The Equestrian Hunger Games - Act II: Trail of Blood

How long has it been since Amethyst Star actually found something worthwhile to actually look into? Days. Three days, to be exact. Her mind was in a state of confusion. At one point, she is glad that she could actually get some peace for once. But still, three days is quite long in terms of The Equestrian Hunger Games. The viewers at home will start to get bored, and Sparkler knew that the ponies over at Canterlot would not want that to happen. Something was going to happen, she was sure of it.

The caverns looked exactly the same as it always did. It was dank, humid, and so full of rocks. Sometimes, Sparkler questioned whether or not she is even going anywhere, or if she was just circling the same area over again. She should have marked the area, but it was almost impossible to do so. She also did not want other ponies to detect her and probably kill her any time soon.

Just as she thought that nothing more was going to happen to her, she heard something shift in the distance. Knowing the rules of the Games, she was bound to be in for a surprise. Cautiously trotting over to it, Sparkler hoped that it was nothing that could kill her. And if it did, she hoped that it would be quick and painless.

The mere thought made her shudder.

All this time, she had steeled herself in order to prepare for the incoming storm of death and destruction she would have to face. But now that she actually has killed, and is under the threat of instant death, her mind is in a rut. Maybe all her mental preparations had gone along with her magic. If that was true, then she really did wish it would come back soon.

A few more cautious steps forward, and Sparkler saw two cavernous holes paved into the walls. They were exactly identical in every shape and size. If anything was there to differentiate the two caves, it was only the fact that one was on the left and the other was on the right. Yes, it was that similar. Unicorn magic, powered by Nightmare Moon’s dark powers, had certainly revolutionised death traps.

“When in doubt…” Sparkler whispered to herself “Choose right”

She turned her head towards the right cave, ready to enter it with all her courage, when a shrill shriek reverberated off the walls. Squinting her eyes, Sparkler noted something else was within the right cavern. Something large. Something dangerous.

“Maybe left isn’t such a bad choice” Sparkler admitted and turned left instead

Just as she entered the left chamber-like cave, a loud explosion of magic echoed through the area. The magic flare, of course. The single explosion of magic that hinted all the other ponies as to the death of another Tribute. This time, when the magic screen appeared, Sparkler watched the face of a certain Tumbleweed, smiling happily as the words “Death by beast” shone beneath her image.

Sparkler shook the thought of another dead pony and continued her trek.

‘Is it me…’ thought Sparkler ‘or is it getting real hot in here?’

Sparkler’s internal thinking gears whirred and clicked. Something was happening. The Gamemakers want her dead. There was little hope of survival now. Gulping down her own saliva, Sparkler braced for the death that was sure to come. Slowly? Quickly? If anything, she wanted to be prepared for it, at least so she could survive to see another day.

“NANI?!” screamed the Unicorn as she tilted her head back, seeing the choice of death that the Gamemakers had chosen for her

A wall of fire, burning with the intensity of a thousand suns, zipped across the stone floor in a tremendous rage. It was pony-made, Sparkler knew it. No natural flame could actually look as beautiful and deadly as the one right in front of her at the moment. Cursing the stars, Sparkler ran and ran, hoping that she could escape the flames.

“FIRE! Why did it have to be fire?!”

On any other day, Sparkler would have laughed and stood her ground as the flames licked her coat and mane. But not today. Not when she had no magic and no skills. She was not prepared yet to face this sort of enemy, and would have liked it better to duel with the beast in the right cave. At least that one was killable.

The heat died down, but Sparkler kept running.

There was no way for her to be sure that the threat was over, not when the Gamemakers were on a roll. So instead she kept her eyes closed and prayed to the deceased Princess Celestia that she would be able to open her eyes without seeing fire surrounding her. When she finally dared to do so, a certain sight caught her eyes. For once, the thing in front of her was not made of stone.

Pity it was also a murderous beast.

The creatures were made entirely out of wood and branches. They all seemed to magically connect it together as there was no clear reason as to how the creature actually stuck together. Being the size of three ponies and glaring at Sparkler with glowing yellow eyes, Sparkler instantly recognised the monster in front of her: The Alpha Timberwolf.

Sparkler knew Timberwolves. They chased enemies and prey based off their own predatory instincts. The more dangerous the enemy, the more riled up the Timberwolves would act. They live off of danger, mostly due to the fact that they could instantly regenerate their bodies if they are ever destroyed. It is once stated that if a Timberwolf has caught your scent, you were as good as dead.

Alpha Timberwolves are worse. Being a combination of multiple Timberwolves, the Alpha Timberwolf looks for his own enemies. There are legends. Legends that tell of how a lone Alpha Timberwolf destroyed an entire village, consuming all of its inhabitants in a single attack. There were no facts that said that it was true, though there were also no facts that proved it wrong.

“Mataku…” Sparkler sighed as she drew her crossbow as quickly as possible “Fucking Gamemakers…”

Sparkler shot once, twice, thrice. Being a ridiculously large target, the Alpha Timberwolf was struck with all the darts in rapid succession. Of course, being a ridiculously large target, the Alpha Timberwolf felt no pain from such puny darts. The wooden wolf howled with all its might and pounced Sparkler.

Sparkler was never aiming to kill the wolf, though. Oh no, Sparkler had much more common sense than that. A one-on-one with an Alpha Timberwolf was suicidal, and Sparkler had way too much to live for. She was done being suicidal. She was done being depressed. She wanted to fight on.

Just as the Alpha Timberwolf was about to catch the lavender Unicorn, Sparkler swiftly slid underneath the wolf, dodging it just by an inch. She wasted no time in running away. The cavern was huge, though she realised that the top did seem to lower down near the place where she was chased by the fire. She didn’t even need to look back to wonder if the Alpha Timberwolf was chasing her, the thumping of the beast’s feet was loud enough to cause the cave to start shaking.

Sparkler’s memory proved right. The roof of the cave started to close down the closer she got to the entrance, leaving the wolf having to discard more and more of its body parts as it tried to continue the chase. This might be the only way to dispose of the Alpha Timberwolf; by making it disassemble itself.

Just as Sparkler thought that she might actually survive the Alpha Timberwolf attack, something else happened. The entrance of the cavern where Sparkler came from… it had disappeared. The Unicorn slammed headfirst into the wall, wondering if she had been hallucinating about the entrance.

‘Fat chance of that’ Sparkler mused

Looking at the beast that had chased her all the way here, Sparkler wondered if her death was inevitable. As she prayed forgiveness, another sound caught her attention. It was a monstrous roaring, though something she had just heard. Sparkler knew exactly what the noise was, and she was prepared this time.

Wrapping her white scarf firmly around her neck, Sparkler ran towards the Alpha Timberwolf. The sudden movement did not deter the beast. It continued in tis rampage, hoping to finally have its way with the future carcass of the mare. It had not realised that it had already deposited almost half of its original body, leaving it only slightly larger than the average pony. Sparkler took this into account and knocked straight into the wolf.

The force of the attack, never meant to kill but to stagger, threw them both back. Sparkler looked up just in time to see the most spectacular event happen right before her eyes. The roaring sound she had heard previously was from the wall of flame. It might have been a new wall of fire, but it had saved Sparkler’s life nonetheless. The inferno licked the wooden body of the Alpha Timberwolf, turning it into a pile of ashes in an instant.

Though this is not a time for rejoice. Sparkler was now aware that a giant freaking wall of fire was headed right towards her. Again. Silently laughing at the stupidity of the situation, Sparkler turned and ran again. In her haste, she did not realise that the cave wall had reappeared again.

Through the unfamiliar caverns Sparkler ran and ran, being forever chased by that dreaded flame. She thought that it was all over, there was no way she was going to make it. Her legs ached. Her body screamed. Her will shattered. She was about to trip and fall over her own hooves. That was when a sudden miracle happened.

In the days that Sparkler had lost her magic, she had screamed and shouted. Now, her form was suddenly calm and composed. Her breathing steadied, and her mind suddenly cleared up. She could feel something about to burst out from her chest. Something truly extraordinary. Something… magical.

Sparkler’s eyes flashed a blinding white and the familiar sound of teleporting resonated in her ears. The next thing she knew, the flame had gone, at the cost of Sparkler’s consciousness.