot to grab an arrow. So she did, and repeated the entire process. She released the arrow and hit the area of a heart. She looked around for Whooves. She saw him on a climbing station with other tributes laughing as he fails to get to the top. He fell on his right arm. He groaned in pain. She wanted to do something about it. She looked around in a 360 and noticed Fluttershy trying to make a fire. She wondered if she was picked or volenteered like her. She went up to Fluttershy. Fluttershy looked at her and stayed silient.
"Strange I found you here Fluttershy." Derpy said. She sat down and saw her wobbling like she was on a suger rush. She was whimpering and sqeaking. She lit the fire for her. Derpy turned to look at Whooves as he was still in pain. The tributes were showing off and mocking him. He walked to a kunai station while rubbing his arm. Fluttershy was curled up into a ball.
"I never wanted to be here. I want to be with angel, back home, in my closet." She said to Derpy. Derpy felt like she needed to be alone. She went to the climbing station, but then somepony gaves her a look that ment that he is going to kill her first. She backed away and looked for a more suitable station. She noticed a camofluage station and trotted to it. She saw Whooves there.
"Don't try to scare me." Derpy said. Whooves popped out of the floor as leaves. She grabbed a brush and stared at it. There was a signal that ment the training was over. They met back at the apartment with food on the table. They rushed to a seat and drank the orange juice. They stared and the bowls of muffins and then brawled for just a muffin. The bowl broke in half and they truied to catchh the muffins that soared through the air. Derpy flew up and stacked the muffins in her mouth. She sighed in relief. They kept on eating like it was an all-you-can-eat buffet. They finished the entire food that was on the table.
"Don't tell the others." Whooves said. Catalin, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash came back four hours after that and were surprised that they finished all that. Catalin's jaw fell to the floor, Twilight to pointing at the table and stammering at the same time. Rainbow Dash was angry.
"Those flower sandwhiches we suppose to be for me!" Rinbow dash exclaimed. Derpy and Whooves felled out of their beds and woke up asking.
"Who, what, where, why!?" They said. They came out of their rooms and see Rainbow dash looking at both of them, deciding with to attack first. She lunged at Derpy, but Catalin and Twilight reacted fast enough to hold back Rainbow dash back by her arms.
"Rainbow dash! Stop trying to attack them!" Twilight yelled. Rainbow dash tried to break free of their grasp, but then she stopped. Derpy and Whooves slowly backed away into their rooms and dropped into their beds. They were snoring very loud and were deep asleep in such little time. "Alright, let's go to sleep." Twilighr said. Rainbow dashes stomach growled as she walked into her room.
The moring came and Rainbow dash groaned and wanted more sleep. Whooves fell asleep while Derpy was nudging him to wake up. Whooves' eyes opened slowly and then sprung open. Twilight came into the room and told them that there was a building where tributes had to go and show a skill each tribute had in front of the games makers. They went to the building and they were the last ones to go. Whooves went before Derpy. Her name was called and she entered a room and game makers were behind a wall of glass and there was a table with apples. There was a bow and a archery range. Rarity was a game maker. Derpy was surprised that she gave up the time to watch a pony show a skill and make devious traps that can kill somepony. Derpy grabbed a bow and an arrow and pointed at the target. She missed the first time. She did the process and hit a souldier. The game makers laughed at her failure. She grabbed another arrow and aimed at the apple Rarity had. She released the arrow and destroyed the glass and hung the apple to a wall. Rarity shrieked. Derpy dropped the bow and went to the apartment.
She met the others watching TV. "Oh, Derpy. Come over here!" Whooves invited. The host was telling how many skill points each tribute got. Rainbow dash snorted when the host said one got six skill points. Whooves had nine. The suspense had Catalin shaking. The host said she got eleven skill points. Derpy was surprised she had eleven points. They cheered for Derpy. "Oh wait, the pony games start tommorow." Whooves said. He frowned.
