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Climbing from the chariot, I still process the scowl that President Moon gave me. Maybe...she was looking at somebody else. Yeah, that's right. I ignore the thought, looking over to Spike. He has a smile on his face. He must've liked when everyone payed attention to him.
"Do you think we're getting lots of sponsors?" he asks. I nod. If that crowd cheered that loudly, we're bound to get some.
Rarity walks up to us, smiling. "Dahlings, that was astounding! The crowd loved you." I smile back. She's so nice.
She nods her head forward, her horn glowing. My eyes widen. She gasps, stopping. "Oh...I'm...so sorry. I almost forgot..." I can't believe she didn't remember the rule. I mean, it's a big one.
You see, us unicorns and pegasi aren't allowed to use magic or wings anymore. Only the special pegasi pulling the chariots, the ponies in the Capitol, the Hoofmakers and the Harmonykeepers are allowed. In Rarity's case, she can't use magic outside of the room where she makes our clothes. We can't use wings or magic anymore because President Moon thinks that we would go into rebellion again, using our abilities. Harmonykeepers are placed in every single county, just to keep an eye on you.
I snap back to reality when Spike tugs on my arm. "Rarity needs us to get out of these suits and get ready for dinner." I nod, following Rarity and the small dragon. We walk down another one of those bright hallways, blinding my eyes.
Rarity leads us into a changing room, where we take off the suits. I slowly slip the tight clothes off, folding them neatly. I poke my head out of the curtained room, looking for my stylist. An Avox comes up and takes the suit and its accessories from me. "Did Rarity send you?" I ask. The male Avox nods, walking off.
I turn to the room next to me. Spike walks out of it, turning to me. "Ah. Hi, Twilight. Say, are you ready for the interview?"
Me? Ready for an interview? Please. I shrug in reply to his question. "Do you know where Rarity is?"
Just then, she walks in. She smiles at both of us. "You two need to rest. Tomorrow's the interviews. Come on." Rarity says, nodding her head towards our rooms. We make some conversation, but it isn't much. We're mostly quiet.
The three of us arrive at me and Spike's rooms. I wave to Rarity, opening the door.
My room is fairly big, with a view, a bed, a small kitchen area, and a bathroom. I walk over to the view of the Capitol, staring at the small figures cheering, watching us tributes, again, on a large screen. I scowl. Why are they so happy? Kids are killed in the Hoof Games, yet these people keep making bets. I can't believe them. I can't believe all of them. I decide to go find Macintosh and see if he's up for a few drinks. Maybe that'll help calm me down.
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"Did you see the -hic- look on President Moon's face after she wished us luck? She scowled at me, for sure!" I mumble, slamming my glass on the table. My head's spinning, and in front of me, instead of the stallion that he is, Macintosh is in the form of Spike. I take a second look, and still see Spike. Haha, I thought, I'm talking with Spike right now. I then narrow my eyes and stand up. The drink in my hoof falls to the ground, splattering everywhere.
"Spike! You...you are small! And not a stallion...obviously! I mean, look at yourself! A -hic- dragon! Ha! You're hilarious. So...hilarious." I sit back down, close my eyes for a couple of seconds, and open them. There's Macintosh, staring at me, with bloodshot eyes.
"Twilight," he begins, "I think you're crazy." He points a hoof at me. "Anyway, I have a -hic- question." Macintosh leans in. As he talks, his breath reeks of beer and alcohol. "Do you...like Spike? As in a lovey-dovey way?" His face takes on a grin. I think for a second, then burst out laughing. "Seriously? You think that I love that kid?" After saying this, I randomly bang my head on the table. "HA! You're something...Macintosh...haha..." I chuckle a few more times.
Suddenly, Rarity comes along to our table. "Oh...I didn't disrupt your little...party, did I?" She gave us concerning looks.
Macintosh shakes his head, and shakily stands up from his seat. "Nope. We were just about to be -hic- finished." His eyelids droop. "Now, excuse me, Ms. Rarityyyy-" Down goes the large pony, sprawled out in front of Rarity.
I squint my eyes. "He's funny, isn't he?" Rarity looks up to me, and makes a smile that looks more like a wince.
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The next morning, I wake up with a excruciating headache. Sunlight pours through the window, filling my room with the warm glow. Someone knocks at the door. "Come in." I say.
Pinkie Pie walks in, carrying a tray with food I've never seen before. "Twilight! Here, eat this food and report to Rarity. Your interview starts in a hour!" she trills, leaving the food with me. I take a look at it. It smells heavenly, and sweet. But I'm suspicious, because it's from the Capitol. There's this weird piece of bread shaped in a circle with a sticky substance on top of it. I take a bite. Oh, wow, I thought. This is amazing. There's more food on the plate in front of me, so I try the eggs beside the bread circles. Capitol eggs taste a lot more different than County Six's fresh eggs.
After finishing up my breakfast, I head over to Rarity at the dressing rooms. She's sitting down, fixing up what I assume could be my dress for the interview. I tip toe over to where she's sitting, and glance over her shoulder. I can only make out red sparkles until Rarity turns around, almost flinging me to the other side of the room.
"No! You can't look yet! In two minutes you can!" she shouts, then turning back around. The minutes pass by, and Rarity jumps up from her seat.
"Okay. Go into the dressing room, and don't look at it until you've put it on completely. Oh, dahling, I hope you like it." She smiles as she hands me the dress. Walking to the dressing room, I think about what amazing design she could've thought of this time. I think of all the possibilities as I slip the dress on.
Closing my eyes, so I don't see the dress, I step out of the curtains. I hear Rarity gasp, and I open my eyes.
The dress. It's so beautiful. It's a bright shade of red, with small streaks of orange and yellow at the very bottom. On my shoulder is a strap with more streaks of orange and yellow, with some sparkles here and there.
"Rarity, it's...it's..." I take a moment to find the right word to describe this dress."It's...marvelous." It's not the best word, but it's the first one that came to my mind. Rarity smiles, and hugs me. She steps back. "If you get nervous, just act like you're talking to me. Good luck." I smile back at her.
Rarity and I walk over to meet Pinkie Pie and Spike at the entrance to where the interviews are held. We step inside to find bright lights, ponies all over the place, and the smell of hairspray and desperation. Rarity takes me to a chair in front of a mirror and quickly does my hair up in a bun. She and Photo Finish, Spike's stylist, walk me and Spike to where the tributes line up. Before she leaves, she takes me by the shoulders and whispers, "Remember, if you get nervous, look for me and pretend you're speaking to me." I nod, and she gives me a quick kiss on the forehead. She smiles, and walks off to find a seat in the crowd of ponies.
The interviews are hosted by Doctor Whooves, a witty stallion who wears blue lipstick and woos the audience over with his sense of humor. Everypony loves him.
Each tribute gets three minutes to talk with Whooves. First up is the stallion from County One. He looks very weak, but he's probably strong, if he comes from County One. The time passes, as well as the tribute line backstage. It gets shorter and shorter as more ponies leave to interview. But one tribute catches my eye.
A little mare, probably 12, steps up and takes the seat beside Doctor Whooves. She's from County Five. I catch her name- Applebloom. She's tiny, and fragile. This is exactly why I hate the Hoof Games. Kids who don't even know how to battle are forced to do it. I can't believe that no one volunteered for her. Applebloom takes the audience's breath away, no doubt.
After Applebloom, there's the stallion from Five. He's very muscular, most likely because he carries cattle in County Five. I wouldn't want to end up in a fight with him. It's obvious as to who would win.
Then it's Spike's turn. He looks dashing in a black tuxedo with red cuffs that also have little flickers of "fire." Once he steps up onto the stage, the crowd goes wild. He's smiling, and waving to them. I'm still suspicious about Spike. He's doing something, but I don't know what yet. He finally sits down beside Doctor Whooves. I listen to every single word that the both of them say.
Whooves starts the interview up by asking Spike some questions.
"Welcome to the Capitol, Spike. Let me ask you something- is there anything different here from County Six?"
Spike puts a claw under his chin, looking off into the distance, as if he's thinking about what Whooves just asked him. "Everything." That one word drives the audience into a fit of laughter. I mock them in my head.
Doctor Whooves and Spike make the crowd go wild. It's like they're having a regular conversation. Then Whooves asked a question that made Spike shiver. "So, Spike. Is there a special lady back home?" Spike squirms around in his seat. "Well, y'know, since I'm a dragon, and everyone else in Six is a pony, I don't think anyone would want to have a serious relationship with me." The crowd whispers. Some of them go "Awww."
"Oh, there has to be somepony out there that you have your eye on. Come on. Tell us." Whooves says as he gives off a smile. Spike stares at the floor for a few seconds, then clears his throat.
"I guess that there's this one girl that I have a crush on." he answers. Spike's blushing, it's obvious. Doctor Whooves lightly elbows the dragon. "Who's that one girl?" he says as he raises an eyebrow.
The audience holds their breath as they wait for Spike to answer this question. He's quiet for a long time, then he finally replies.
"The one girl I have a crush on...came with me to the Capitol."