The Hoof Games

by Akemimi

The Reaping

If I make any mistakes (spelling errors, naming the characters wrong, saying the Hunger Games and such), please tell me!
Thanks, Akemi-chan <3

************************

I squirm around in bed, waking up to the sunlight striking me in the face. I finally wake up, yawning and stretching.

I sit up, looking around the room. There's my 12 year old sister, Scootaloo, or as I call her, Scoot. And my mom. They're cuddling against each other while sleeping. I find it cute, so I smile. Then I scowl at the sound of a screech. Opalescence, Scoot's cat. She's hungry, again. So I go to the cupboard and look through the little items that we have. "How about a little piece of bread, since you sound really hungry." I throw Opal the tiny bread, and she immediately eats it.

Scoot found Opal on the street, really messy fur, dirty, unsanitary. She took her in, and claimed her ours. I was going to reply with a no, until I noticed how much she wanted the cat. So I said yes. I wanted to change my mind when Opal almost scratched my eyes out when we were trying to get her to take a bath. But I let her stay, because she looked weak and defenseless. Also, because she sort of liked me, just because I gave her food.

Scoot woke up, and came over to me. I sat down, and she sat on my lap. "Twilight," she started. "Am I gonna be picked in the Reaping tomorrow?"

The thought of her being picked hits me hard. I would never let my family be in The Hoof Games, let alone my only sister. "Scoot, don't think about that. That scares me. I wouldn't want you to be killed in the Arena." I reply, holding her close. "I don't want to die. I would miss you, a lot. I still have a long way to go." Scoot said, shaking slightly. I felt her shaking, and tried calming her.

We talked for a little bit, then she got up to go to school. We said goodbye, and she left. I quickly got ready to meet my friend, Soarin'. I tied my boots on my hooves, put on my jeans, t-shirt, and jacket. Before I left, I kissed my sleeping mother's forehead. Then I tip-toed out of the door, and ran to the woods.

************************

Where I live, in County Six (there will be six counties and six only.), our part is nicknamed the Seam. My county provides coal. I live on the edge of the Seam, near a black market, the Hob. Me and Soarin' go there when we catch animals, and trade them in for food. Greasy Hooves is one of the merchants there. She's my favorite. "Either this price, or none!" she would say, bargaining prices high and low, depending on what item we trade and trade for.

I climb under the fence that separates County Six from the grassland. I approach the woods, running still, meeting Soarin' at our special rock. "What took ya so long, Ryewheat?" Of course, my name isn't Ryewheat. It's Twilight. I whispered my name to him, and he heard wrong. So now, my nickname is Ryewheat.

"I was talking with Scoot about The Hoof Games. She's thinking that she would be picked." I explain to him. "Oh." he said.

Soarin' has two little brothers and a sister. They're like our kids, including Scoot. Not literally, but you know what I mean. He has a mother, and no father. We can both relate- my father died in a coal mining accident. I could describe it, but it's to painful to talk about. Soarin's mother is always cooking or cleaning or being busy, so Soarin' is the "dad" of the house. His family depends on him for food and money. He doesn't work anywhere, but he hunts for money and food, like me. We work together trying to put food on the table for our families.

"We could do it." Soarin' says out of the blue.

"Do what?" I ask. He turns to me, his green eyes staring into mine. "We could run off." I scoff, and suddenly, Soarin' looks offended. "Don't take it like that, but...we wouldn't make it far. We'll have gone five miles, and BOOM, they catch us." Soarin' turns away, and leans on the rock. "You've wanted to run away, and now you don't? Make up your mind, Twilight." I roll my eyes, standing up. "Are we going to hunt or not?" He smiles, standing up.

He looks handsome in the sun. Tall, buff. The picture of health. The mares at school would talk about him. "Ooh, he's so handsome." "He has amazing abs!" "I want to cuddle with him!" Not that it makes me jealous or anything.

We head off back into the woods, me with my bow and arrow, and Soarin' with a snare. He's actually pretty good with those. I've tried making one, but I'd need his help with it. He stops me, and runs over to a place on the ground, putting the snare in place. He runs back over to me, and we hide behind a bush.

************************

Silence is all we hear, except for the occasional Harmony. A Harmony is a type of bird that poops out different sorts of gems, and has a beautiful whistling sound. It's known for the gem-poop. I've seen one only once. And that was it.

My thoughts were interrupted when a squirrel landed on the trap. Soarin' gets up, and shouts, "GO TWILIGHT, GO!" I shot up from behind the bush, the bow ready, and I shot. The squirrel made a squeaking sound, then died.The trap pulled it up. Soarin' smiled, and ran over to the snare, untying it from the tree, holding the dead squirrel in a net. His attention was caught by something. Then he bent down, and came back up with a strawberry. He grinned, stuffing many in his pockets, coming over to me, and handing me strawberries to put in my pockets. I smiled, putting the berries in. Then a loud noise appeared.

We looked up at the sky, the source of the sound. A hovercraft was coming, and a scream was heard. We ran away, because we weren't supposed to be outside of our district. They would turn us into an Avox if we were found here. An Avox is a pony who disobeyed the rules, so they had their tongue cut off.

The hovercraft lowers a claw down somewhere in the woods, then coming back up with a stallion, a spear driven through him. Another scream. The claw lowers again, this time, retrieving what I think was the screaming mare. She had a pretty red mane. And that's all I could see, for her mane was long and flowing in the wind. Her body wasn't visible through it. Then the hovercraft took off.

Me and Soarin' were still running, until we got to the fence. We were panting, sweat glistening off of us. We each climbed under the fence, walking to the Seam. We stopped by the Mayor's home, to drop off half of the strawberries, because the Mayor loves them. My friend Fluttershy lives there, too. She's the Mayor's daughter. She's not exactly my friend, but she's close enough. We knock on the door, and are greeted by her. Her pink mane is pulled back with a white ribbon, and she's wearing an expensive white dress. "Hi Twilight, Soarin'!"

We wave, and we talk about The Hoof Games. "So why are you wearing fancy clothes?" I ask. "Oh, these? They're just Reaping clothes. I'm trying them on to see if they fit. They do!" Fluttershy slowly twirls around. "It's pretty," Soarin' compliments. "I want to look good if I'm picked as tribute!" she giggles softly. Then I glance at something on her dress. A pin, with real gems from a harmony. I decide not to mention it. But Fluttershy knows. "Are you looking at my pin? Oh, it's nothing. I got it from my mom, as a birthday present." It was a nice birthday present. I got her a dead bird. She didn't like it.

I take out the berries from my pocket, handing them to Fluttershy. She smiles, taking the berries. We continue talking about the Games, until we have to leave. "Before you leave, Twilight," she says, placing something cold in my hoof. Fluttershy takes back her hoof, and there's the money for the berries. "Good luck at the Reaping." "You too." I say.

We leave, walking to the Hob, to trade our squirrel for food. Soarin' and I go to Greasy Hooves' stall, where we trade the squirrel for a chicken. We split it in half, taking one half with us home, as we say goodbye.

************************

When I arrived, my mother was in the kitchen, cooking in her apron. I'm greeted with a jumpy Scoot. "Hi sis!" I smile as she hugs me tightly. When she lets go, I go over to my mother. "Had fun out with Soarin'?" She asks, as I hand her the chicken. She's making chicken soup tonight. "Yep..." I say, deciding not to tell her about the hovercraft and the red headed girl.

We ate supper, then climbing into bed for the night. I sleep soundly. Until I'm awakened by Scoot's scream.

I look beside me, and Scoot is sobbing, and my mother is trying to soothe her. "I'll go warm the bread for you." she says, looking at me with her "find-out-what's-wrong" face, as she walks out of the room. I sit up, patting Scoot awkwardly. "What's wrong?" I ask, trying to sound as friendly as possible. She stops crying for a second, sitting up and leaning her head on my chest. "I...dreamed that I was picked...in The Hoof Games.." she buries her face on my shirt, and I stroke her mane. "Scoot, I already told you. Your name's been in there once. You aren't going to be picked." I assure her, knowing that it still could be possible. Mares and stallions can compete, but their age must be twelve through eighteen. Eighteen is the age when you stop participating in the Games. Scoot sniffs, biting her lips. "Okay...if you say so." I get her a tissue, hug her tightly, then fall asleep when my mother comes in with the bread.

************************

The Reaping day. The most hated day of my life. I dress in my mother's old blue dress, even though it looks brand new. I braid my mane back, like it always is. My mother gets Scoot ready, then herself. After that, we head to the Town Square, to see who will be the "lucky" tributes.

Everypony in County Six is there. My mother leaves us to go sit in the non-participant seats. The arrangement is set up by ages. Twelve year olds over there, eighteen year olds over here. I'm in the sixteen year old group, and Soarin' is in the eighteen year old group. Scoot is in the twelve year old group.

Now it's time.

The Mayor arrives, and walks up to the podium. "Welcome all," she begins. "to the 74th annual Hoof Games reaping!" There is no applause, and she just shrugs it off. "Now for your announcer, Pinkie Pie!" She leaves to sit down, then Pinkie Pie comes. Her pink hair is poofy, as always, and she's wearing one of her Capitol outfits again. The Capitol is what it is. The ruler city of Flank, our country that we all live in, or at least, the remains.

Flank is the remains of a nation, the United States. A nuclear accident happened, which wiped out most of the land and population here in Flank. The remaining land and ponies were divided into five counties, to block out tension. Mares and stallions were divided into the different counties, according to what we were best at. We also have a Capitol. Each county has a certain occupation. County Six is coal mining. County One is fashion, County Two is jewelery , County Three is gadgets. County Four is transportation, and County Five is cattle and food.

"Welcome, welcome. Time to choose our mare and stallion tributes. May the odds be ever in your hooves." Pinkie Pie smiles her smile, then walking over to the mare's bowl. "Mares first," she says, reaching her hoof in the bowl. She hesitates, then plucking out a name.

I'm so stunned that I can't even breathe. I hyperventilate, but then stop, not wanting to faint. My heart races, and I try calming down. But it's no use. I can't stop this moment now.

"Scootaloo Sparkle!" Pinkie reads.

************************

Comments

[Moon Shooter]

Ok... I'm gonna be strait up: I love the hunger games, and I know that a movie is coming out, but can't we think of another book to cross over? Maybe?

[aporath25]

Feel bad for Scootaloo! Hope she comes out alive, Great start so far.

[Owndapwn]

Okay....
Haven't read the original Hunger Games, so I can't, in good faith, read your fic *YET.*

However, I'll be back in a half hour or so with a new cover art.

[Noakwolf]

Have not read the Hunger Games, never will.

Though this is an okay story, except the fact that I haven't nor will read the Hunger Games.

Good day to you sir.

[Owndapwn]

dl.dropbox.com/u/15355292/freecoverart.png

[Akemimi]

>>owndapwn
AAAH. Since that's awesomesauce, I'll put it on as the cover, if I can.
Good job man.

[Akemimi]

>>Noakwolf
Totally fine by me. But why won't you read it? IT'S A GREAT READ.

[Owndapwn]

320012 Thanks. It only took me 15 minutes, including finding the font and getting the text out of the little gray rings.
Amazing what having a good photo editor will do, huh? :P

By the way, since it's in my Dropbox, you'll have to save it and reupload it for it to work.

[Akemimi]

>>owndapwn
It's already up! I gave credit, don't worry.

[Production Run]

You said it was divided into five counties, then said they lived in the 6th a few lines later.

[Akemimi]

>>Dash Vader
Could you tell me the location of the error? I'll fix it.

[Waluigi Pie]

So there isn't gonna be a county 7 (District 13)

[Fluttrick]

"They're cuddling each other while sleeping." cuddling against each other

[Akemimi]

689356
Fixed.