Chapters 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.
I leaned back on the seat, watching as District 2 sped past, watching unconsciously.
"Hey," said a voice behind me. Turning around, I saw it was Page Turner, his eyes sunken down. "You okay?"
"How could anypony be okay with this?"
"Fair point." He said next to me, sighing softly. "So what's your story?"
I looked at him. "Are we really going to go through our life stories just before we die?"
"Yup. I want to make one last friend before I die."
"Friends are irrelevant."
"Oh, and how are you going to make allies with that attitude?"
"I don't want allies."
"Well you're just a little ray of sunshine, aren't you?"
I sighed, shaking my head. "I'm not going to win this, Page Turner. I'm going to die terribly, and in pain. I...I just..."
"Hey, it's okay," Page Turner stroked my shoulder caringly. "You're not the only one who's going to die soon." He sighed.
I turned my head back to the window, watching District 1 go by.
''I'm a teenage pegasus genius who only earns the minimum money I can tutoring fillies who have no chance in the world. I know how to survive out in the wild by using what I know to my advantage. I may be clever but the only way I'm going to kill anypony is tricking them into doing something stupid. I can't use any weapons, I'm useless at hoof-to-hoof combat.
I can only hide out in the clouds until this whole bucking thing blows over."
"Oh," Page Turner sighed. "I'm worse. I'm a depressed eighteen year old unicorn who can't do any magic except for levitating books and stuff like that. Sure, I might be able to find some allies, but I can't even work with plants. I'm basically just a glorified bookworm."
I chuckled, something I hadn't done in ages. "Well, Mr. Glorified Bookworm, you could be my ally any day."
"Really?"
"Yeah." I extended by hoof to him, and he took it excitedly.
"Allies?"
"Allies."
We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, looking out the window when a familiar voice echoed through the train.
"Vy, my tributes! Here is your mentor, Mr. Ash Wither!"
A tall, black pegasus slinked out from behind Photo Finish, looking at me with his orange eyes.
Ash Wither scared me a lot. I remember his Games, the only winner from District 3. He won the 8th Games at the same age as me, but by using nothing except for brute force. He even destroyed a unicorn in the midst of a spell with just an axe.
This colt was the epitome of arrogant as well. How did I know this? Every year on the screens they review his Games, and how well he fought, and interview him.
And every year, he says how amazing he did and how beautiful his victory was, proving his arrogant side (plus, I'm pretty sure he's a rapist).
Ash looked me down, top to bottom, and smiled, showing his teeth. "Well, well, well, well, well, well, well. Look who we have here. Mr. Page Turner and Miss (he whistled through his teeth) Raven Nightwing. How beautiful are you?" He walked over to me, trotting around in circles around me. "Oh, we are going to have a great time."
I showed no emotions. He could not know how scared I felt with him standing over me, how nervous I was to have to spend any more time with him then I had to.
Eventually, he stopped, walking back over to Photo Finish. "We have a fine batch of tributes this year, Miss Finish," he told her.
"Vonderful!" she clapped her hooves and jumped up once. "Ooh! Vee are een ze Capitol! Oh, home at last!" Photo ran over to the window and "ooh"-ed and "ah"-ed as if she hadn't seen the Capitol before.
I sighed and ran off, away to my room.
When I got there, I flung myself on the bed, overcome with exhaustion.
I would die soon. I just hope I go easy.
After a few minutes of contemplating my life choices, I heard a knock at the door.
"Go away, Page Turner. Don't want to talk."
The knocking intensified.
"Page Turner!" I lifted myself off of the bed and opened the door.
"I don't want to talk to-" I stopped, staring at the pony in front of me. "A-Ash Wither," I stammered.
"Raven Nightwing."
"Um...hello."
"We're here, sweetheart."
I looked at him, showing no emotions at all.
"Listen, kid. I know you."
"What?"
"I know you. You tutor my niece."
"Oh."
"I know you have a chance of winning this, Raven. You do."
I shook my head. "I have no chance at winning this."
He sighed, exasperated. "No, Raven. Do you know why Twilight Sparkle died in that arena for the first Games?"
This shook me as weird. Why would he bring up Twilight Sparkle? Wasn't she a rebel of the Capitol, put in the Games on purpose?
"Because she didn't listen. She used brute force instead of her wits, and it led to her downfall."
"But didn't you use brute force in your Games?" I replied, a cocky edge to my voice.
"Yes, but I have been training in hoof-to-hoof combat my entire life. All she was doing was studying, reading books and practicing magic. If she used her greatest asset, her intelligence, she would have one straight on."
"What's the point?"
"The point is, use your best skill. I used mine. You use your skill, you have a shot."
"What about Page Turner? What's his skill?"
"Page Turner?" he laughed. "Not a threat. Maybe if the arena's a library, he has a shot. Other than that? Dies in the first day."
He walked out of my room laughing.
I don't like Ash Wither.
~~~~~~
Photo Finish led us out into the Capitol, a crowd forming around us of brightly colored ponies with weird outfits and weird hairstyles. Page Turner followed me, waving to the crowds, with Ash Wither behind him, wearing a snaky smile.
Soon, we were heading through the living quarters of the tributes, passing a few of them. Photo Finish checked the clock hanging on the wall.
"Socialize here until I come back. I must attend to something before ve go een the quarters."
She nodded and scattered off, disappearing in a matter of seconds.
"Well, go ahead, make allies, you two," Ash Wither told us, walking away to go talk to some older-looking ponies.
"Well?" Page asked me, pointing to a group of ponies chatting and laughing.
I nodded to Page Turner, and he followed me to the group. "Hey, guys, um, my name is-"
"Raven Nightwing and Page Turner, District 3. Yes, I know," a light blue colt said. "Yes, I have already decided I want you two as allies, so welcome aboard."
"E-excuse me?" Page Turner inquired.
"My name is Papercraft, from District 7. I'm good at finding who to trust or not."
"Oh...okay, then."
He turned to me. "Raven Nightwing, do we have a deal?"
"S...sure," I told him.
"Great! My second allies!"
"Second?"
A dark green colt with a cowboy hat walked over behind Papercraft, extending a hoof. "'Ello, mates. Mah name is Outback, and it appears 'ere we're allies now."
"Oh...hi, Outback."
"So," I said, breaking the awkward silence. "Who don't we trust, Papercraft?"
He turned around, looking awkwardly at the other ponies. "These ponies over there have created a sort of group. Don't trust them, they have banded against us." he pointed to the loud group a ways off. "There's Bioshock. She's the leader, it appears. Very aggressive, lies a lot. Stay clear from her.
Then there's Medley. Pretty loud, but very agile and a very good killer, prone to killing you in a very...creative way. She loves pranking ponies.
Mousha. She is very good at martial arts and...well, killing ponies.
Spring Charm. Basically just tagging along, because they need him to check out which plants are good or not. Not a big threat.
Eighth Note. Cunning, smart, and amazing with knives. Stay clear of him.
Moon Breeze. Amazing at shooting stuff with a bow and arrow.
And Tuna. Only there to catch fish for them, basically just a stupid servant."
"What about the others?"
"Coldblood: staying in solitude. Big threat. That guy is brutal. But if the arena isn't a pine forest, he'll be uncomfortable.
Camerashy: staying alone too. No threat. That mare is going to be hiding half the time.
Now. Here comes the most dangerous pony out there. Starstorm. That mare has so many different skills, so she's basically a star killer. Stay away from her, but she'll be working alone, which is an advantage to us.
Jockey's working with the mare in his district: Polaris. She's a nice pony, but not a big threat.
Night Mist, well, she's small, and can hide really well. Other than that, not a threat.
Glass Mirror. Only 12, and doesn't even have his cutie mark yet. I say he dies in the first five seconds.
Now, Cherrycloud, I want her to be our allies too. She seems trustable, and she's great with weapons and very crafty. That's all I know about right now."
"That's amazing."
"I know, right? Now, let's go find Cherrycloud."
Cherrycloud, as it was, was standing over by an edge of the big palace-like room, fiddling with some string. She recognized Papercraft right away.
"Hi!" She said, excitedly.
"Hi," I replied. "We were wondering, if, um, you would want to be our ally."
"You want me? Why?"
"Because Papercraft told us you were great and a must-have ally," Page Turner cut in, smiling at her.
"Oh, really? Okay!"
"Welcome aboard, mate," Outback told her, the cowboy hat on his head tipping a bit.
"We need a fighter," I told Papercraft. "Another fighter."
Papercraft scrunched up his face. "Well, she's not an amazing fighter, but she will do."
He waved over to a pegasus who flew over here at a unique speed. "Hey guys!" she said cheerfully.
"Hi, Nightshade!" Papercraft greeted. "So, um, we were wondering if you would like to be part of our ally group, if you'd like."
Nightshade stepped back, thinking. After a minute or so, she stood up tall, and said, "I accept."
I smiled. "Great!"
"Need another fighter?" Papercraft asked me, as if I was leading the group.
"Nope," I replied. "We're fine."
"Yeah," Outback replied. "All these so-called "fighters" are mares, mate. Mares can't fight."
"Excuse me?" I asked, putting my face close to his, staring him straight in the eye. "You do not know who you're talking to, mate."
"Whoa, whoa, there, girl, I didn't mean it that way. I've fought plenty 'a mares before, but non-of-'em were as good as a nice colt."
"Watch your mouth, Aussie," I warned him, then, following Page Turner, walked over to Photo Finish, who was waving to us from the elevator.
~~~~~~
"So," Ash Wither started while we sat down at the dinner table, being fed to the brim with delicious, amazing foods. "Made any allies, you two?"
"Yes," I replied in a monotone. "Three. Papercraft from District 7, Outback from District 10, Nightshade from District 10, and Cherrycloud from District 2."
Ash Wither laughed. "Silly me, I thought you guys were in the Career group."
"What's a Career?" Page Turner asked.
"A Career is a mentally unstable, psycho killing machine. They're cunning, smart, and wickedly good with weapons. Trained killers, basically," Ash told him, his voice sounding snarky, as if he was amused about our deaths.
"So you mean yourself?" I told him, my voice getting louder.
He looked at me. "Sweetie, I was working alone. I didn't trust any of those Careers in my Games, and look where it brought me. You should do the same." He straightened, looking at Page Turner. "Do you know who are the Careers so far?"
He gulped. "Bioshock, the leader. Medley, Mousha, Spring Charm, Eighth Note, Moon Breeze."
"Buck," Ash Wither said, getting stern looks from Photo Finish. "You guys have no chance against them. They are amazing at killing. I saw their Reapings. Half of them volunteered, guys. Literally." He sighed again.
I stood up. "Thank you for the meal, but I have to go now."
Pushing in my chair behind me, I extended my wings and flew over to my room, plopping down on the bed.
~~~~~~
"Raven!" Ash Wither called, shaking me. "Wake up, Raven!"
I moaned. Had I fallen asleep? "What do you want?" I asked him, suddenly aware that he was in my bedroom. I shot straight up, my head banging against the headboards.
"Relax, woman. I'm just here to tell you that Photo Finish wants you up to go get ready for the chariot rides."
"Oh."
Photo Finish swarmed around me with the stylists, telling them everything they were doing wrong.
"No, her mane must be zees way!" She cooed, fussing about my blond and black mane.
It really was a rat's nest in there. I hadn't brushed it since the Reaping, almost two days ago. Hopefully the chariot rides would fix that for me.
"Oh! Soon you veel meet your main stylist, she veel fix you up real nicely!'' Photo Finish fussed, still ordering around the other ponies.
"You must be camera-ready, darling!" Photo Finish said, pushing me into a different room, where a single mare was standing.
"Is this what we have to work with?" she asked in a monotone, her sweet sounding voice very high pitched. I wasn't very sure who this pony was, but she looked stylish. Her beautifully long mane swept to the floor. It was the color of pale pink roses, and her yellow coat matched it perfectly. Her wings closed and opened, as if contemplating what to do with me.
"Oh, vee have a very special guest! Thees is the King's vife, only here because I begged her to come! A very good fashion stylist, meet Qween Flootershy!"
I gasped. The Queen herself was going to be my stylist? Impossible. She always stayed with Discord, being his trophy wife.
I was very scared of her indeed. Before, in the Old Times, Fluttershy was a friend of Twilight Sparkle, the famed unicorn that died in the first Games. How could she abandon her friends for that awful Discord?
"Y...your majesty," I greeted the yellow pegasus.
"Oh, no, I am your stylist. You may call me Fluttershy," she replied. This shocked me quite a bit. I had heard evil, terrible things about Fluttershy. One pony said she poisoned a very popular singer called Sapphire Shores when she didn't listen to her. Another said that she murdered her servant simply because he told her that their wasn't a store called "Frumpy Styles Galore." But this, this was different. She seemed almost...nice.
Photo Finish waved to us and ran off, probably to go see if there were anymore "frumpy styles" to be seen. Or to yell at the ponies some more.
Fluttershy looked at me, sizing me up. "Okay, we can work with this." Suddenly she grabbed a measuring tape and started measuring me everywhere.
After a few minutes of this, I got up the courage to ask her, "Um...Que- I mean, Fluttershy, may I ask, why are you here and not with the King?"
"As a favor to Photo Finish, I took some time off to do what I really love-fashion design. My old friend, Rarity, taught me. Photo Finish let me become a fashion model back in the Old Times, and I let her down. So, as a favor, I came here."
"Oh."
"Yup. Now, hold still, I have to get some fabric that matches your teal coat and your mane."
She fussed around, snipping bits of cloth everywhere and stitching things together.
"Ooh!" she gasped as she pricked herself with a needle. "Things would be much better if I was a unicorn. All of this would be easier."
This went on for I don't know how long, but I didn't mind. It kind of fascinated me how she could do all of this within a strict time limit, and I wondered if Page Turner's stylist was the same.
Soon enough, Fluttershy stepped back, looking in awe at the creation that had come to life before her eyes. She called Photo Finish, who also stared in awe.
"Eet's...eet's beautiful!" she gasped.
"That's not even the end of it," asked Fluttershy, who's voice was full of pride. She pressed a remote that had appeared in her hoof, and the air was filled with a humming, zapping noise I could only put as lightning. I looked down at myself and gasped.
I was brimming with electricity.
Quite literally.
Electric needles pierced around the suit, which was a very fashionable black dress. The dress zapped and flitted around, looking like an electrocuted pony back in the district.
But yet I was fine.
"Ooh!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "I made sure Page Turner's matched. You'll be electric sockets! Everypony will love it!"
I was sure of it. My mane was styled so that it looked as if I was really plugged into one of those sockets; but artfully styled so that it went up like one of those old flyers in story books- Lighting Bolts, were they called? I don't know.
"Wow...Fluttershy, I look amazing!"
"Yes, you do, Raven. You will be the star for this show."
I looked at Fluttershy with pure gratitude. How could anypony not like her? She was so kind and generous, and so amazing at what she does.
Unlike her rat husband.
Photo Finish thanked Floo-Fluttershy, and led me to where the chariots were standing.
Page Turner was already there, standing in an electric suit much like mine. He smiled to me, and I returned it.
"Okay, darlings, stand here. You have ten meenutes until showtime. Don't you dare mess up your gorgeous selves!"
I smiled at her as she scampered off, to go sit with her Capitol friends, when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Well, well, well, Raven. Don't you look gorgeous."
"Well, well, well, Ash Wither. Don't you look like you just crawled out of bed."
He chuckled, something that made my spine shiver. "You're a little ray of sunshine, you know that? I'm just here to tell you that you have an admirer."
"And who is that?"
"See for yourself." he pointed to a familiar mare, who was looking at me with envy and hatred.
Without even flinching, I walked up to her.
"Starstorm."
"Raven." Starstorm's voice was lined with evil, as if she wanted to kill me with her voice.
"Jealous of my ride, or something? You obviously can't stop staring at us."
She growled. "You are first on my kill list, you hear me? I will not have some hot-shot from District 3 beat me. Did you even hear what the Careers are saying? You scare them. How? I don't know, they've always been a bunch of pansies to me. They want you on their team. Oh, but you're not so lucky. Bioshock won't have it. Because she's scared of you too."
"What're you going to do? Lurk in the shadows and hide until it's one on one?"
Starstorm chuckled. "Oh, didn't one of your precious teammates tell you not to provoke me? I'm known back on District 9 to be the most dangerous pony there. The district was happy to see me go. Back at home, I'm the leader. And I'm coming back, as soon as I eliminate you." She smiled at me without warmth. "Oh, looks like your horse is leaving. Better go, Raven Nightwing. Better leave, or you'll get electrocuted!"
I left her laughing there like a maniac, her dark blue coat shimmering in the crisp morning air.
~~~~~~
As we watched the recap of the chariot rides back at our place, listening to the Head Gamemaker Joy Stick rant to the interview guy Hoity Toity about how "we have a great selection this year!" and "Oh, I think District 2 has a very good chance at winning, how about you?" Photo Finish delighted herself about our chariot rides.
"Vonderful job out there, children! Preeteending that ze crowd wasn't even there? Priceless!"
But we weren't listening. Oh, no. Next, we had interviews by Hoity Toity. Sure, Ash said it was going to be fine, but I wasn't so sure. He said "Be yourself! You'll be fine."
Yeah, but what approach should I take? I'm not very funny, I'm not sexy or romantic, I'm not confident, so what should I do?
"Go with the flow," Ash told me.
It was so stupid that the interviews were a day after the chariot rides. I couldn't even sleep at all, time just went by.
Even Fluttershy, when we got to the dressing part said to not worry. "Just answer the questions he asks, Raven. You'll be fine."
Fluttershy dressed me up in something nice. This time, it was a more extravagant gown, hot pink, but at the bottom, there was black lightning lacing it. I almost cried when I saw it on me for the first time.
But time just went on, and soon, we were in line, listening to the others make their interviews.
Page Turner stood behind me, with a pony I know as Coldblood in front.
We were the third district in line, obviously, so we only had to go through four interviews before it was my turn. I listened intently to the ponies, hoping to get a glimpse at what I was up with.
Medley was first. She was a cocky pony, very loud. In my opinion, she doesn't need a mike. Then Eighth Note, who was taking a more serious route. Then it was Cherrycloud, who was talking excitedly and kindly about her take on things.
Coldblood barely said anything, just grunted responses and said a few words if necessary.
Then it was my turn. Hoity Toity called my name, and slowly I stepped onto the stage, gasps sounding through the crowd.
"Raven, darling, your dress is simply spectacular!" he cooed, as the audience agreed wholeheartedly.
"Oh, thank you," I replied, a bit out of breath. "Queen Fluttershy made it for me."
Hoity Toity gasped. "The Queen herself-well, obviously it is spectacular then!"
The audience murmured in agreement, chatting about the black electricity rippling through my gown.
Hoity laughed, and gestured towards the couch. I sat daintily on it, making sure my gown wouldn't mess up at all.
"Now, Raven Nightwing, what would you say would be your biggest skill?"
I thought about this. "Well, I'm pretty smart, I guess. Clever enough to make traps and such."
"Ah, so you're a thinker, aren't you?"
"I like to think that I am."
"Well, that's what you do best, isn't it, dear Raven?" He laughed obnoxiously, and so did the crowd. I forced a smile.
"Now, anypony you're missing back in District 3, Raven?" Hoity Toity asked me.
"Oh, well, there is my mother."
"Obviously. But I mean anypony...special?" The whole crowd "ooh"-ed.
"Um, well, my best friend Stormwing."
"Ah, only your best friend? I bet, with such a beautiful young mare like you, nopony can just stay "best friends"."
I chuckled nervously. "Well, um, thank you, Hoity, but for now, it's only best friends. After all, I'm dying, am I not? Don't need to take a boyfriend down with me."
Hoity Toity's smile faded. "Oh, but we will be praying for your safe return, so you can go and tell your best friend-and your mother-that you love them. Raven Nightwing everypony!"
~~~~~~
I lay on my bed, sobbing. That interview made me see it from a different angle: I would never come home to tell Stormwing I love him.
And now, seeing me on the screens, he would think that I didn't love him.
Totally untrue.
Oh...how was I going to get out of this one?
I heard a knock at the door, and it creaked open. "Ya okay, Raven?" Came the voice of Ash Wither.
And honestly, I had enough of him. I whipped around, throwing my pillow at him. Ash yipped in surprise at the pillow missile, and looked at me in anger.
"What was that for?"
"What the hay are you trying to do, Ash?" I yelled at him. "Can you not take the hint? I don't want to be your friend. I just want to die already and get it over with. Because I'm not. Coming. Back. To. District. Three. Okay? I'm not. And I...I'm going to miss the good part of my life. I'm only sixteen, and I'm going to die here. And...and I'll never be able to tell my best friend that I really do love him, and I'm not going to get married, or raise a family, or anything!" I was in tears now.
Ash's angry face faltered, and he hugged me as I sobbed on his shoulder, sitting us down.
"Shhh..." he soothed. "It's okay."
"No, it's not okay!" I cried out in my weird sadness rage. "It will never be okay, Ash!"
He held me there, not saying anything, until I calmed down, only sniffling. Finally, he broke the silence.
"I'm trying to be your friend because I know what you're in for. I've been in this position before, I really have. I loved a nice mare and was sent here. I was so happy when I won that I would be able to see her, but when I came back, they killed her. Discord...he killed her because of some stunt I pulled in the arena. And it was all my fault."
I looked in his eyes, who were sunken and staring far off into space.
"I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen to you, Raven. Nothing more. Don't ever use something that they don't specifically say is okay to do. Make sure you're just playing the game. That's all it is, Raven, a game. A sick, cruel game to keep us in line.
And the truth is, Raven, I see a lot of myself in you. I'm just trying to keep you from doing the same mistakes I made."
I hugged him tighter now. I was no longer scared of the mysterious Ash Wither.
Because he's right.
We are the same.
I know that now. He must have been as scared as I was. How he had lost hope. And he was trying to get us into a Career group, so we could have a better chance of surviving.
What he must have gone through, mentoring two tributes a year and watching them die in the arena, being slaughtered out there.
His friends.
"Just...remember who the real enemy is, Raven," he told me. "Because it's not the tributes."
I stood with my allies in the training center, looking around at all the others. The Careers were huddled in a different corner, laughing and joking around with each other.
Our group was different. Papercraft was looking around the room nervously as Nightshade and Cherrycloud fought over where to go first. Outback was eyeing some rope on a table.
Finally, I had enough. "Guys!" I snapped. "We have one day to train, the rest is private showings, then we're off. Can we squabble later and get to work now?"
Cherrycloud nodded. "Yeah, come on, guys. Let's split up and do something efficient, and practice something. We can do this."
It was settled. Outback went to play with the rope, Cherrycloud went to work on making a fire or something, and Papercraft went with Nightshade to go practice throwing knives.
I nodded to Page Turner, who went with Cherrycloud. I, on the other hoof, made a beeline to the station where quick thinking was put to use: the virtual Equestria Games.
"Welcome!" The computer told me. "Name, district, and age, please."
"Raven Nightwing, District 3, 16."
The computer swirled, taking it in. Then the first question appeared. "You are being chased by an 18-year old unicorn who is casting a spell at you. What do you do?"
"I fly up, snuffing out his horn. Then, while he is dazed, I stab him with a knife."
"Where do you find the knife?"
"I either get one from my bag with things or steal his."
"Correct. You find two types of berries, one of which is poisonous. How do you find out which is edible?"
"Open it. If it is blood-red on the inside, or some other unnatural color like purple, it's poisonous."
"Correct. One of your teammates was just ambushed, hit with a spear in the stomach. The attacker is an earth pony and getting ready with another spear. What do you do?"
"Find the nearest weapon and charge with it, or just fly up and ambush him from the top."
"Correct. Continue?" I pressed "no", and walked off from the platform. A line of ponies waiting to get to the computer waited behind me, staring in awe.
I looked at them, smirking. Nopony was going to get past me in the Games. Let them stare.
Next, I went to the archery range. Moon Breeze was already there, shooting stuff. She hit them spot-on every time, straight in the heart or head.
She nodded to me when I grabbed a bow, as if taunting me.
I pulled notched an arrow, pulling back the string. I put it to my face, aimed, and fired, flinching at the noise.
When I put it down, Moon Breeze was looking at me with her mouth dropped open, her bow on the ground. Looking to the target, I gasped.
I had hit it right in the center! I had only shot a bow a few times back home, when Stormwing would teach me self-defense. Never thought it would lead to anything. And yet, here I was, an archer! With glee, I shot a few more targets, all getting kill-shots.
My luck was over the roof right now! Moon Breeze gasped. "You should totally be in our group! The Careers need you, Raven!"
I acted like I didn't hear her, walking over to the knife throwing area. Picking up one, I heard a "splat!" and evil laughter. Bloodlight was next to me, throwing knives at the targets. SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! Cautiously, I set the knife down, backing away from the creepy stallion.
~~~~~~
Now, I won't bore you with the remains of my training, because it was fairly boring. I practiced survival skills and fighting skills, all with flying colors. Then I went to go eat dinner, and was scurried off to go for individual training.
Before letting us go, Ash Wither stopped us with his wing. "You guys, show your strengths. You need the Gamemakers to know you mean something, 'kay? Good luck, you two. We need you."
He pushed us in the general direction of the waiting area, where Medley from District 1 was already being tested. We were met with stares, looking us down as we sat on the bench.
Suddenly Medley exited the room, smiling crudely. "Good luck everypony!" She yelled out to us, walking out of the waiting room entirely.
The next few ponies' individual assessments passed by very quickly, and suddenly, Coldblood was walking out of the room, and the name "Raven Nightwing" blasted through the intercom.
Cautiously, I stepped into the training room, waving goodbye to Page Turner.
The Gamemakers, led by Joy Stick, were staring at me intently. Joy Stick's voice boomed as he said, "You have ten minutes to show us your desired skill. Please make sure you show us all you've got."
Joy Stick sat down on the couch, watching my every move, noting it on a piece of paper.
I gulped, taking it all in. First, I headed over to the Survival area, where all of your survival skills were put to the test in a virtual reality.
The Survival area consisted of a timed course, telling me what to do. It was a bit different than the computer questionnaire, but effective nonetheless.
"Make fire," the computer told me, and I obeyed, flicking a flame in a few seconds. "Find food." I flipped around, grabbing the nearest berry available, and checking it for poisons. I ate it, and the computer said, "Find clean water." Flying up, I saw a nice little stream a ways off, and I flew there with lightning speed, cupping the water into a bent leaf. The water looked pure, so I drank it. Sure enough, the computer started to tell me more demands, and I obeyed each time. After twenty different survival questions, it stopped automatically. "Your time was: five minutes and twenty seconds. New high score."
Then the virtual reality shut off, and I looked at Joy Stick, who was nodding at me. "Carry on. Show us another skill."
I extended my wings, flying up to the Flight area, where all of your speed and agility was put to the test. It extended into the open air, so Joy Stick could only see me with a flying camera operated by a pegasus.
I sighed as the computer beeped out a flight course, harder than I've ever been in.
"Proceed." The voice of Joy Stick boomed through the camera, and I lurched forward, launching all of my speed into one single takeoff. I dodged the clouds they put in front of me with ease, and I spun into a tornado as fast as possible, calming it as well. My agility was proven, now, I only needed to show my speed.
Once again, I lurched forward, telling my wings to flap harder, push faster, fly swifter. I must be fast. My mind shifted into speed-zone, and my thoughts revolved around one single thing: flight. I would not fail.
All of a sudden my body felt lighter, and I felt it grow thinner. Honestly, I didn't know what was happening. Flight was my main priority. And suddenly, my body, it snapped. The barrier was broken, and I flew at such a speed, I couldn't feel my body.
And then, it was all over. After doing a few loops around the course, a rainbow following my every move, I landed.
My mind was spinning. What had I just done?
Joy Stick's mouth was wide open. His eyes glowed with excitement, and the corners of his mouth twitched up in a smile. "Raven Nightwing...do you have any idea what you have just done?"
"Um...no, sir."
"What you just did was called a sonic rainboom. Only one pony in the history of Equestria has ever done that. And she's dead!"
I looked at him, not knowing what to expect. In an instant, Joy Stick's smile disappeared, and his expression hardened. "You are dismissed," he told me, waving me off.
My head was still spinning as I walked out of that room, and it was spinning until I fell onto my bed, falling asleep almost instantly.
~~~~~~
"Raven! Wake up! Raven!" I heard Page Turner's voice echo distantly as I opened my eyes, my head still woozy from that sonic rainboom or whatever.
"They're announcing scores, Raven! Come on!"
Against my will, I was led to the living area where the projector screen televised everything. Ash Wither and Photo Finish were sitting calmly on the couch, watching Hoity Toity talk about the tributes and what they were in store for.
"And so, without further interruption, I give you the scores for individual assessments for the fifteenth Hunger Games!
From District One: Medley, with a score of eight.
From District One: Eighth Note, with a score of ten.
From District Two: Cherrycloud, with a score of seven.
From District Two: Coldblood, with a score of ten.
From District Three: Raven Nightwing, with a score of...twelve."
A wave of excitement rippled through our group, followed by a big shush.
"From District Three: Page Turner, with a score of...five."
We were quiet for a second after that one.
"Page, I...I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "No, no. I'm sorry. I'm a major setback to our allies." He sighed. "Excuse me." And walked off.
"...From District Four: Tuna, with a score of one."
Ash Wither sighed. "I'll go talk to him." And followed him to his room.
I sighed, and Photo Finish shushed me again. "Vatch!"
"From District Six: Bioshock, with a score of ten.
From District Six: Bloodlight, with a score of nine.
From District Seven: Mousha, with a score of nine.
From District Seven: Papercraft, with a score of seven.
From District Eight: Golden Quill, with a score of six.
From District Eight: Glass Mirror, with a score of two.
From District Nine: Starstorm, with a score of...eleven."
I kind of zoned out after that one.
Starstorm, my biggest enemy, was literally one point behind me. Oh buck.
I left the room, flying off to sit and sulk in my room, all I was ever doing nowadays. I plopped down on my bed, grateful I had one more day before I was sent to the slaughterhouse that was the arena.
It was silent in my room, except for the occasional yelp of a Canterlot pony from the outside.
Finally I was so bored, I kicked the nightstand next to me just so things could get interesting. The nightstand fell over, and a bundle of projector DVDs fell out, scattering across the floor.
Curious, I picked one up and looked it over. "Third Equestria Games" the label said, and I immediately knew what the mysterious DVDs were.
They were recorded versions of old Equestria Games.
I picked up another, and saw it was the Eighth Equestria Games, which had Ash Wither on the cover.
Realizing what this was, I gasped. This was Ash's Games, when he won! Without hesitation, I started to insert the DVD into the slot for the room's projector screen and hit "play" on the remote.
~~~~~~
Seven years ago...
It was time. Oh, buck, it was time. The pedestal lifted into the air, revealing the arena before me. I gasped, realizing where we were.
Oh buck. The arena was a mountain, of all places. Literally. The mountainous area was vastly layered across the entire arena, their tips touching the sky. Clouds surrounded the peak, and in a silent thank-you to the Gamemakers for putting it there, I decided that was where I would head to first.
After the Cornucopia, of course. It was overflowing with weapons and survival things. I looked for the weapon I had shown to the Gamemakers in my personal evaluation in training: an electrified axe. Sure enough, deep into the Cornucopia, my weapon of choice stood.
Good. It would be stupid not to add my weapon in. They want a bloodbath, they're going to get one from the stallion who got an eleven as a score.
The countdown began. I had ten seconds to decide what I would choose. I looked to the Cornucopia again, and saw a big backpack next to the axe. Target spotted.
Suddenly an alarm, louder then I've ever heard one, pierced through the air, and the tributes launched themselves off of their platforms. I did the same, delaying about a half second. My wings extended and I flew as fast as I could to the bell of the Cornucopia, being the second pony there. Then the Careers flooded in, grabbing the biggest maces and swords, and killing whoever crossed their paths.
Should I be scared? No. These are my allies.
"Ash! Grab what'cha need and get the buck here to help us!" Grover, lead Career, told me. I flew over to the axe, turning it around in my hooves. It was so much more beautiful in person. Then, in a split second, I grabbed the backpack, tossing it on my back and tightening the straps.
"A backpack? Seriously?" the mare from my district, Zap, called to me.
"We need all the supplies we can get, not just weapons."
She nodded, and picked up another one. "Good idea. This place'll be way too bloody by the time Grover's done with it to you know, stay here."
I nodded my head, looking at Grover brutally slay ponies who came too close. It almost disgusted me, the way he just mindlessly killed ponies, but I didn't tell him that.
I couldn't tell him I was afraid of dying.
~~~~~~
A week later...
The Careers trudged through the mountainous areas, looking for a good place to stay for the night. Zap's wing, still in the makeshift sling we made her, bounced awkwardly and yet stiffly as she walked next to me, trying to make it look as if she was strong.
It wasn't working.
Gently, I lifted the backpack off of her back.
"No!" she whisper-shouted to me. "I have to make sure Grover doesn't see I'm weak!"
I scoffed. "You are weak, Zap. Trust me. I got this one, and I'll defend you until the very end of this bucking Games."
Finally, she sighed, and let me lift the pack off of her and place it on my own back.
"I can give you a ride to the top too if you'd like," I told her, noticing her limps.
"No! That I can do on my own, thank you very much."
I shook my head. "Okay."
~~~~~~
Three hours later...
Zap collapsed onto the campsite we made, heaving a sigh of exhaustion. I was scared now, her fever had gone up and she had gone pale.
But I didn't tell her that.
Instead, I wrapped her up in a blanket and put her in the tent, telling her to sleep.
When I got outside, Grover was already waiting for me.
"Well?" I asked him.
He looked at me with pure hatred. "You know what. Zap is an unreliable weight to the Careers. She's pretty much dead."
I scoffed. "She is not dead. Look at her! Her fever has gone up I don't know how much, and she still insisted on walking on her own. She's strong, Grover. Why can't you see that?"
All of a sudden a rustling came from the tent where I put Zap. Her head poked out, looking at me with anger. "You...you told me I was fine! You said-you said I was getting better! You lied, Ash!"
"Oh, I know why he lied, my dear Zap," Grover interjected, pushing me away. "Because you have no chance of surviving. Your wing is probably already infected from that nasty fall you took a few days ago. And I'm sorry, but you are just hanging by a thread here."
"But...I feel fine! I didn't come here just to-" she went silent.
Because I knew what had just happened.
Grover snatched a spear from one of his buddies and with a swift, quick motion, stabbed her in the chest. Zap looked to her chest in shock, staring at the blood spilling out, and trying to plug the gaping hole where it was coming from. Her eyes immediately went to me.
My eyes bugged out, and my ears started to ring with a high-pitched squeal.
"You...should not...have done that..." I whispered to the crowd of Careers who had gone silent.
Grover looked at me with fake concern. "Oh, and what are you going to do about it, lover colt?"
But half of me didn't hear him. My vision turned blood-red, my thoughts grew evil.
Because you do not just kill somepony right in front of me.
Somepony I love.
With a swift motion, I yanked my electric axe and swung it just high enough so I could connect with Grover's head. It obeyed, and a fountain of blood spewed from the neck that no longer was Grover.
The other Careers immediately went into full shock mode as the cannon sounded, reminding me of what I had just done.
My first kill.
I guess it was then when I just...snapped.
My mind shut down, all I could think of was revenge. And I, Ash Wither, never thought of revenge before. The only way I got an eleven was my using my survival skills and self defense with the axe.
My body swung, over and over, and I could feel it connecting to so many different bodies.
And then I collapsed, covered in blood. But I didn't care. Oh, no. Allies were not my option anymore. This time, I would attack alone.
Let them be scared of Ash Wither: destroyer of Careers.
~~~~~~
I leaned back, not noticing the tears in my eyes. I'd never seen these parts of his Games before. Only where he was a brutal killing machine (I had too much tutoring to do.).
Suddenly, my fear of Ash Wither came back, overflowing me with emotions. He obviously cared for the other tribute, Zap, very much. And to watch the team captain kill her before his very eyes?
I sighed, turning off the projector screen, and lying down on my bed.
Suddenly, I heard a chuckle behind me, surprising me so much that my head almost hit the ceiling. Turning around to most likely yell at the person who scared me so much, when I noticed it was none other than Ash Wither himself.
The guy who has just relived the stuff he has nightmares about.
"Having fun, Raven?" he asked, walking calmly to my bed and sitting down.
"I...I'm so sorry, Ash. It just, well, it fell and I just picked it up and it floated! Yeah, it floated into the projector slot and turned on! Can you believe that? It bucking turned on! All by itself! It must be unicorn magic right there-"
He cut me off, facehoofing. "I know you turned it on, Raven. But I'm not mad. No, I would've done the same thing. In fact, I did. When I was your age, I did the same. I saw all of them, actually. Rough night. I was just...well, I was just..."
"Afraid I would see you go crazy?"
"Yeah. I just don't want you to be afraid of me."
I chuckled. "Yeah, that emotion was here days before I saw the clip."
"I know."
I looked up at his head. It was hanging low, with his eyes sunken.
"The Capitol loved my craziness, and even Discord came to my new home to tell me to keep the charade up, because it was giving him good money. None of the Capitol freaks know what it's like, living in a district. So Discord has to make sure everypony in the Capitol thinks we're terrible, evil ponies.
I, naturally, disagreed. My, well, my mare friend was disgusted by the way I acted in the arena, but she forgave me. I promised her she would never see that again."
He sighed, and quickly swiped his hoof over his eyes.
"And he killed her," I finished.
"Yup. He killed her, and forced me to act like a crazy stallion that's so...lustful. That's why I was freaking you out when we first met. And if I didn't, well, things would get bad for my family. My dad was already blaming me for everything, and my mom was depressed half the time."
"But you don't have any family."
"I don't now. My mom died a few years ago. It was just her time, I guess. And my dad, well, he committed suicide. Blamed me in the note."
"Oh, Ash, I'm so sorry."
"Not your fault." A single tear rolled down his cheek, which he shook off immediately.
I looked closely at my mentor who I haven't known this entire time. Then, I saw a little tattoo right on his neck...the place he always covered up. Squinting, I noticed it was a moon.
I woke up with a grim look from Ash, whose eyes were sunken.
"It's time, Raven."
I sighed. "Yup."
"I'm supposed to take you to Fluttershy for your terrain suit and everything."
"Yeah."
I picked myself up, leaving the room a mess behind me, and followed Ash Wither outside to go meet Fluttershy. We walked in silence, and finally, after what seemed like hours, Ash dropped me off in front of the room where I had first put on my lightning dress.
He turned to me, and I noticed a little tattoo on his neck, showing a moon.
"Is this the last time I'll see you?" I asked him, tears welling up in my eyes.
"No," Ash replied. "Because I'll see you in a couple of weeks."
My tears escaped my eyes, and I scooped him up in a hug. He relented, squeezing me back. "Just remember who the real enemy is, Raven. And don't get yourself killed. You're stronger then they are. You really are. You're Raven Nightwing, and you're coming back."
He let me go, a grave look on his face. He turned around, starting to walk away.
"Wait!" I called to him. "Just tell me one thing, before I go in there."
"Yeah?"
"Why do you have a tattoo of a moon on your neck?"
Ash turned around, his eyes pointing to the little moon. "Just remember one thing, Raven," he told me. "Not both of the princesses are dead."
Then he walked away, leaving me alone to think about what he just said.
~~~~~~
Fluttershy had tears in her eyes as she forced on the terrain suit.
"Now," she told me. "The suit isn't anything special. It's just, well, a suit. So I'm guessing Equestrian weather. That should be good."
I nodded.
When she finished fussing about my suit, she led me to the place where the shuttle would take off, bringing me to the bottom of the arena.
"I believe in you, Raven," she told me, stopping me before I went on. "And I'm going to bet on you. Trust me, there's a lot a queen can do." She kissed my cheek.
"Thank you for everything, Queen Fluttershy," I told her. "You are an amazing queen, and I'm so glad Equestria has a great ruler."
Her eyes glistened with tears as she pushed me to the shuttle, looking at me the entire time. Then the Peacekeepers closed the shuttle doors, and that was my last glimpse of the amazing Fluttershy.
The Peacekeepers led me to the seats on the shuttle, and I obliged, unfortunately sitting down next to Mousha.
"Hello there," she told me. Her accent was thick, and she spoke in very broken English. "May odds be ever in favor, Raven Nightwing."
I smiled to her and returned the blessing. How the hay would I kill these ponies? Mousha, despite being a Career, seemed like such a great pony.
A Peacekeeper walked around us with a big syringe, and I immediately cringed at the thought. The Peacekeeper plunged the ponies around me with the syringes, and they all recoiled from pain. All of a sudden, Mousha was injected, and then the Peacekeeper reached for my hoof.
"What is that?" I asked her.
"It's your tracker," her muffled voice replied, taking my hoof and injecting the tracker, which then glowed in my skin.
It was all I could do to keep from throwing up.
The shuttle was quiet as it maneuvered to our starting pedestals, except for Medley. She was chatting the entire time, saying pointless and meaningless things.
"I wonder what the arena will be? I mean, it's got to be great. Seriously. Nothing but the best for Medley here! Oh, yeah. I wonder if there will be killer birds? I saw the second Games a few days ago and wow! was that interesting! Seriously! Awesome! And, I also wonder if-"
She droned on like this for a total of ten minutes, saying something about peanut butter and sushi.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the shuttle finally landed, and the Peacekeepers midway through had finally had enough of Medley.
"SHUT THE BUCK UP!" one of them snapped. "Seriously, if you don't get killed first, the Capitol themselves will want you dead!" She quieted down after that.
I was greeted by Photo Finish when I boarded off of the shuttle. She complimented how "courageous you look, darling!" and patted me on the shoulders as she led me off into the room where my pedestal awaited me.
A countdown was beeping on the wall, telling me when I should enter the pedestal to be lifted into the arena. Photo Finish was fussing around my suit, making sure everything looked fine.
"Okay, darling," Photo finished, tugging my suit one last time. The countdown was reaching ten, and it was time for me to enter the levitating pedestal where I would be taken to my doom. She pushed me towards it, and I reluctantly started to walk into the gaping portal.
"You're going to do great, Raven, darling!" I heard Photo say to me as I walked into it. The glass door closed behind me, shutting me from the world that I knew.
The countdown sounded muffled from the other side of the glass door, but soon, I could hear the word "one'' coming from the intercom, and slowly but surely, the pedestal levitated from it's position from the underground, bringing me with it.
I looked up as it was doing so, anxious to spread my wings and fly as fast as I could to the Cornucopia, like Ash did in his Games.
Finally, a blinding light flashed in my eyes as the pedestal secured its position far above the ground, and the arena was in sight.
I gasped.
The arena was Equestrian, that's for sure. In fact, a large castle, made for royalty maybe, perched high above the ground, attached to some sort of mountainous side. Underneath it stood the entrance, adorned with a sun and a moon. Why, it was a city! Literally, a city! The city sprawled underneath the beautiful castle, with shops, homes, apartments, the whole deal!
The Cornucopia was sitting at the entrance of the city. This was obvious because it was surrounded by a railroad of some sorts, and even a little sign saying "Welcome to Canterlot!". Well, I didn't know what 'Canterlot' was, but I knew that this arena was much better then the mountains that was Ash's Games.
I looked around to my allies, who were all focused on getting to the Cornucopia. Cherrycloud nodded to me, pointing her head to the vast Cornucopia.
I could hear the countdown in the background, but I didn't listen to it. Who could? This could potentially be my death, where I would end.
Suddenly my gaze shifted to Starstorm, who appeared to be...chuckling, of all things. She was excited for this, although I had no idea why.
Finally, the countdown was at ten. Ten, nine, eight... My vision locked onto my target, and my wings unfolded, ready for a takeoff.
Five, four, three... A deafening alarm sounded through the arena, and immediately twenty four ponies, including myself, were lurching through the ground to the Cornucopia. My wings spread far as I jumped to the air, letting my wings do their thing. I channeled the powers of the sonic rainboom Joy Stick had told me that I did, and I forced myself to the line between sonic rainboom and fast flight, successfully getting to the Cornucopia second behind Bioshock.
Bioshock looked at me awkwardly and forced a mace off the wall. "If you're not going to be part of the group, we need to eliminate you," she said cruelly.
I gulped, but paid her no real attention as the Cornucopia was flooding with ponies. As fast as lightning, I grabbed a backpack full of supplies and a bow with arrows. It was the only bow there, so I expect it was supposed to be for Moon Breeze, the resident archer. Bioshock growled as her fellow Careers went to her side, picking up weapons, so on a whim I grabbed a large sword. It could be good for Page Turner, the only unicorn in our group, maybe as a defensive thing.
In the corner of my eye I saw a little colt, around the youngest possible age, fall down, covered in blood, and the sound of cackling mares filled my hearing.
Suddenly, I heard galloping as I realized that the mare was trying to run towards me. I flew up, letting her ram into the wall behind me.
Quickly looking around, I saw Papercraft, Cherrycloud, and Nightshade grab weapons and miscellaneous things needed. Page Turner was levitating things out of the other ponies' reach, confusing them. Outback had a lasso in his mouth and grabbed a backpack.
Suddenly I heard Nightshade's voice echo through the Cornucopia. "Move out guys!" her strained voice yelled. I obeyed, flying upwards and out of the bell shaped metal, away from the other ponies' reach.
All of a sudden, my good luck changed. I felt a sharp pain in my side, and suddenly my wing was covered in blood.
I looked down at the ground from where I was a meter above the Cornucopia. Bloodlight was standing there, grinning like a mad pony, with daggers in his hooves.
Starstorm was next to him, smiling evilly.
"Kill her?" Bloodlight asked his mistress.
"No," Starstorm replied. "Let her die of infections or blood loss. It'll be more fun that way."
I didn't know what they were talking about. My brain was getting foggier, but I could still make out the blood on my wing, and where it came from: a knife lodged in the bottom of my stomach, from where Bloodlight threw it.
My head was fuzzy, and colors began to swirl. Suddenly all I could see was black, and a voice sounded through my static-y ears.
"Quick! Get her to safety! She's falling!"
The Cornucopia...it was too easy. There was bound to be a downfall at some point.
Here it was. I was going to die.
And then it was black.
~~~~~~
Slowly, my eyes fluttered open, and I was met by a lush...ceiling, of all things.
My brain was still trying to process everything that had happened, from the fall, to the blood, to the...knife?!
Quickly, my head snapped to the side, where the knife was stuck, and I was met by a colt saying, "Shhh, it's okay, Raven. You're safe." My eyes widened when I realized that the knife was no longer lodged in my stomach. Instead, it was wrapped with a soft linen, something that seemed like it was from the Capitol itself.
My head swerved to the colt standing over me. It was Outback, his lasso on the ground next to him as well as the backpack and the bow I had taken.
"Wh...what happened?" I asked him.
"Ah, well, after ya blacked out there, mate, we took ya to the safest place we thought was, the big ol' castle thing in the arena. Unfortunately, the Careers thought it was the best too. But they don't know we're here, mate. That's why you gotta keep quiet, 'else they find us. Then we all dead, mate."
"B...but the knife, the blood? It's all gone?"
"Turns out Cherrycloud 'ere is great with crafty things, including medicine and healing."
"Oh. Casualties?"
"The first time in the history of the Games, only one pony 'ere died. His name was Glass Mirror, mate. Not very good at stuff. The rest either fled first chance they got, or were part of a group or Careers."
"Where are the others?" I asked him, rubbing my eyes.
"Ah, well, Nightshade, Cherrycloud, and Papercraft went to go hunt and gather with some weapons they found around the Cornucopia, flying down to one of these here shops. The Careers got control of the kitchen in the castle, 'ere, but it turns out that the food in this here arena comes from shops. Page Turner's keeping a lookout, sitting on the balcony."
I nodded, looking around the lush room I was sitting in. I was lying on a bed covered in moons, much like Ash Wither's tattoo, now that I come to think of it. It was soft, and there were nice pillows and cushions too.
Suddenly my gaze shifted over to a container with a parachute attached to it lying in a corner. The parachute had a big "3" on it.
"What's with the parachute, Outback?" I asked him.
"Oh, that was a gift from the sky. Your mentor, Ass, sent it to ya."
I shook my head. "Ass?"
"Ass, Ash, same thing. I saw his Games, that bloke's brutal, mate. He might as well be an ass."
I giggled. "What did he send?"
"Medicinal supplies that Cherrycloud used, mate. Oh, he also sent this 'ere note." Outback turned around, and handed me a neatly folded note.
I opened it, curious to see the contents.
Dear Raven,
I saw you fall in the Cornucopia. Buck, I was scared.
Turns out I was wrong, you really did choose good allies. Kudos to you, Raven. Something I had trouble with in my Games.
Anyway, I'm sure your friend Cherrycloud will help you with the knife and the wound at whatnot. Oh, buck, that will be terrifying for me. I think I'll close my eyes.
I hope these work. It took me a while to get them, but they are top notch medicines used for stab wounds in the Capitol, donated by a kind stallion who is actually a doctor.
Just remember, Raven. Remember who the real enemy is.
~Ash
I closed the note, holding it to my chest. How could I have been so wrong to think Ash would hurt me? It was his medicines - and Cherrycloud, of course - who saved my life instead.
We sat there for a while, quiet, until a creaking sound came from the window.
Outback jumped up, grabbing his knife, and shushed me, walking over to the window. Finally, he heaved a sigh of relief. "It's just the pegasi," he told me, waving the three ponies in. Cherrycloud, being the sweet little mare that she is, immediately dropped her stuff to check on me. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked me.
"Yeah, fine, thank you, Cherrycloud," I responded.
She smiled sweetly at me, walking back to where Nightshade was standing.
Nightshade looked at me condescendingly, her head cocking. "Hope to see you up soon, soldier," she told me.
Soon, everypony was seated close by to me, so we could talk.
"What d'ja mates get?" Outback asked.
"Well," Papercraft answered, "we got many canned foods, which is great. Whole bag of them here," he tipped over a big sack that had been seated next to him. "We also got some fresh foods, aaannnddd," he waited for Nightshade to finish.
"We got sweets!" A backpack tipped over, spilling over candy and chocolates.
"What?" I asked incredulously. "How did you-?"
"There was a candy store down the road. I gave some to Page Turner who's keeping a lookout out there. This arena's amazing!" She grinned, but stopped when I gave her a crazy look. "Well, for an arena," she finished.
I smiled. "Yeah, it kinda is."
But something in my gut told me that this arena had to do with something Ash said, something about who the real enemy is.
Because this city, it had to be real at one point.
But if it was real, what happened to it?
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Want More Tuna? *not official chapter*
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. New Friends and Old Friends
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Part One
The Reaping
Introduction
It is said by the great King Discord that the Equestria Games were created for penance of Equestria, for before, in the Old Times, the ponies disgraced him by turning him into stone.
He says that they are a reminder of his kindness and generosity.
Do I believe him? Of course not. King Discord is cruel, and it would have never occurred to him to help us. This is shown because we are starving in the Districts, but does he help us? No. Just sits back and watches us die.
I live in a more wealthy District, thank Equestria, because if I didn't, I would starve to death, as the ponies in the poorer Districts normally did. I live in District 3, where the electronics are produced.
Now, you may think, "hey! You're lucky you live in such a great District!" no, no I don't. We may not starve to death, but every day another pony gets electrocuted by the sparks or something.
I'm sixteen, so I don't have to work yet, but in two years, that'll be my job, electrocuting to death. My father and my brother went on the same day, six years ago.
It's also said that Equestria used to be better, in the Old Times. That we were ruled by two lovely Princesses, ruling over us in peace. One controlled the moon, the other, the sun.
You can't say their names anymore. Don't want Peacekeepers to overhear you.
Discord killed them, of course. Destroying not only their bodies, but their image as well.
Sixteen years ago. The same year I was born, the Princesses fell to the power of Discord.
One year before the first Equestria Games.
One year before the hope of Equestria fell with Twilight Sparkle, who died in the arena.
