Sector 1 reaping (Edited)
Sector 1
In the early morning light, ponies gathered together in the city square. Voices mingled, some nervous, some excited, and some in between. A bulky tan coloured stallion pushed through the crowd, making his way to the front. He hastily ran a hoof through his brown mane and shuffled his hooves, the donuts he ate for breakfast not agreeing with the butterflies in his stomach. His green eyes flitted upwards, towards the stage in the centre of the crowd.
Several rows away, a zebra stood tall, her turquoise eyes hardened as she waited for the Reaper to step on stage. Huddled between her hooves was a small pinto colt, white with brown patches on his fur. He made a small sound in his throat when he heard the hoofsteps echoing through the crowd, radiating from the stage. Zecora watched as Mrs. Harshwhinny make her way to the reaper's stand, her hardened expression faltering as the colt underneath her huddled up to her soft belly fur. She glanced down "It'll be alright, my sweet Pipsqueak. Please don't cry, wipe the tears from your cheek"
Pipsqueak wiped his eyes with a hoof "You don't know that" he said quietly
Zecora smiled softly "Why would I have reason to deceive you? I promise you, what I'm saying is true"
He sighed "Yeah, I suppose. I'm just so scared, mum" he said quietly, almost too quiet to hear. Zecora opened her mouth to reply, but shut it as she heard the loud voice of the Reaper echo through. She looked up, resting her eyes on the stage.
Mrs. Harshwhinny tapped the microphone with a hoof "Is this thing on? Testing, testing. Yes, it works. Welcome ladies and gentlecolts, to the reaping of the 97th Hunger games! To begin, let us read the name of the stallion" She trotted to her right, towards a fishbowl style bowl filled with slips of paper. She reached her hoof into the jar and pulled out a piece of paper, then trotted back to the microphone. "The male contestant for the 97th Annual Pony Games is..."
Pipsqueak's breath quickened and he closed his eyes tight. Zecora noticed his nervousness and gently ran a hoof through his mane, silently comforting him.
"Donut Joe!"
Pipsqueak sighed in relief and smiled up at Zecora "I knew you wouldn't lie" he said
Donut Joe gulped and took in a shaky breath, putting on a brave face as he trotted towards the stage with a smile. The crowd parted as the stallion passed, their eyes all on him. He walked onto the stage and stood tall to Mrs. Harshwhinny's right. The reaper didn't even look at him as she moved to the second fishbowl, pulled out a slip of paper, and walked to the microphone "The mare contestant for the 97th Annual Pony Games is....Zecora!"
The zebra's pupils shrunk and her breath hitched. She prayed that she heard it wrong, but her stomach dropped when she felt small hooves wrap around her right forehoof. She heard it right. She took a step forward, but stopped as Pipsqueak attempted to pull her back "Don't go momma! You don't have to go! Make those special soups for them, or ask someone else to go, please don't leave me!"
Zecora swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat, to no avail. She turned and kneeled down to her son's level, her eyes shining with tears "I must go, I hate to admit. As for your care, Bon Bon will foalsit" She closed her eyes for a few seconds, hating to see the sadness in her colt's eyes. "Trust me when I say, you I will miss. Please, my little pirate, give me one last kiss" She gave Pipsqueak a soft kiss between his ears, and he in return gave her a kiss on her cheek.
She looked to the cream coloured mare beside them, a long time friend "Bon Bon, take good care of him, for my sake. For if he was mistreated, my heart would truly break" She turned and slowly walked to the stage, ignoring the pitiful looks ponies gave her as they moved to let her pass. She held her head high, despite the tears beginning to fall. She stood beside Mrs. Harshwhinny and looked over the crowd, her eyes landing on many familiar faces. Her unmoved demeanor faltered for a moment as she saw Pipsqueak hugging Bon Bon, crying for all he was worth.
Donut Joe shot her a sympathetic look, though she didn't notice. Both their attention's were snapped back to the Reaper as she spoke loudly into the microphone "There you have it, ladies and gentlecolts! The mare and stallion contestants for Sector 1, in the 97th Annual Pony Games! Before we end this occasion, let us thank our gracious ruler for allowing us the privilege to prove our worth as his subjects"
All the ponies stomped their hooves, shouting praise. Mrs. Harshwhinny left the stage and the ponies stopped, beginning to file out of the town square. They all feared what would happen if somepony opposed the king, and therefore they all (no matter how much they despised him) showered him with praise and glory whenever an event took place.
Zecora and Donut Joe each knew the drill, and they went behind the stage, where a large black carriage awaited with two Pegasi stallions in the harnesses. Both Pegasi had considerable bruises and red marks, obviously from whips. They stepped in and waited for the slaves to take flight to bring them to the Capitol. Mrs. Harshwhinny, however, had to ride a separate carriage, as she had to go to all the Sectors to reap the contestants before she could return.
Zecora and Donut Joe each knew the drill, and they went backstage, where their mentor was waiting on a large black carraige, two Pegasi stallions in the harnesses. The stallions both had cuts and bruises, obviously from whips. The contestants stepped into the carriage and smiled obviously fake smiles at their mentor, a muscly white stallion with tiny wings. "Ready to go?" Donut Joe asked, to which their mentor replied "YEAH! Uh, I mean yeah"
Zecora closed her eyes and sighed, a stray tear falling to the ground. Donut Joe looked back at the city as they took flight, hoping that he would return. The sound of wings hitting the air met their ears and they straightened up, preparing for the cameras as they flew to the Capitol.
