//------------------------------// // Prologue - Tributes // Story: The Equestrian Games // by The Pony of Lost Legend //------------------------------// Chapter I - Tributes I wake up to an empty bed, my brother must have went out hunting instead of waiting for me to wake first. I sigh at the thought, he only did this when he had horrid nightmares of losing me and our mother to Canterlot. Of course, today was no doubt worse, it was the day of the summer sun. I push myself out of bed, looking in the mirror and braiding my violet mane before heading down the hall. Sniffing the air, the smell of bland pancakes hits my senses. Pancakes were never a bad thing until you eat them everyday without fail. Entering the kitchen, I catch my mother slaving over a pan, mumbling softly under her breath as she did so. She had gained the mumbling habit when my father was killed in a rebellion against the higher powers, mumbling in what seemed to be gibberish. My brother understood it somehow, like they could see into each other’s minds. “Mm, is that pancakes?” I joke softly to catch her attention. She chuckles and wipes her hooves on her apron. “Isn’t it always?” she asks rhetorically,” I really want to get some of those muffins from the bakery to give you and your brother something to look forward to when you wake up for once,” she adds in a hush tone. I sigh with a small smile. “Mother, you know we don’t mind,” I say, gently taking her hooves to comfort her, “we need to save our money to get out of here, remember?” She sighs, her eyes on the floor as she begins to nod slowly. I sit down and my mother rests a plate in front of me before rushing off to clean her own cooking dishes. With another gentle smile, I stuff a bite of bland pancake in my mouth. With working to keep my mother’s head above the water, I had momentarily forgotten the summer sun. Just thinking about it now had already started to make my heart thunder in my chest. Every four years a summer sun celebration would occur. The festival included feasts and partying for the rich ponies of Canterlot, shutting out the twelve districts in need of that food. More importantly, the head of the royal elite, Princess Celestia, would hold what everypony calls the Equestrian Games. Twenty-four tributes, a mare and a stallion from each district were called to Canterlot to take part in these games. Mass murder and bloodshed would entertain the ponies of Canterlot for weeks until one pony remained out of those twenty-four. I hadn’t noticed that I was staring off into my nearly untouched breakfast until I heard a voice call to me. “Twily, think you could help me out?” my brother chuckles with his calm smile as he walked into the house. Twily was a nickname he gave me when we were younger, I wouldn’t allow anyone else but him to call me it, it was something special for me and him. I jolt up and trot over to help, smelling something sweet in the air as I did so. “Mm! What’s that amazing smell!?” I purr gently. His smile grows as he shows me three little muffins, one for him, our mother, and myself. “Y-You bought muffins??” I say. He catches my worry as he closes the door, shaking his head with a chuckle. “No, Mrs. Cake gave them to me for bringing her grain from beyond the fence,” he says gently. I sigh in a deep relief. My mother rushes over to my brother, grabbing his face and inspecting him for any injuries, resulting in him purring with a loving chuckle. “Mother i’m fine, I promise you,” he comforts softly. She smiles with a sigh. “Shining Armor, you should know how much I worry if even your out for more than a second longer than normal,” she reminds him. Shining Armor nods in agreement, smiling again as he pulls out the muffin for her. My mother blink in shock. “How? And on a day like today at today…?” she asks. Shining chuckles sadly. “I wanted us all to go to the reaping in better spirits just in case…,” he carries off. Just in case me or him was chosen for the games, I finish softly in my thoughts. I sigh with a smile, stealing a muffin from him with a spark of magic. I purr as the sweet crumbs hit my tongue. “Mm~!” I say, licking my lips. He laughs and messes up my mane. “Couldn’t wait could you Twily?” he snorts. My mother nibbles at hers, a sad look in her eyes as she watches us. Of course she had the right to be upset, she might lose one of her children today. I nuzzle into my brother’s chest softly and he wraps a hoof around me. The terrible thought of me being thrown against my brother seeps into my mind, what if I had to fight him…? What if he had to kill me…? ______________________________________________________________________________ The stadium was packed with ponies from all twelve districts and ponies from Canterlot. The ponies  of age to be chosen for the games stand in the center, including my brother and myself. My mother watches us from the stands, biting her lip as she tried her best to hold back her tears for our sake. We were the last piece of father that she had, losing us would leave her with nothing… We hadn’t signed up for any extra assistance from Canterlot, doing so would mean our names would be entering our names twice into the bowl for each year we had. My mother had refused to let either of us take such a chance. I feel Shining Armor suck in a sharp breath as a pink pony makes her way onto the stage laid out in front of us. Pinkie Pie, the announcer for the games. She was overly bubbly to be the one announcing the names of twenty-four tributes and leading them to their certain death. Pinkie holds her microphone by a tuff of her mane, grinning out at us like we were small fillies and colts attending her birthday party. A uneasy silence cuts through the stadium as the microphone statics. “Hello everypony!!” the pink mare squeaks loudly, grinning as wildly as ever, “who’s ready to pick our lucky tributes!?!” Many ponies from Canterlot shriek and whistle in approval, leaving the ponies of the twelve districts in an uneasy silence. Pinkie Pie doesn’t seem to notice as she continues on, gesturing to a small mare who stood beside a large bowl, filled with slips of paper. “Here we have my lovely assistant, Fluttershy!” Pinkie explains,” she will be choosing the names for this years tributes!” Fluttershy gives a shift of her hooves, from here I could see she was trembling. What was she so afraid of? It’s not like it was her name in that bowl. I feel myself scowl softly. Pinkie Pie giggles as she continues. “Go on Fluttershy!! Choose our first set of tributes!” Pinkie Pie squeaks. Fluttershy nods and pushes herself into flight, reaching into the bowl. I feel my heart beat race, district one, Appleloosa, would be first. Ponyville is last to be drawn but it doesn’t comfort me anymore. I dipped into my thoughts as the bright pink pony began to call out names over the screams of the Canterlot ponies. The selected tributes for districts one made their way to the stage, then two...four...five… before I knew it, district twelve’s tributes were being called out. “Twilight Sparkle and Roman Vladimir!!” Pinkie Pie cheers out. I choke on my shock, my hooves frozen in place. I can’t be a tribute! I’ll die before I even begin!! I feel my hooves begin to move without me telling them to, my heart slammed in my chest, I could feel my brother watching me in horror. His worst fears were coming true… right before his eyes… I step onto the stage, the stallion beside me, one I saw often when I went out with my brother, must be Roman Vladimir. Just looking at him makes my hooves tremble, he was a tall tan pegasus with sharp green eyes, his muscles clear underneath his coat. He didn’t say a word, but I felt his gaze on me. “What do you think of this year’s tributes mm!?” Pinkie asks, receiving a scream of approval from the Canterlot ponies. “Make sure to tune in next time to get the juice, and for now, may the odds forever be in your favor!!” I feel my heart drop as my brother and mother made their way toward me, other than the families of the tributes, everypony else was leaving the stadium now. My mother grips onto my face, tears lining her eyes. “My poor filly…” she whimpers softly, squeezing me against her chest, my brother joins the embrace with a shaky sigh. “It should have been me…” he mumbles softly. I feel my heart ache with pain, seeing them both in this state hurt me more than when my name was called out for the stadium to hear. I suck in a deep breath and force a small smile. “Hey, at least have some faith in me!” I pushed jokingly. My mother looks to me, releasing me from her embrace as she holds my cheeks in her hooves. “I know I can have faith in such a young smart mare…” she smiles, holding back her tears for me as she tries to hold onto her emotions. Shining Armor didn’t say anything, he was eyeing the other tributes. I gulp at the sight of them all, strong, bold… I caught sight of a tan earth-pony stallion with grayish-blue eyes, a small grey pegasus was crying into his chest as he tried his best to comfort her. District four ponies no doubt… He seemed almost to confident to be a tribute, making him out to look like one of the careers. Careers were a band on ponies from districts one, two, three, and sometimes fours that teamed up until all others weaker than them were eliminated. They trained in advance, putting the rest of the tributes at a disadvantage. I sigh again, trying to slow my racing heart down to normal. Looking back to my mother, then to Shining Armor, a single thought crossed my mind that made my breath hitch. I had to win...for them… it could end our families suffering for years… even if I couldn’t win, I at least had to try. Or...die trying. I am Twilight Sparkle, the newest district twelve tribute, and this is how I plan to win the seventy-fourth Equestrian Games.