The Pony Lottery
It was a beautiful and bright morning. Birds chirped their songs, giving music to the life around them. Wind rustled the green leafs of the trees and bent the grass below. Clouds slowly crawled across the crystal blue sky and disappeared in the distance. Such a beautiful morning could not be tarnished, so thought Mayor Greymane of the town of Earthen Plot.
Greymane pulled his gaze away from the window and turned to his wife who labored before a hot stove, preparing breakfast. A smile cracked his lips as he made his way to sit at the wooden table in the center of their kitchen. Greymane patiently waited for his wife to finish breakfast. A few minutes later she was setting boiled oats and grains onto the table.
"Any sugar or honey with that dear?" She asked.
"No extra sweets for me, my darling. I'm already excited as it is, what with the pony lottery being today," Greymane said excitedely. His wife stopped and shuddered at the word "lottery." She had come to know its meaning all too well. She disappeared into the next room and fell silent. Greymane finished his breakfast alone. When he was done he left the table and wrapped a white sash around him and across his chest.
"Lookin sharp, Mr. Mayor," Greymane said to himself as he examined the sash in a nearby mirror. Content with his attire he turned to leave the house.
"We begin soon, are you coming darling?" Greymane asked as he reached the door.
"Go on without me for now, I'll be there soon!" A shaky voice said from somewhere in the house. Greymane chuckled to himself and opened the door.
"Well be sure to come, you know not even we are exempt from the lottery!" Greymane told his wife before leaving. The door closed shut behind him as he set out.
Greymane crossed a great green field and made his way to a large congregation of ponies that had already assembled on the pastures. Many familiar faces were there. Greymane nodded and called ponies by name as he passed them.
"Oh the joys of the small town. Everyone knows each other and tradition is to the letter," Greymane spoke to himself as he continued on.
In the center of the group of ponies was a large wooden platform with stairs ascending both sides. On top and in the center of the platform was a pedestal. Upon the pedestal rested a wooden box. The box appeared to be ancient as it was rotting away on all sides and the lock appeared to be rusted. Greymane climbed the platform and stood behind the box. Two ponies greeted him at the top.
"Good morning Mayor Greymane!" Two ponies chimed in unison. They were both dressed alike in blue button up vests and hard caps. They were the two pony security force for the lottery.
"Good mornign to you as well, Jon. As to you, John." Greymane replied to them. He nodded to the ends of the platforms and each pony took his place next to the stairs. Greymane surveyed the crowd before him. All the ponies looked up expectantly at the old box on the stage. Every one of them knew what was to come. Greymane's wife was no where to be found in the crowd.
"No matter if she is here, we are never chosen." Greymane said to himself with a slight chuckle. He cleared his throat and prepared to speak to the crowd before him. He walked to the edge and looked down on the crowd before him.
"Good morning, citizens of Earthen Plot! I see a sizeable out come here!" Greymane observed, looking over the crowd of ponies once more. The last of the chatter died down as the ponies turned their gaze to Greymane.
"First, allow me to welcome you all to the annual Spring Lottery! Aren't we all just so excited to be here for this wonderful event?" Greymane asked the crowd, signaling to them with a raised hoof. The crowd cheered as he asked.
"Second, is everyone here?" Greymane asked as he looked through the crowd once more. Still no sign of his wife, hopefully no one would notice besides him.
"Yup, we even got Grandmother Jude to wake up long enough to attend!" A pony near the front of the crowd hollered out to Greymane. The crowd laughed softly at the good nature of the pony and settled down once more.
"Well then, if we are all here, let us begin!" Greymane said. He turned to the box and opened it to reveal many sheets of paper inside. All were folded in half at the and scattered around the box. He threw his hoof in and mixed them all about. When he was finished he closed the box once more turned back to the expectant crowd.
"We all know how the lottery works but for the sake of tradition allow me to explain once more. The head colt of every family shall come forth and draw a paper when called. If no head colt is availible, the next of kin shall draw. When a winner is declared, round two will begin." Greymane informed the ponies. A sudden hush had fallen over the crowd, they knew what was to come next.
"Step forward as your name is called, draw you paper but don't look at it till I say so. Please remain on stage until the drawing is complete." Greymane said as he produced a long sheet of paper from behind his sash. He cleared his throat and began to call names.
"Brownson, Dirtches, Kulklo..." Greymane began. As names were called colts from the crowd made their way on stage, each drawing from the wooden box one sheet of paper. They lined up from one end of the stage to the other. Some drew their papers quickly while others hesitated. One mare stepped forth to claim a paper.
"I've never drawed before. Not since I lost my..." She began.
"Draw and get in line!" Greymane cut off her ramblings. Startled she quickly withdrew some paper and went to stand in line. He grunted and shook his mane, continuing on with the list of names.
"...and finally, O'mane." Greymane called. The pony slowly trotted onto the stage and stared at the box, transfixed by it.
"Go on O'mane, just because it's the last paper does not mean it is unlucky." Greymane told him, his patience visibly wearing thin with the hesitant pony. O'mane took his paper and quickly got in line.
"Alright, now that every pony has his or her paper, open them!" Greymane said with a big smile. Each pony opened their papers. Some opened theirs quickly and smirked when they found it blank. Others opened them slowly and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. The crowd craned their heads to see who had won the lottery.
"Well then, who has it?" Greymane said, trotting up and down the row, looking for the pony with the winning ticket. The mare who had drawn slowly held up her paper. Unfolded, an emblem of the hoof was printed on the inside of the paper. The crowd gasped and whispers seeped into the air.
"Ah, good girl, good girl. Please, deposit the paper back into the box. Would you kindly call your family up here? As for the rest of you, go," Greymane instructed. The rest of the colts disappeared back into the crowd as two fillies and a teenage colt joined the mare on stage. Greymane rattled the contents of the box once more and looked over to the winners.
"Each member of the family will draw, including the fillies. Do not look at your papers until I say so." Greymane told them. One by one they each took a paper and turned to face the crowd. Another hushed silence befell them.
"Open them," Greyman commanded. The two fillies opened theirs first and showed them to the crowd.
"Oh darn, we didn't win our first ever lottery!" One of them said. The teenage mare shook his head as he showed his paper to the crowd as well, it was blank. The eyes of all the ponies rested on the mare.
"Congrats! It seems you're the winner this year! Please step down to the center of the crowd to recieve your honors." Greymane told the mare.
As she descended the stairs John and Jon followed her, side by side. The smile menacingly at her. One nudged her gently.
"Don't even try to run away. We're bigger and faster than you." John said under his breath to her. She whimpered, knowing what was to come next.
As she shuttered from head to hoof the crowd encircled the frightened mare. They all stared at her with uncaring eyes. No words were spoken. The air was still as tears began to stream down her eyes. The ponies began to close in around her.
Her heart pounded in her chest. She turned all around but was surrounded by ponies. The two fillies stared curiously from up on the stage. The teenage colt trotted down to join the crowd. Greymane leaned over to the two littles fillies.
"Your mommy should be very pleased, she has been chosen!" Greymane said excitedely. The fillies continued to watch.
The last the two fillies ever saw of their mother was the crowd descending upon her. Her screams would forever echo in their ears.
Far away and unnoticed by any pony, a lone mare stole away into the forest. She disappeared like a shadow under the trees, he destination unknown.