I woke up the next morning with a tuft of red hair in my face... hair that was not my own. I panicked and immediately scooted away from this strange red hair with a whimper, hitting my spine against the stone. A small squeak of pain immersed from my lips, and then I saw another pony, this one clearly a mare. There were only two ponies in the room with me, but I didn't recognize them at first glance, mainly because they were so covered in mud.
I stared at the two ponies through the sunlight that peeked through the leafy curtain, trying to figure out what to do and who they were. Only after spotting a pair of thick black glasses sitting on the ground did I realize who these strangers were. It appeared that the couple from district three had found their way into my cave. Okay, well, it wasn't my cave, but it was just the cave I was staying in.
I flicked my tail at them and then realized how dirty both of them were especially Aerospace Zero. The only reason I was even able to tell it was her was from her bright mane and her cutie mark that was somehow not covered. While both of them looked like half painted stone statues, they were sleeping like they were exhausted. They slept close to each other, sharing warmth and acting like they were trying to keep their partner safe, which made me smile with sadness.
I felt bad for them, mainly because I didn't notice them walk in sometime last night. Something significantly bad must have happened to them for them to be so dirty like this. They also had no bags with them, so something must have happened with their objects as well. If they had ever managed to grab any. My heart was telling me to help them, at least for a while. I felt sorry for them. Letting my emotions take over, I decided to at least find them some breakfast.
I carefully tip-toed my way out of the cave, and walked around the area, trying to find some kind of food. I was eventually able to find a blackberry bush, and I carefully removed a good serving of them from the brambles with my magic. Also looking around, I spotted a small mint bush. I picked a few leaves, and then made my way back to the sleeping couple.
I sat in front of them, and separated the food I gathered into three servings. I sat there, staring through the curtain, keeping watch until the pair awoke. I was munching on the berries as I breathed quietly, glancing around the area. We were at the base of a mountain, one that looked too steep to climb. We were right at the edge of the forest, which gave us a safe opportunity to run if we needed to. They were also pegasai and could easily fly away if they needed to.
Soon enough though, I heard a huge yawn behind me. My ear turned first, and then I looked at Code Red who was stretching. His hooves reached up and out towards the ceiling, his back arching.
He squinted at me like he wasn't sure if I was there or not. He reached over, and carefully picked up his glasses. Once they were on, his eyes opened wide and realized that I was there. He stared with a very confused and scared expression as I picked up a serving of the berries and leaves, and offered them to him.
"Blackberries?" I asked, levitating them in front of his face.
"Um, sure?" He held up his hooves, and I dropped the berries into them.
I turned to face the curtain again and heard him gently wake his marefriend. He sounded a bit scared, however. I gave them the third serving of the berries, over my shoulder, and I finished my own serving. I swished my tail and sighed. I was waiting for them to ask something, or at least make some kind of conversation. I heard them whispering behind me, but I wasn't able to pick anything out. I was relieved when they started talking at a more audible level.
"When did you get in the cave?" Code Red asked. "Like, around what time?"
"Just after sunset." I glanced down, in front of the curtain and realized that my trap had been removed. I poked my hoof in the corner where one stick was and noticed that the half of it was still in place, but the other was broken off. The rope itself had been removed out of sight.
"Weird, we didn't notice you," Zero commented, glancing over to Red.
"It's weird you didn't notice me, since you clearly removed my trap," I countered.
The mare gave a nervous laugh. "Yeah, well, being in District three, we have a good eye for little details"
"That still doesn't explain how you didn't see me though."
"Well, you were so quiet, you just looked like a rock. That, and it was darker in the cave. All the light we had was just from the moon," Code Red explained."It could have happened to anyone, too."
"Maybe you were just tired. The moon was pretty bright last night," I responded back, trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
I sighed and stood to my feet. There wasn't a point to fighting about it. But if there was, it wasn't a good one.
"Well, however it happened, it doesn't matter," I turned to face them. "So, should we be a team, or what?"
They glanced at each other, unsure.
"Well, sure, but I mean, why aren't you with another group already? Your score was so high and you clearly have enough skill to side with anyone," Zero answered.
I thought for a moment, mainly because what they said was true. Taking a breath, I started to explain. "Well, yes, but I was planning on having an alliance with a group, but I was separated from them during the battle for the cornucopia. Then I happened to come across Scale -"
"You mean the changeling from district five?" Red asked.
"Yes, and I was going to join him after I more or less saved his, until I insulted him. Then he chased me away and I found my way here."
The two ponies exchanged a surprised look.
"Well, alright. I guess that makes sense," the magenta mare replied, giving an understanding nod.
"Who was in the group you were going to side with before, If I might ask?" The grey pegasus pondered. It seemed only natural that he would do so. For all we knew, somepony I wanted to side with could be their enemy.
"The ponies from district eight and nine. Moon Breeze, Silverstreak, Gearfly, and a there was a Chenieghs mare that I can't pronounce the name of, or at least properly. Why?"
The mare gave me an angry look. "That group, or at least the Chenieghs one, is the reason why we are so dirty and have nothing!" She gave an angry sigh, and Red placed his hoof on her shoulder. "She chased after us with a spear, trying to kill us. We fought back, of course, but then she took our things! She would have probably killed us, too, if we didn't slip and fall down a hill. We're lucky that we didn't break a bone or something on our way down!" She swished her tail, the vein on her forehead becoming visible. "I didn't see the other members of the group you speak of, but I don't trust that mare. Not after what we went through with her."
I flicked my ear. "Well, yeah, these are the Hunger Games, remember? We're supposed to fight to the death and be the last one standing in the arena. even if we don't want to," I responded sadly.
"Well, I never did anything to her. Why did she go after me? After us?"
"I don't know. I'd say it was the heat of the moment. If we had it our way, we wouldn't probably wouldn't be in these games, and the games wouldn't exist," I added with another sigh.
I wanted to continue talking, but there was the sound of several ponies screaming and yelling, and by the tone, they were close. I move forwards and poked my head out of the vine curtain again. I looked to my right to see two creatures running in the direction of the cave. One was the pale blue griffin, holding a spear in his talons. His wings gradually flapping at his sides to as if to gain more momentum, though his feet never left the ground. The other was a blonde colored unicorn, with a flowing silver mane that reminded me so much of melted metal as it flowed behind her. Her magic was holding two swords that were carefully trying to deflect weapon blows. The pair were far off in the distance, but they were still running towards us and in our sight.
I was going to beckon them inside the cave, but I wasn't sure if there would be enough room. At the same time,I didn't want to see more helpless ponies die. No pony in these games deserved it.
"We're going to help them," I told the pair quickly, my words almost meshing together. I grabbed my things, shoving the blanket and rope into my backpack before slinging it over my shoulder. Tightening and buckling the strap, I prepared to head out and do . . . something.
"And what are we supposed to do!?" The pair said simultaneously.
I trotted out of the cave, "We'll improvise!" I called back to them.
I made sure that the pair followed me outside. I wasn't going to face the situation by myself. We stood in front of the griffon and the pony, or at least in their pathway. They slid to a stop, and they had no place to run. I felt bad that they were scared, but I puffed out my chest to try to make myself look bigger and stronger.
I flicked my tail as the ponies that were chasing them stopped and circled them, slightly confused. They were the two stallions from districts one and two.
"Well well, what do we have here?" Said the stallion on the left, whom I remembered as Terrain Tactical. I still didn't know the name of the blue, black and grey pony next to him though. "Looks like we have a couple of wanna-be careers." The pair snickered.
I sighed at them. They didn't know I had plans to protect the ponies from district twelve.
"No matter. You can help us kill them, and then we can kill you," Said the blue one. "Be our guest."
The pale blue griffon turned and looked at me with green eyes, pleading for help. I gave him a gentle and subtle nod, letting him know that we were on his side. I took a deep breath, and the jumped forwards.
I leaped over the griffon, who tossed his weapon at me as I did so. I swung the silver object over my back, making sure that I didn't injure myself with it. The silver-maned mare tossed her companion a sword, the griffon and mare fighting alongside me. I was landing blows against Tactic who was wielding a sword, proving to be a formidable opponent even in combat. I could see out of the corner of my eye that Code Red and AeroSpace zero were backing the blue stallion up against a tree. He was a pegasus though, and I figured that it wouldn't be long until he darted away. The griffon and the mare were nowhere to be seen.
I swung my spear towards Tac's head, trying to knock him out. He easily ducked and slid his leg around to knock me off balance. It worked, unfortunately, but I was prepared for it, and I managed to land carefully on my side with a thud. I twisted and found a way to plunge my spear into his ankle. He yelled at me, so mixed with curses that I didn't even know what he said. The blood began to pour from the wound. He jumped, dislodging the spear, and sent blood splattering over my eyes. I blinked the sticky fluid away, refusing to wipe it with my foreleg. It could only make it worse, and the few seconds that it could take to do so could be the right amount of seconds he needed to end my life. I quickly got to my feet with the spear glowing at my side.
"You won't kill me, Terra, I promise you that." He muttered, a small twitch in his eye.
"You don't know that," I countered. "Anything can happen in these games. Anything. And I'm not some shy school pony from District Six. I'm a lot tougher than I look."
He chucked deviously. "I'm well aware of that, but, everypony wants to kill me, I'm sure. perhaps I'll die in these games. But the pony to kill me won't be you!" He picked up his sword and thrust it toward my shoulder. I jumped out of the way, but the blade gliding over my back, creating a new cut. I shook my head from exhaustion and the lack of water, but I kept going. I slid the spear towards him, missing his chest and having the spear shoot strain between his legs. His eyes grew large for a second, more fearful than he was a second ago.
He kicked the spear down and thrust another blow my way, laughter leaving his lips. He then started slashing is bladed at the ground near my hooves, causing me to jump. I knew he was just trying to scare me, but he was wearing himself down. I let him slash a few more times before I jump forwards again, and pinned him down quickly. I punched him in the face several times, blood beginning to trickle from his nose and mouth before he spat a mouthful of blood up into my own face. We wrestled on the ground, twisting, and somersaulting between the trees. We were evenly matched, and I didn't know what more I could do.
I couldn't win this fight. Not right now. Knowing that I waiting until he was facing the ground again. Using my hind legs, I kicked him as hard as I could in his gut, breaking the hold we had on each other. I grunted loudly. I had to get into the trees. That was my specialty - but it was also his. I sprinted into the trees, hitting a few that I wasn't paying great attention to. He followed me, which I wanted, and we ran around in circles, trying to attack the other. There wasn't much I could do to beat him. There really wasn't.
He eventually called out into the forest again. "You can't kill me, Terra! No pony can!"
There was a peal of maniacal laughter, and as it bounced off the bark from the trees, it sounded like Discord. My heart pounding in my chest, I looked around and blinked my eyes, the leaves fading together. I heard a voice call out my name, but there wasn't much I could do. My knees gave out, and I could feel the darkness closing in. My name was called again, though my response only came as heavy gasps. Spots were in my vision as I fell the ground.
I heard my name a single time more until I was in deep unconsciousness.
I was resting, or perhaps floating, in an abyss. I didn't know what had happened, but I awoke under a large maple tree, a few freshly fallen leaves resting atop my belly or caught in my hair. I blinked uneasily, my head pounding. I rolled to my side, and let out a moan.
"She's awake!" I heard a voice sound.
I craned my neck and spotted the griffon from before that had lent me the spear. His body was a soft pastel blue, but he had a white mark that extended up the center of his face, as well as a white diamond like shape on his chest that extended down to his belly. He has specks of purple on his face that almost made it look like he had freckles, as well as a few more that were hiding his chest fur. He had a quirky grin spread across his golden beak, and his cheeks were rounded like he was used to smiling often.
"Wha-What happened?" I stammered. I tried to sit up, but I was tired.
"You fainted, I think. We called you just before you did because they needed help, but there wasn't much we could do since you didn't come. We chased off the stallion from one, 8-Bit, I think his name was, and then I went out to find you. I knew that you had led the other stallion into the forest. I found you passed out but still breathing, and it looks like you were just dehydrated and exhausted."
I looked the other way and saw the blonde colored mare sitting on the other side of the tree, sharpening a stick with a small knife. She looked angry. I didn't see Red or Zero though, and I hoped that they were both alright.
I turned and looked back at the pale blue griffon. "How long was I out?" I managed to sit up, but I had to lean my back against the tree.
He shrugged. "About three hours, I think. It's difficult to keep track of time in here though. We wanted to let you rest." I opened my mouth to ask another question, but he cut me off. I was getting a little tired of ponies doing that. "Code Red is up in the tree, mourning. He's been up there ever since we found you."
"Mourning?" I blurted out loudly.
He gave a sad nod. "Yes, unfortunately. The mare from his district died. I think they were close . . . or something."
I lowered my ears. "Yes, they were close. Very close." I closed my eyes, and let out a sigh. "She was his marefriend."
My heart ached for him, and I wanted to go up and hug him. Make him know that everything was going to be alright. I didn't know what it felt like, to lose a loved one to death. Well, I did, but it was when I was little. My grandmother died, but I didn't really know what had happened to her, so I didn't feel very sad.
I did know what it felt like to suddenly lose a partner though; the sudden heartbreak as well as the anger. However, despite what I felt, Code Red was a different pony and a stallion at that. I knew that he was upset, but how and for which reasons exactly were probably different than my own. Either way, I had to talk to him. Let him know that he wasn't alone.
I tried to get to my feet, but I was far too dehydrated. My head was pounding, and as I stood, small black spots danced in my vision again. I refused to faint yet another time, so I sat back down.
"Do you happen to have water?" I asked, my throat feeling drier than it did a while ago.
The griffon thought for a moment, teetering his head back and forth a few times like he was thinking. "Yes, Candor has some."
He stood up and trotted over to the mare picking at the stick. They exchanged a few words, and then He returned with a large leather canteen. I opened it, and started to gulp down the water carefully. Every drop helped, and I knew that I would be better now that I was before. I drank about half of the container before closing the lid and handing it back to him with a thankful smile.
"By the way, what's your name?" I asked, looking up at him with my purple eyes.
"Oh, Yeah! I knew I forgot something. It's Gaelan."
I smiled, "I know you probably already know my name, but I'm Terra North." I held out my hoof, which he gave a proper hoof-bump to -- er, fist bump? He didn't have hooves. "It was just for formalities, I guess."
He smiled, which made me feel...safer. This was a good group to side with, even if things didn't seem to go all according to my original plan.
I carefully stood this time, relieved when the spots didn't return to my vision. If anything, I was surprised I had gotten dehydrated so quickly. I didn't know if it was just from sweating or the fact that I ran so much, but I was deprived of water rather quickly. The area was also warm, yes, but It wasn't a heat that would cause most ponies to sweat. I also remembered that eating too many solids without enough water was bad for digestion, but I didn't know how much that affected fainting.
My thoughts aside, I started to climb the tree. I made sure that if there was a moment where I felt light-headed I would wait, slowly count to ten, then keep moving. I was lucky that I only had to do so twice. I carefully jumped to a branch or two, until I found my way sitting across from the grey pegasus. His eyes were closed, but there were thin, wet streaks down his face. I felt sorrowful for him, and part of me just wanted to hug him.
He sighed, and another tear fell from his eye. I carefully reached forwards, and gently placed my hoof on his cheek, wiping away the newly fallen tear. He opened his eyes that were tinted slightly pink, and he gave me a sad "Hi."
"Hey, Red, I just want you to know that I am here for you. I might not have lost my colt friend the same way you parted with yours, but I do understand at least a little bit," I said, trying to sound sympathetic.
He only closed his eyes again and gave me another sad sigh in response. I wasn't expecting him to say anything, or at least, not so soon.
"It's just that... it happened so fast. I wish I could have done something for her. Saved her, taken her place. . .just something."
"Well, you were there for her. You loved her and you were willing to lay down your life for her. But unfortunately, as fate would have it, things didn't obey your wishes." I sighed. I didn't want to say anything to make it worse. "She knew you loved her. Even if you never told her, she knew. And in these games, having someone to trust means everything, let alone someone to love. Having someone you know who is willing to fight for you is all anyone could ask for."
"But I let her family down. I let her down..."
"No, you didn't. You did absolutely everything you could. You did what you could because you loved her."
"But I didn't love her enough!" He argued.
I bit my lip, and flattened my ears. He looked like he wanted to see her face, or hold her, or hear her voice one more time.
I hesitated, not knowing what to do now. Barely thinking, I reached forward, and wrapped my forelegs around the pegasus. He was caught off guard, so he just paused for a few seconds, letting out a gasp. I wasn't going to let him go, no. He needed this hug, whether he wanted it or not. He finally hugged me back, and I could feel more of his silent tears run over my shoulder.
He eventually pulled away, a small smile on his face. "Thanks, I guess. I know you're trying to help, but... but it's just so hard."
I smiled at him, making sure he knew I was there for him. "I know it is. but we can get through it, I'm sure. We'll get through it. Together."
He nodded, and then we decided to head down to the base of the tree. This was a very long morning, and I didn't like how unnaturally long it felt. This was the second day of the games. And so far, there had already been another pony who had died-- a pony who would never return to her home, never see her family again, and never love the rest of her life.
They took the lives away from so many good, almost innocent ponies. Twenty-three ponies every year would lose their lives just for the entertainment of others. And this was the exact reason that caused me to hate the games.