The Equestria Games

An orange mare sat in front of me, beckoning to the seat in front of her. I obliged, sitting down daintily, although it wasn't even possible I could be dainty anymore.

The Capitol had taken everything. Everything I loved, everything I had, even my sanity.

With the door creaking behind her, a cyan pegasus flew over to the orange mare, staring at me warily, as if I was some kind of a monster.

I probably was.

"All right, then, scum!" The cyan one told me. "Good cop bad cop here, and I, of course, am the bad cop. Come on, start talking!''

"Rainbow Dash!" The orange one scolded. "She's not here for an interrogation. She escaped from New Equestria after winnin' this here Equestria Games."

"You escaped?" Rainbow Dash asked in wonder. "How in the hay did you do that?"

"I...I flew partly through the trees, as fast as I could, ma'am."

She nodded in approval. "Good job, kid."

"Thanks, I guess."

"Any family, Raven?"

The orange one knew my name. How? "Y...yes, ma'am. A mother, and...um...a friend. He's like family to me."

Rainbow looked to the orange one. "Applejack, you know what this means."

The orange earth pony-Applejack?- nodded to Rainbow and sighed heavily. "Yer family is in danger, Raven Nightwing. Yer in even more danger now. But ya have a choice. You can choose to stay here, in the Princess's sanctuary, or you can help us fight against Discord and join with the New Lunar Republic."

I thought about it. These ponies were much older than me, who lived even in the Old Times. But...Stormwing. I promised I would come home alive, didn't I?

Now it was his turn to keep the promise.

"I'll do it."

Rainbow Dash looked at me, extending her hoof. "Welcome to the New Lunar Republic, kid."

~~~~~~

Applejack and Rainbow Dash led me away from the room, pushing past all of the other ponies, all part of the sanctuary called the Elysium.

The ponies in the hallway cleared at the sight of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, as if they scared them in some way. Some ponies even saluted to them.

They pushed me into a different room, this time nicely decorated with ribbons and beautiful decor. "Rarity wants to talk to you, Raven," Rainbow told me, and they shut the door behind her.

A white unicorn with a purple mane came into it, and her eyes widened at the sight of me.

"Darling! You look dreadful!"

"Thanks, ma'am."

"Oh, you can call me Rarity, dear. We're all friends in Elysium. Anyway, I know I'm not supposed to give you a makeover right now, but my time will come." She faked a gasp. "Spike!"

An adolescent dragon trudged down the stairs, holding a blank scroll and a quill.

"Oh, Spike, glad you brought those. This is my friend, Raven." Rarity pointed to me. "We have to hear your story, dear."

"My...my story?"

"Yes, the Princess wants us to write down your story, so she can review it. She wants to know your point of view," Spike replied, sitting me down.

"Okay, then, darling. Tell us from the beginning. From the Reaping in District 3."

~~~~~~

My mother woke me up this morning, her eyes bloodshot. She had been crying, but who could blame her? Today was Reaping Day. I would cry too if I didn't have an image to protect.

"How long until it starts?" I asked my mother groggily, still tired from the night before.

"Two hours," she told me, her voice cracking.

I would most certainly get picked today. My name was in the reaping ball sixty-eight times, the most anypony in District 3 had.

Times were rough in my household. My mother couldn't work at the electrics company and I was too young to. We relied only on the food they gave us in return for putting your name in more times and the meals brought to us by my best friend, Stormwing.

I cleared my throat and brushed back my mane. Stormwing would want to say good luck to me. He was nineteen, and nineteen year-olds were safe.

Grabbing my jacket with my wing, I raced out the door, eager to go see Stormwing at our usual meeting place, by the fence that surrounds District 3.

My mother gasped as I ran out the door, and I could hear her sniffling. It was inevitable. I would be going today.

Soon, the pony from the Capitol representing District 3 would be coming to announce the tributes. She would pick our names, prep us, and get ready to send us to the slaughterhouse that is the arena.

Oddly enough, I don't envy Capitol ponies, and I don't see who could. They were spoiled, undisciplined brats, babied by Discord. I would rather live in District 12 then live in the Capitol.

Stormwing always thought I was crazy to think that. Then again, I might be. But even if I am crazy, I'm the only thing my mother will ever get. If I get chosen, her only option would to be go to Stormwing's house. Otherwise she would starve to death.

Stormwing was leaning on a tree by the fence. I could hear the sizzling of the electricity on it, the tiny details we were all taught in District 3.

"Hey Stormwing," I greeted him. He nodded faintly to me.

"Hey, Raven."

"Excited?"

He looked at me with that adorable eyebrow raised. "Are you kidding me?"

I laughed. "You think?"

Stormwing sighed, extending his wings. I could tell he was nervous. He loved me, I knew it from the day we met, and if I was chosen, he would never see me again for him to tell it to my face. "How many times is your name in today?" He asked, an edge to his voice.

"Sixty-eight. The odds aren't exactly in my favor."

Stormwing came up to me, lifting my face with his hoof. "You're not going to get picked,'' he assured me, but it sounded most like he was assuring himself instead.

"Sure."

"No, really, you're not."

"I know."

A clacking sound came from the background, and both of our heads snapped to the side.

A weird, blue earth pony lay on the ground, being helped up by Peacekeepers.

"No, no, I can do eet myself!" she told them, waving them off. "Goodness me, zees ees terrible! How do thees ponies leeve in dees terrible place?!"

She stood up, her eyes wandering towards us (well, I guess they were. She was wearing thick sunglasses). "Ey, you there! Where ees ze location of ze town square?"

Stormwing replied, saying, "In that direction, ma'am." He pointed north.

"Ah, thank you! Zees place is so hard to find!"

Stormwing flashed her a smile. "I hope you find your way, ma'am."

"Thank you! Happy Eqvestria Games, young vons!"

Stormwing's smile vanished. "Yeah..."

He turned to me, his big green eyes glistening with tears he was holding back. "Well...um..."

"Yeah."

"I...Raven, I..."

I turned to the direction of my house. "I have to go, Stormwing," I told him.

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

I smiled to him, turned, and started walking back.

"Wait, Raven!"

"Yea-" Stormwing grabbed me, pulling me in for a kiss. He let go, breathing deeply, and hung his head. "I had to that." He turned and walked away, leaving me breathless standing alone, my teal coat shimmering in the fog.

~~~~~~

Before I went home, I thought I might as well take one last look at the Market. I had three more bits left, and I thought I'd spend them as a present for my mother.

My favorite stand at the Market still stood there, with Mrs. Mayflower running it.

"Hello, Raven, dear," she told me as I walked up to her.

"Hey, there, Mrs. Mayflower."

"Oh...today's Reaping Day, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am."

I looked at the tray in front of her when something caught my eye. It was a pin of sorts, gold by the looks of it.

But it wasn't the pin that made my eyes bug out. This pin matched my cutie mark; the one that had made me and my mother wonder about. The cutie mark never...did anything, meant anything, at all. It couldn't have foretold my destiny.

And yet, here it was. In front of me, in pin form.

"What is this?" I asked as I examined it. It had a strange bird in the middle of a circle, one that I could never name.

"Oh, that's a phoenix, dear. This is an old pin, from the Old Times."

"Really?"

"Yes. It's said that the pin was made for one of the princesses of old, depicting her pet, Philomena."

"How much?"

She looked painfully at me. "Oh...dear, for you, free. Take it home."

"Thank you, Mrs. Mayflower."

"May the odds be ever in your favor, dear."

~~~~~~

My mother stood over me as I showed her the dress I was wearing, a pale pink thing that matched my coat. She pulled a ribbon through my mane and tied it all together.

She stepped back and sighed, her eyes still bloodshot from all of the crying.

"You look lovely," she told me.

I smiled to her. If my name was called, it would break her heart. It was inevitable, though. But it would still pain her.

Suddenly I remembered the pin identical to my cutie mark and pulled it out of my pocket with my wing. "I forgot," I told my mother. "I found this pin in the Market today."

She gasped. "My, Raven, this is your cutie mark! How-why-what the-"

"I know." I handed it to her. "For you, Mom."

"No," she replied, much to my surprise. "This is your cutie mark. Your destiny. You must keep it."

The horn sounded, signaling that it was time to go to the square for the Reaping.

I stepped out tentatively, with my mother following. She was crying again, but softly, so I wouldn't hear.

I could hear anyway.

The square was only two minutes away from my house, so we got there fairly quickly. I could see Stormwing lining up with the other nineteen year olds, looking at me with pained eyes.

I nodded to him.

A Peacekeeper stood over me, reaching for my hoof so I could be signed in. The needle pierced my hoof, and my blood left a mark on the paper. "Go ahead."

Walking over to the other sixteen year old mares, I looked at the stage. The blue pony we had seen before walked up to the podium, her sunglasses shimmering in the light.

"Welcome, everypony!" she announced, and we all went quiet.

"My name ees Photo Finish, repreezentateeve for Deestrict 3! Happy Eqvestria Games, everypony!" The mare, Photo Finish, started. "Vee all are anxious to begin, I am sure. So let us geet to ze names, shall vee?" She walked over to a big crystal ball containing the mare's names. "As alvays, mares first!"

Photo Finish stuck her hoof in the pile of notes, rummaging through them, trying to get one that she liked. In the corner of my eye, I saw Stormwing looking at me again. I gulped, and looked at Photo Finish's hoof.

Finally, she pulled out a note, opened it, and intently looked at the name.

And although I was expecting it, as it was inevitable, it still shocked me when she said the name.

"Raven Nightwing!"

My ears buzzed, and I could feel all eyes on me. The mares around me cleared away from me, as if I was contagious of the bad luck. The Peacekeepers swarmed around me, leading me up to the stage.

Photo Finish placed me next to her, shaking my hoof.

I looked at Stormwing, who had tears in his eyes. His face made it so hard to live, knowing that I would die soon. Then I looked at my mother, who was bawling right there. I loved them both so much.

And I would never see them again.

"And now, for zee colts." Photo Finish walked up to the other crystal sphere, reaching in to it. She pulled out a note, and looked at it.

"Page Turner."

I looked to the crowd, and saw a young unicorn, about the same age as me. His ink-black mane glistened as if he had just taken a shower, and his parchment-colored coat looked damp, too.

His eyes widened, and was immediately swarmed with Peacekeepers, lifting him away to the stage.

Finally, I could see him clearly. He looked at me with pained eyes, and hung his head.

"Vonderful, vonderful," Photo Finish mumbled. "Our two tributes from District 3-Raven Nightwing and Page Turner!"

The crowds started to clap awkwardly, looking sorrowfully at us. Most of the ponies in the crowd knew me; I was a common tutor to young fillies as my intelligence was off the charts. Page Turner, however, I didn't know. I've never seen him before in my life, and that was weird, because I knew almost everypony in the District.

"Shake hooves, tributes,'' Photo Finish told us, and we obeyed.

Page Turner looked at me sorrowfully. "May the odds be ever in your favor," he whispered slightly.

The Peacekeepers swarmed around us, bringing us away from the crowds. I looked back to my mother and Stormwing, who were both looking at me intently. Then they were blotted out as the doors were closed.

The Peacekeepers nodded to some chairs, and I sat down, the leather straining.

Page Turner did the same, sitting on the chair next to me. I looked at him, his ink-black mane slicking back.

A Peacekeeper entered the door, and nodded to the others.

"You have three minutes with your families to say goodbye."

They pushed me into a dark room, with only one window. As I looked back, it was apparent they were doing the same with Page Turner. The Peacekeeper who shoved me in came back a minute later with my mother.

She was sniffling.

"Oh, Mom, please don't cry," I told her, bringing her into a hug. "Please. Please don't."

"I'll make you a deal," she told me. "I won't cry if you come back alive."

"Okay. Okay. Okay," I replied, sniffling silently.

The Peacekeeper came back in. "Time to go. You have another visitor."

I looked to my mother. "Stay with Stormwing. He'll take care of you. You'll be fine, I promise."

"No. You be fine. Promise me."

I gulped. "I...I promise."

Then the Peacekeeper pulled her out, and I could see the tears in her eyes collecting. Stormwing passed her, coming into the room.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"You're gonna be fine."

"Yeah."

"You are. You're gonna win this thing. You're gonna be famous. You're gonna come back to me."

I opened my mouth, ready to reply, when he surprised me again by pulling me in for another kiss. Once he let go, he stared me in the eye. "And when you come back, I'm going to take you on a proper date."

My eyes watered. "Yeah. I'd love that."

The Peacekeeper came back in, and I knew he was going to take Stormwing away from me, most likely never to see him again. "Take care of my mother, Stormwing! Please!"

The last thing I saw was his smile, the reassuring thing he would give me when I was depressed.

I really needed that smile right now.

After a few minutes of standing there, contemplating my terrible life at the moment, Photo Finish burst through the door. "My darling Raven! Ve need you een the train! It's leaving soon, darling!"

"Great."

"Yes! You vill love the train, darling! It is a vonderful experience for such an uneducated child like you to experience!"

"Thanks."

"Your very velcome!"

Photo pushed me out, dragging me to the train, while I saw the remains of my life swept away.