The Equestrian Hunger Games - Act I: Reigning Darkness

Sparkler sat tirelessly on the plush red bean bag chair placed in the room inside the Harmony Building where the tributes are allowed to meet anypony that visited them for a final goodbye. She knew she was terrified but strained to not give anypony the chance to see her in such a weak state. It was sad, really, having to see somepony who was always so rowdy and violent end up so depressed and weak.

No, Sparkler would not end up like all the other former tributes. She would stand strong until the very end and maybe even win the Games. But how could she? Perhaps her skills in hunting would prove useful for once besides getting food on the table. Yes, that would do it.

Maybe she could even escape, right there and then. There was nopony in the room right now and Nightmare Moon’s magic powered security cameras couldn’t always keep track of her. She could go run off into the woods and live a lonely and simple life all by herself. Maybe she could even go with Braeburn’s idea and run off together with the entire family.

She never had the chance to try the escape plan, though, as the door suddenly opened and revealed two ponies. The very ponies that would always support Sparkler no matter what happened.

“Mom, Dinky…” Sparkler could only muster up to say as she saw the two ponies’ weeping faces.

As quick as the foal’s legs could take her, Dinky jumped up into Sparkler’s fore hooves and hugged her as tightly as she could. She had tear lines streaking down her face and was still sobbing even when Sparkler told the filly to let go. In the end, Ditzy Doo had to pull her youngest daughter away so Sparkler could have room to breathe.

“Why, Sis?” Dinky asked as she tried to wipe her tears “Why did you do that?”

“What, take your place?” Sparkler tried to sound calm as she could “Well, I figured you wouldn’t make it all on your own and decided ‘Hey, why the buck not?’”

Sparkler struggled a grin as she looked at her family’s expressions. Her mother had her usual wall-eyed stare, so it was always hard for Sparkler to find out what she was thinking. It took some time, but Ditzy Doo finally patted her daughter’s back and embraced her in a meaningful hug.

“I know you could do it, my little muffin” Ditzy Doo said “You’re stronger than most other ponies here in District 12, and you’re very handy with that bow”

“Yeah! Knock those other tributes down with your bow!” Dinky chimed in

Sparkler couldn’t help but laugh at her family’s remark. She knew the other tributes were far stronger than she was, and her chances of winning were slim. She knew that even if she had Braeburn at her side, she was still at risk of death or worse, having to kill Braeburn.

It was also quite sad to see how little Dinky knew about the Games. Perhaps that was what she thought it was all about, a big game. Dinky knew all about the death and violence of it all, everypony did, but there was something in that child-like innocence that couldn’t comprehend the fact that her sister was as good as dead. Maybe it was the fact that Sparkler was Dinky’s own sister and she didn’t want to lose her just yet.

“Please make it back alive…” Dinky said with an expression that could cure a thousand ill ponies

Sparkler didn’t want to take any chances. On one hoof, she was skilled. On the other hoof, so were the other tributes. She may have already lost the Hunger Games before it even began… No, she hasn’t. She is going to stay strong and survive this thing as long as she can.

“I promise” Sparkler replied

“Pinkie Promise!” Dinky demanded

“Alright, alright, I Pinkie Promise I’ll make it back alive!” said Sparkler

She then did the ritual that was created by Pinkie Pie many years ago. The ponies of Ponyville had taken it as a somewhat official ritual; even Rarity did it from time to time. It was probably the best kind of promise since nopony has ever broken one as of yet.

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye”

With that said, Dinky wiped a final tear from her face and hugged her mother for comfort. Ditzy only smiled warmly as she looked at Sparkler with tear filled eyes. Their time together was ending quite soon, and there was still much left to say.

“Your father is very proud of you” Ditzy finally said

“Mom… Dad’s dead” Sparkler said matter-of-factly

Ditzy was just about to say something else when suddenly a royal guard burst in through the door and told them their time was finally over. Ditzy wanted to protest, but Sparkler told her to let it go. She didn’t want to see her mother killed, or exiled, or jailed, or killed in a jail while being in exile. Well, that sounded very strange indeed.

“Goodbye, sis!” Dinky shouted as tears started falling down her face again “And don’t forget or Pinkie Promise!”

“Remember that I’ll always love you!” Ditzy added in

The door was closed and Sparkler went back to her thinking state, wondering if it wasn’t too late to run away. The way her family had wished her goodbye and showed her love in just those few moments had really struck Sparkler deeply. She had to come back alive, if not for herself then for her family. After all, she cared deeply about the little foal and Ditzy was one of the nicest mares a pony could ever wish to have for a mother. Maybe Sparkler has been too hard on her.

Sparkler didn’t know if anypony else would be coming, since she had little ties to anypony. There was Braeburn, Pinkie Pie, Sweetie Belle…

As if on cue, the door was bust open and a white bundle of energy leaped straight onto Sparkler. That was soon followed by another white mare, walking in elegantly as she used her magic to close the door behind her. The two of them also seemed to have just finished crying.

“What is it with you guys and running into me?!” Sparkler complained

“Sorry, Sparkler” Sweetie Belle said with a sad smile

“Sweetie Belle here so desperately wanted to see you, Sparkler” Rarity chimed in “And I guess I had to see you as well”

Sweetie Belle then started to fire word after word of everything she had to say. She said she tried to take Sparkler’s place as well, just as Sparkler had predicted. Rarity was there to add in her own two bits to the conversation, hoping not to juts be a third wheel to the two ponies’ conversation.

“You know, our time’s running out pretty quick” Sparkler finally said “You guys should just say your goodbyes and get this over with”

“Time flies when you’re having fun, right?” Sweetie Belle said with a hopeful smile

“More like time flies when I have to listen to you talking” Sparkler muttered under her breath

“Well, I hope to see you around” Sweetie Belle said

“Indeed” added Rarity “I know I’ll miss you If you were to… leave”

The two white Unicorns turned around to finally leave before Rarity suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. She finally remembered the reason she wanted to come with Sweetie Belle in the first place. She turned around and handed something to the magenta mare.

“For you” Rarity said with a slight quiver in her voice “Do remember us when you’re in the Games, will you?”

Sparkler looked at the item she was just handed by the mayor of Ponyville. It was a small gold pin with a picture of a phoenix. This surprised Sparkler very much, she did not expect to be given something this… this… expensive. Yes, that was the best term, expensive. The pin would have been the most valuable thing she might have ever had in her hooves which wasn’t stolen.

Sparkler wanted to give it back to Rarity, she didn’t deserve it. Plus, this must have been very important to the family, too, since Sweetie Belle was wearing it on Reaping Day. Rarity only declined to take it back, she wanted Sparkler to take it.

“It’s only fair that you get this” she said “Sweetie Belle’s best friend should have this since I gave it to my best friend, Fluttershy a few years ago when she…”

“Yes?” Sparkler asked

“Nothing, nothing” Rarity finally said as she trotted out the door, saying nothing else. Sweetie Belle only managed to wave a hoof before the door was slammed unceremoniously by the guard.

Now Sparkler was alone again. Two visitors so far, and some others were sure to come. She looked at the pin she had just received from Rarity with amusement. Even better, Sweetie Belle claimed she was her best friend. Sparkler never considered that, she only thought of Sweetie Belle as an acquaintance.

The sound of the door opening brought Sparkler back into reality. This time, it was a mare Sparkler never thought she would see again; a cream mare with a dark blue and pink mane. Sparkler never even thought she would see the mare ever again.

“Bon Bon” Sparkler noted

“Good to see you, Amethyst” Bon Bon said with a motherly tone

“What are you doing here?”

“To wish you good luck, of course!” she added

Sparkler looked at the adult mare with a mix of relief, depression and confusion. After Sparkler was adopted by Ditzy Doo and The Doctor, she never even once considered going to visit Bon Bon. She never liked that place, after all. It was even worse considering the fact that she had lived since foalhood.

“I know you may not like me that much-” Bon Bon started to say

“As if...” Sparkler interrupted

“But I just wanted to let you know that I still care for you. I care for all of my children, whether or not they’re mine” Bon Bon started to sound melancholic as she added the final words “I could still remember you as the young foal that couldn’t even feed herself, Amethyst”

There was a collective silence between the two mares as Sparkler listened to her talk. She always liked Bon Bon for her ability to make anypony feel happy due to her motherly personality. Perhaps this was the only thing she actually liked about the orphanage: Bon Bon.

“Here, take these with you” added the mare as she handed a small pouch to Sparkler “I hope you still like my sweets!”

Before Sparkler could reply, Bon Bon had trotted out of the room. Now she had two gifts. Did the previous tributes also get as many visitors and gifts? She then remembered her Pinkie Promise with Dinky, and her resolution became even more firm. With a determined face, Sparkler took off her dress and placed it on the bean bag as she walked to the door, she was ready to leave for Canterlot.

SLAM

The door opened loudly as a pink mare trotted into the room and looked Sparkler straight in the eyes. She had a one-of-a-kind grin that meant either she was going to throw a party, or punch you in the face. This time, it was neither.

Pinkie Pie hugged Sparkler tightly as Sparkler came back to her senses. Okay, maybe she wasn’t really expecting Pinkie Pie to show up, but it was great she cared for her. After a full minute (“Sixty seconds, on the dot!” Pinkie Pie said) of hugging, Pinkie let go and placed a knowing hoof on Sparkler’s shoulders.

“Gummy and I need to tell you something before you leave” she said as the prized green toothless baby alligator could be seen munching on Pinkie Pie’s curtain-like mane “Your lucky colours are gonna be mint, light yellow and caramel. Be careful of statues and blue flowers. If you see anypony in that field of blue flowers, help them!”

“Were you consulting with your Pinkie senses again?” Sparkler asked with an uneasy expression

“Never underestimate the Pinkie senses” Pinkie Pie said with a grin “You’re gonna do fine, see!”

Pinkie Pie then had one of her famous Pinkie senses, her whole body tingling followed by her tail twitching and her ears flopping. The sign that means that somepony was going to be safe. Sparkler just wondered for how long the Pinkie sense would be true.

As quick as she came in, Pinkie Pie bounded out the door with Gummy hanging onto her mane. It wasn’t even fully closed yet when a hoof pushed it open again, a stallion’s hoof.

“Thought ah’d say goodbye before ya left” Braeburn said with a smirk

“I don’t think you have long” Sparkler added, looking at the clock

“Listen, Sparky. You’ve gotta win this, ya hear?”

“There are twenty four of us, only one of us could win! What are the chances of me being that pony?”

“You’ve got a high chance, ah reckon”

Braeburn then hugged Sparkler tightly as a guard trotted up towards the stallion and tapped his shoulder. Braeburn only nodded knowingly and trotted away. He stopped for a moment and waved a hoof towards Sparkler as he left, leaving Sparkler slightly dumbfounded. Did these teary goodbyes always bring out the strangest of most ponies? Because those two last ones were as confusing as ever.

Sparkler trotted out of the room, accompanied by two royal guards. Apparently, she was still considered unstable. Good, she had an edge to work with. She was then met with Caramel and THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE, both waiting for her at the side entrance of the Harmony building. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE had a smug look on her face and Caramel only nodded with a calm smile.

The ride from the Harmony Building to District 12’s train station felt even longer than usual, probably because the streets were jam-packed with ponies looking at the two ponies for the last time. All the while, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE tried to make the ride as lively as possible while the two tributes only sat there silently.

“Oh, you are going to LOVE the Friendship Express! It has all kinds of food and it looks just amazing!”

“Why is it called the Friendship Express if there’s nothing so friendly about it?” Sparkler said with her typical rude behaviour

“Well, the train was called that before Nightmare Moon, so I guess the name stuck” Caramel finally said with a hopeful smile

“Lazy ponies…” Sparkler grumbled

When they had arrived at the train station, the whole place was already crowded. Apparently, they were all hopeful of this year’s female tribute. Everypony knew about Sparkler whether they wanted to or not, and it didn’t always start out with a nice conversation, either.

The three ponies got on the train and waved off the crowd of ponies. Caramel was smiling kindly and Sparkler with her grumpy sneer. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE thought it was a good idea to start some fireworks inside the train. Needless to say, everypony cleared out of the train station after that.

“So, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE” Sparkler said with a hint of hatred towards the long name “Where do we go now?”

“Please, just call me Trixie” said THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE with a cheesy grin “As for what’s next, we just have to watch a recap of the reapings, to see your other competitors”

“She never lets anypony call her Trixie” Caramel whispered to Sparkler’s ear as they trotted towards the carriage where they would watch all the reapings

“Oh, she is going to be so disappointed when we die” Sparkler whispered back

They then watched the reapings and tried to list out all the probable enemies and difficulties they would be facing. Of course, there were the Alpha Team from Districts 1 and 2, consisting of two stallions named Snowflake (“Looks like a pony on steroids” Caramel said “Let’s just call him ‘Roid Rage”) and Billy (“I’m sure he’s got something up his sleeves” Sparkler said) and two fillies called Diamond Tiara (“She’s a bitch” Sparkler said matter-of-factly) and Silver Spoon (“Looks smart, better be careful around her” said Caramel). There were also some other ponies that stood out, mostly a Unicorn named Lyra form District 5 (“Strange pony” Caramel stated), a young filly named Apple Bloom (“Poor kid…” said Caramel disappointedly) and her older brother Big Macintosh (Big guy, big problems” Sparkler said dejectedly), both from District 11. When they were done, they all trotted outside before they were stopped by a plum coloured mare holding a bottle of alcohol.

“’Sup, guys” the mare said with a glassy expression “It’s gonna be a long week, you know”

“Berry Punch…” Sparkler grumbled

“Shouldn’t you be, you know, getting ready to train us?” Caramel asked

“Meh, you guys are good to go” Berry Punch added “I’m just her for the drinks! Have fun murdering each other~”

The mare trotted away, followed closely behind by Trixie who was complaining about something to the mare. Berry Punch, however, just bucked the Unicorn and she came flying through the carriage and slammed into the side of the train.

“We are so gonna die…” Sparkler muttered, losing all the hope she had gained from her visitors