I - Just an Ordinary Day

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It was a Saturday morning as I walked around my town's square. The chatter of the ponies around me filled my ears as each step rattled my hooves on the cold, brick ground. Stalls lined the square like usual this morning; ponies came to sell items they crafted on their own time. I recognized the same ponies I did every Saturday. Berrytwist, the pony who makes smoothies. Gleaming Glass, a pony who makes small structures out of stained glass. The twins, Tight-Knit and Top-Knot, who crafted articles of clothing. There were 17 total booths in the square, never more and never less. Each pony I had seen every day at the square, and if some pony did not make an appearance, the square would always express concern. Not only was this a place for shopping, but it was a place for news and gossip. It was an important part of District 6.

I walked the quilt booth run by a middle-aged stallion, Weaver. He had no family as far as I knew, and all he did was sit and Sew his blankets. I smiled at him briefly, remembering when I had begged him to teach me how to knit, desperate to find my talent so I could earn my cutie mark. I had learned the skill, yes, but It wasn't my forte.

I heard my name come up from behind me, and quickly felt the soft brush of feathers against my side, followed by a gentle kiss placed on the corner on my right jaw. My cheeks flushed red with embarrassment as I turned my head to see my coltfriend, Circuit.

He was a very tall, fairly muscular pegasus, with a pale grey coat and a sharply cut red and black mane. A black, circular tattoo outlined his shoulder -- a gift for his recent seventeenth birthday. His green eyes glistened with happiness as they met mine. He had been my coltfriend for almost a year and a half now, and we were very close.

I smiled and nuzzled his nose, as he begun to wrap his tail around my own.

"So, you up to anything?" He asked, a sly smirk on his face.

"What I usually do when I come to this part of town," I said teasingly, "I buy stuff."

He laughed, which always sounded something between a scoff and a chuckle. "Well, yes, but what are you looking for?"

I gave him the 'oh really' look. I knew he was just teasing me, so I figured that I could at least try to play along. We had been friends for about 6 years before we had started dating, so we knew each other as well as the back of our own hooves.

Circuit was edgy, usually willing to speak his mind. This usually gets himself in trouble, but on the rare occasion, he can spurt something witty and clever. He would not be afraid to speak his mind on anything; shoes, the weather, the neighbor's cat. The only thing he would ever avoid discussing were his feelings. In all my years of knowing him, I still never quite understood why. He would give out his opinions like free candy and was more than willing to step in when asked to. But when he himself had an issue of his own or needed an opinion, he would never really ask for help, usually boxing things inside of his mind until I managed to scrape it out.

He was staring right back at me, knowing that I wasn't just in the square for nothing. "Okay, my mom is trying to see if I can buy some new clothing for the reaping today at noon," I answered him.

His wings opened halfway and he rolled his eyes. "You don't need to get anything to dress up, Terra, you're so beautiful already."

I blushed and rolled my eyes, trying to fight a grin from appearing. I failed. He was sweet of course, but compliments always made me embarrassed. "While I happily accept your compliment, you know my mom. If she asks you to do something, you had better do it."

He cringed for a moment, sucking in air through his teeth and making a little hissing noise. "Yeah, I kinda learned that one the hard way." He chuckled with a shrug, before turning to look at an accessory booth. "I can help you look for something if you would like."

"Sure."

This particular booth had recently been taken over by the original owner's daughter, Scarlet. She was an upbeat mare who always greeted her customers with a smile. The style of the booth had changed since she took over, but the items were pretty and still made with high quality. We roamed around the booth until we had picked out a beautiful, pullover infinity purple scarf, one that Circuit said matched my eyes, as well as a complimentary hair clip. I slipped the two items into the small satchel that was hanging around my shoulder and decided that was all I needed for later today. I didn't need a dress or anything, just something simple so that I looked nice. After all, I had no plans to be reaped.

Just as we were about to leave and head back to my home, I spotted a little gold necklace hanging off of a table. I went to levitate it with my magic and examine it closer, but an older pegasus pony at the booth had already picked up the item. She seemed to know that I had glanced at it, as she proceeded to beckon me over, holding the metal object in the palm of her hoof. Once I drew close, she extender it out for me to see it clearly.

It was a gold, six-pointed star with a smaller, bronze colored star behind it. I recognized this symbol, but as far as I knew, Discord had done all he could to try and get rid of any trace of it. I looked up at the old mare who was holding it. I realized that it was the previous owner, who had begun to grow wrinkled and withered. I knew exactly what this symbol was and what it stood for. Yet, I smiled, trying to hide my discomfort. "It's beautiful, but isn't this-"

She quickly shushed me. "Yes, I know what it is, Dearie. It was going to be my granddaughter's, but she was reaped last year and she had not come home to receive it." She paused and sighed. "It has been passed down through my family for several years from mare to mare. Scarlet had it for a while but never brought herself to wear it. She figured her daughter would... but clearly the fates had different plans." She gave me a gentle and humbling smile, shaking off the sadness that had crept on to her face. "She was hoping to sell by it today. It only ever reminds her of her daughter. You can have it if you'd like. Free of charge. This being what it is, I don't think any pony would pay for it."

I pushed my eyebrows together as I looked at her and gave a little frown. "Well, thank you, but I don't think I can take this-"

She leaned towards me and wrapped her foreleg around my own. She placed the small trinket into the center of my hoof, and looked at me straight in the eye, a single tear falling from her cheek. "Please, I insist." She let go, lowering her head. I tucked the small object against my chest, holding it close. She let out a shaky sigh and then let her smile return to her face. She turned and walked away, sitting in a chair shaded by the booth. Circuit and I watched and she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, looking as if she wanted to forget everything.

Circuit pulled me away from the table, and whispered, "Geeze, that was a little creepy..."

I nodded. "Yeah..." The way she talked, just how she spoke her words, had given me goosebumps on the back of my neck. It's sad that she had to go through something like that. I had forgotten that Scarlet was Summer Light's mom. She was only 12, barely old enough to be reaped. I guess I never made the connection..." my words trailed off as I looked at the ground. Why did we have to do this blasted games? All it ever does is rip families apart.

"Well, I can walk you home, and then I have to get ready for the reaping," He said, lightening the mood a little bit.

"Thanks," I replied, leaning my head on his shoulder for a brief moment.

And so he did. He walked me back to the little blue house that my family called home. It was two-storied, yes, but it wasn't the nicest house in the district. District six, my district, while not the poorest, was typically considered a lower-middle-class district. We were not at all as poor as district twelve or eleven, but we were nowhere near the richness of the first and second districts. For being the district that makes something as important as transportation, you would think that we would be a slightly wealthier district.

I stepped onto the porch of my house, and I turned to look at him, now that we were at eye level. He had always been a few inches taller than me. He spoke first, his gaze locked with mine "I hope neither of us will be reaped today, because I would like to have a little party afterward. You know, to celebrate not being reaped."

I smiled and kissed him on his forehead. "It sounds like it would be fun. What did you have in mind?"

"The usual, movies and snacks, play a board game or two with the usual ponies. But maybe, when it's all over, you could spend the night?" His tone grew softer and more intimate. "Perhaps you and I could have a little alone time?"

I raised an eyebrow at him with a little playful giggle, before softly whispering, "Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting?"

"You'll have to come to the party and find out..." He kissed me again. I could feel him smiling, and it actually made my heart flutter a little bit inside my chest.

"Well, in that case, I think I will be looking forward to tonight," I whispered as I gently pulled away.

"Heh, yeah, as long as neither of us are reaped," He added.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll be fine. We have been for years, why should this one be any different?" I said, trying to reassure him.

He lifted his hoof and caressed my chin. I watched his eyes flicker over my face. "If I was reaped, though, what would you do?".

In an instance, I knew that I would volunteer to take the other mare's place, and be there to protect him. I had good magical abilities, especially nature. This was unusual -- especially for my district -- to be so naturally gifted with magic. Most unicorns knew basic magic, levitation, light creation, and there were some who knew how to start a fire. But not for me, apparently. I can cause rocks to naturally change their shape, cause crystals to grow and flowers to bloom. I can start a fire with ease and move water effortlessly -- something that is a lot harder than holding an item like a hairbrush.

But getting back to his question, I had to answer him. "I would volunteer, and take the place of the mare that was already chosen. I would do what I can to protect you, and fight by your side. And so be it, if we die in the arena, then we should die together." Still, the words made my heart ache. Even if I wanted them to be true, would I truly volunteer? I don't want to die. Nopony does. But I also knew that I couldn't let him go alone.

He smiled and kissed me. After he pulled away, he was still smiling. "I'm glad to see that you would risk your life for me. It's the ultimate sacrifice."

Our foreheads were touching, and I was looking at him, trying to read the thoughts and emotions behind his face. His eyes were closed, his eyelashes sweeping against his cheeks. He was very clearly thinking about something, and I needed to know what.

"You would do the same for me, right?" I asked him, "volunteer for me if I was reaped?"

He opened his eyes and looked at me. There was some kind of negative emotion churning in his eyes, and I didn't like it. Why did he have to look at me like that? They were always filled with emotion, oftentimes passion or love, but there was something in his eyes that I have never seen there before. And I hated it.

"Yes, Of course, I would. You know I would." He said, kissing me again. He glanced behind me, and I knew that someone in my family was definitely peeping through the window. "I should probably get going. I'll see you at the Reaping." And with that, he turned away, trotting down the street.

I called after him. " I love you!" But he gave to response or even acknowledged that he had heard me. My heart sank.

I watched him walk away down the gravel road, and I sighed when he turned a corner. I've known him forever and I knew that he usually kept his promises, but for once I doubted him. Never, in my eight years of knowing him, have I doubted him. Okay, well maybe I did when I first met him and that first year or two, but none that I could recall. Did he have the same momentary thought I did? That even if I say i would volunteer, would I really? I shook my head gently, clearing the stressful thought from my mind. I turned and rotated the doorknob, pushing the door open and letting it swing and hit the wall behind it. I walked into my house with slow, smooth steps, and closed the door behind me. I had only taken a few strides forwards when I was attacked by something small and pale-yellow. And fluffy.

"TERRRAAA!!!" was all I heard as the creature jumped onto my back. It covered my eyes and I fell onto the ground as its laughter filled my ears.

"WHAT IS GOING ON!?" I yelled. I levitated the small thing off of my back, and held him in front of me, a smirk on my face. "Really Flashlight? We do have the reaping later today. I don't need to get dirty for that." I scolded my brother as I sat upright.

My brother was a young, very energetic colt with a pale-yellow pelt and a pale green mane. He hadn't gotten his cutie mark at all, but that was alright. He had just turned twelve, and this would be his first reaping. He had been excited about it for the last month, and it made every pony he knew crazy. He acted like he was prepared to face his death or something. I don't know.

"TERRA, TERRA THE PLANT THAT I PLANTED LAST WEEK HAS BUDS!!! IT HAS BUDS TERRA, BUDS!!!" He yelled, I flattened my ears against my head, and carefully put my hoof over his mouth.

"Flashlight, you're screaming again. If you keep doing that, I'll be dead by next Tuesday."

I carefully removed my hoof from his mouth, but he began to yell again. Thankfully, it wasn't as loud. "Yeah, sorry. It's just it's never happened before! NEVER! Out of the five times, I've planted something, none of them have grown! NONE!"

I sighed, one that was mixed of both happiness and frustration. My mom walked into the room, laughing.

"He did the exact same thing when he told me." She walked over to me and gave me a hug. "Come on, let's get you two dressed up for the reaping today," She said as she let me go out of the embrace.

I then followed her down the hallway, up the stairs, and took the first right at the top of the stairs. My bedroom. I had only taken my atchel off before she had picked up a brush and was beckoning for me to sit.

I sat on my bed as she weaved my blue and green mane into a braid. She did it so delicately and precisely, making sure a single strand didn't get left out. After she was done, she let it go and I felt the braid bounce against the side of my neck. She kissed my forehead, and then proceeded to rummage through my satchel. She had located the purple scarf, and she looked at it with an approving glance. With a smile, carefully slid it over my head, making sure not to disrupt my mane. When she was adjusting it, she blinked a few times when something small and gold popped out of the folds of the purple fabric.

"What's this?" She said, picking it up with her blue-hued magic. "Is this from Circuit?" She asked, a little smirk on her face.

"No, it actually came from an old mare at the shops. She gave it to me," I answered. "The one Scarlet owns now."

"Ah, I see," She added, staring at the necklace for a few moments. "Well, it is a very pretty necklace. I'm just surprised to see that it's of Princess Twi-"

I shushed her, almost in the exact same way that the shopkeeper had done to me. We weren't supposed to talk about it at all, since, for all we knew, there were ears everywhere, even among the walls in our own house. I nodded, and simply told her, "I know mom, I was too." I smiled. "Actually, my reaction was almost the same as yours."

I grabbed the necklace from my smiling mother, and quickly placed the trinket over my head, letting it blend into the folds of the scarf yet another time. I knew that if I was to wear this necklace, then I would have to be careful. Knowing where it came from and what could occur if caught with it, I didn't want to take too many chances. And all of this was just because this necklace was of the great Princess Twilight's cutiemark.

I sighed and watched my mom pull out the little barrette from the small pocket in my bag, and then smile at it again. My mom fastened the barrette to the end of my braid, and I spotted small tears in her eyes. I knew what she was thinking. She was thinking about how beautiful I was, since I rarely would let her, or anyone, dress me up. I was never into the showy stuff like that. She ran her hoof over the braid and sighed.

I really wished that this was just another ordinary day, and I knew she did too. It wasn't all that bad, dressing up for occasions like this, but the type of occasion wasn't one that most ponies wanted to dress up for in the first place. But there wasn't anything I, Or anyone for that matter, could do about it, no matter how much we might want to. This was the reaping, my second to last one at that, and I would have to find a way to deal with it yet again. And if I survived this reaping, then I would have a party to look forwards to. But that was next. I was ready. All that was next was to watch that same unicorn pluck a name from that giant bowl full of so many names.

II - The Reaping

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My mom left me alone in my room as she went to go and tidy up my brother, or at least make an attempt to. I walked over to the mirror and a bad feeling sank deep into my stomach. It felt like I had swallowed a giant stone, taking all of the moisture out of my throat and just residing at the pit of my belly. The feeling actually made me feel like I was going to melt through the floor, but also made me want to throw up too, and I didn't like it at all. I stared at myself through that thin panel of glass and sighed. Something important was going to happen at this reaping, and I didn't know what. I don't know if by some chance I'll end up going to the games, or that someone I know will. I swear if my brother was reaped I probably would cry.

I slowly grabbed the small makeup bag sitting on my dresser and, pulling out my mascara, gently dabbed it onto my eyelashes. If for some reason I might be on the television, then I deserved to look decent; or at least like I tried to look decent.

I blinked several times at the golden mare staring back at me with purple eyes, before proceeding to walk out of my room and down the stairs. I could hear both my mom and my brother fussing about something farther down the hallway. I figured it was only Flashlight making a fuss and moving around to the point where my mother was unable to make him look nice.

I had reached the bottom of the staircase as brother practically flew from the top of the stairs and almost crashed into me. I had no choice but to grab him with my magic so that I could make sure he was okay. He gave me a shy smile just as I put him down, and then I looked up at my mother as she walked down the staircase.

"You both look beautiful...I just hope that-" She began in a soft and gentle tone. I shook my head at her somewhat quivering lip.

"We won't. Our names are only in the bowl once, versus some ponies that have their names in that dish several times." I looked down at my brother and smiled. "Not to mention district six is probably the biggest district. The odds are at least one in ten thousand."

She smiled. "Well, it' still a mother's job to worry about her children."

She had reached the bottom of the staircase, and I could see that she had little beads of tears in the corner of her eyes. In all honesty, she was acting like I was getting married or something. Even when my eldest brother had his final reaping last year, she never cried, and yet she cried for me. Seriously? I have two more years of this stupid reaping thing - not counting this one - and she chooses this year out of all of them to cry.

"Well, we should get going soon. Being late for the reaping isn't a good thing," I said quickly before my mom could start pouring her eyes out onto the floor. The two ponies agreed, and then we walked out of the house together.

The streets of our district were filled with so many ponies moving through the city, most of which who were rushing to get to the town square in front of the capital hall. The many heads that I saw made the street look like a flowing river of Skittles, a type of candy that I remember my dad used to sneak us when we were foals. I joined the crowd quickly and silently and made sure that my brother was directly at my side. My mother knew to stay hot on my tail the entire time. I would prefer not to lose them.

We had reached the long line of mares and colts standing in front of a very long table where they would take a blood sample. The only reason they did this was to make sure that every pony of age was there.

I pulled my brother aside doing my best to briefly explain things to him, making sure that he would do what the peacekeeper told him to do. He nodded, and I watched him as I walked into my own line for us older mares. I watched my little brother make a face when they pricked the inside of his hoof to get his blood sample. I had grown used to the prick and I barely flinched. Yet, seeing his reaction only made me sad. There were some ponies that couldn't even bear a hoof prick, and they had their lives at risk. If they couldn't handle something so simple, then they would never even get close surviving these blasted games.

I followed the line of female ponies and spotted my mother standing in the section with the other parents. I gave her a little reassuring smile, and the smile she gave me back was a very thankful one. I spotted my older brother next to him, and we exchanged a nod, making me so thankful that he had aged out of the reaping last year.

Because I was not watching where I was going, I naturally walked into the rear end of a bright green stallion, who was stopped in the road and looking over the crowd.

"Really? You have to just stop in the middle of the road?" I said sharply.

He frowned at me and gave a little hair flip to push his slightly-longer-than-usual silver mane out of his face. I wasn't paying to much attention to him otherwise. "I apologize, I had only moved to this district a few months ago and this is my first reaping here in district six. Things are done a little differently here..." He said, sounding sincerely apologetic as his thought trailed off. He was looking at me, but also looking around at the ponies next to him.

I scoffed and scrunched my nose as I did so. "The stallion and colt group is over there," I told him, gesturing with my head to the colt section that was opposing to the mare section. "And just be careful not to get too lost," I added with what I thought was a devious smile.

He nodded and quickly replied, "Thank you!" and then he trotted off towards his section.

I rolled my eyes at him, and then found my way into the sixteen-year-old mare section. I could look at all the ages in front of me, seeing the young fillies that still had to deal with four, five, even six years of being reaped. Yes, the odds of them getting reaped were next to none, but there was a chance. There always was a chance.

I directed my eyes towards a bright pink mare who walked out from the side of the stage that had been set up, and I laughed. She was wearing a black tutu thing and a white sparkling shirt that had her entire forelegs covered. Her purple hair was in such an absurd design that it made me wonder how much hair gel and hairspray she used to keep it that way. Her lashes were white this time, and her eyelids were covered in a purple shimmery eye shadow. I knew that I would have to practically be strapped down before I even wanted to wear something that fancy...if it was even considered fancy.

She walked daintily up to the microphone and started speaking into it. Her first two words she spoke was far too close to the microphone, so naturally, most of the audience winced. "Welcome everypony! Mares and Gentlecolts, Fillies and stallions of all ages to the district six reaping of the Thirty-Fourth Annual Equestrian Hunger Games!" Her voice was too high for my taste, and if I had to choose one word to describe it, it would surely be prissy. "First, we have a little presentation to watch, sent to us from the capital that is Canterlot! If you would all please turn your heads towards the screen over here," She gestured to the only visible and large screen there was, "You shall see this video."

I, of course, chose not to look. I knew what the video was about because I had seen it for so many years. It talked about how the Crystal Empire, or the thirteenth district, revolted with the four princesses as their leader and that they were no match for the capital, as they say, and Discord naturally claimed that he had defeated them all. The video did not state the fact that the reason the ponies had revolted in the first place: They had grown tired of Discord's chaos. After the battle for freedom, he promised to be 'calm and collected' as long as the Equestrian Hunger Games existed every year, though no pony knew exactly why he called them the 'Hunger Games'. The video explained the basic rules and regulations so that we would know what the games were about even if we weren't reaped.

I looked over to the colts section, and after a few moments, I was able to pinpoint Circuit. He had actually turned around and looked at me. He had mouthed something that I couldn't understand, and then he winked. I rolled my eyes as I silently laughed at him and then I saw him laughing too. However, we were disrupted with the music of the video's ending.

After the video had ended, the mare on the stage had clapped her hooves on the ground beneath her hooves. Her audience partially joined her, but it was not very enthusiastic at all. She then smiled and walked back up to the microphone.

"Such a lovely video, isn't it?" She sighed happily, and then she nodded. "Now it's time for the best part of all - let us select the tributes! Of course, it is simply proper to pick that lucky mare first, so that's what we will do!"

She smiled, almost in a Sombra-like way, and then she walked over to the large bowl of mare names. She shoved her hoof into the jar, and rummaged around a good plenty of times, totally mixing the bowl around. She then used her bright orange magic to levitate a small, folded piece of paper from the bowl. She walked back over to the microphone, and slowly opened the paper. I always held my breath as she did so, and the fact that she paused for dramatic effect didn't help.

She had spoken a name, but her lips were so close to the microphone that no one was able to detect what she had said, other than the fact that there was a 't' in their name. This made me even more anxious, so I closed my eyes, and took in a deep breath as I waited for her to repeat the name. "Terra North!"

My eyes shot open, and I immediately turned to look at Circuit. But he wasn't looking at me, though I could see that his hair was standing on edge. Reluctantly and slowly, I walked forwards into the row. I could feel all of the eyes watching me as I took my steps as I was led by two peacekeepers up to the stage. While my head was high and proud looking, my pupils were probably small with fear. They led me up to the stage, but I kept looking over at Circuit the entire time, waiting for him to volunteer or something.

But he didn't. He was even trying to avoid all eye contact with me. I walked up onto the stage and had only glanced over the crowd when my fear had turned to anger. He had lied to me. He had betrayed me. He broke his promise, and I might never see him again. My eyes were only fixed on Circuit, as the ponies around me clapped their hooves. They had more enthusiasm for me than they did for the video, which made me feel a little better. But I was so fixated on Circuit that I didn't even notice when the male stallion had been selected. Only when that pink mare had called my name again did I snap out of it.

I had to shake hooves with the other tribute, and when we did, I quickly I realize that it was the same stallion that I had bumped into before. Now that I was paying attention, I was able to see that he was surprisingly handsome. His features were angular but not overly so. He was a few inches taller than I was, and was a unicorn with eyes the color of the sky. He had on a simple collar and a bowtie. I suppose that was all he figured he needed for the reaping. I held eye contact with him for a moment before the two of us were pulled into the Government building

They put us in separate rooms, and I was surprised to see that there wasn't a peacekeeper in the room with us. I scanned the room; taking notice that it was square and had a single window that was draped in cream-colored curtains. There was a long couch in the room as well as two living room chairs, and a small white coffee table in the center where a single box of tissues sat atop. The walls were creamed colored just like the curtains, and there was a single picture on one wall that looked like a painting of a meadow. A tall plant stood in one corner-- some kind of dracaena--and the small, simple chandelier that hung from the ceiling poorly lit the room.

It was a sad room really, not just because of how the room was decorated, but because of how many goodbyes this room held. How many ponies had walked into this room, and never returned? How many ponies had this room be the last thing they ever saw from this district?

I sat down on the couch and fixed my eyes on the door. It had been a few long moments until my family had walked through it, and my expectations were easily met. My mother was crying and as soon as she spotted me, she hurled herself in my direction. She wrapped herself around me in such a tight hug that made me feel like my eyes were going to fly out of my head. She was clinging to me and weeping so much, I didn;t have an opportunity to say anything. I glanced over at my younger brother who had a blank expression on his face, and I wondered if it was because he was in shock, or if it was because he didn't entirely understand the situation. I was surprised my eldest brother had joined them and he wasn't speaking either. He just stood there with a sad look on his face, his eyes closed.

"I won't let my baby go off into that hell-hole of an arena!" My mother finally spoke, before blowing her nose in a tissue.

I sighed shakily. "Mom, I'll be-" I began to defend myself, but my older brother had cut me off.

"She will be fine. She has raw, natural abilities, and she knows how to protect herself. She has the potential to become a fine mage under the right training, especially as she has gifts in regards to nature. She adapts quickly and should be able to pick up a weapon fine. The only ones who might be more suited than her to win are the ponies in the career districts who-."

"I know." He was going to mention how a lot of the ponies in the career districts - districts one and 2 - had spent time training to be in the game. They easily had the most wins; Each with 7. District Six had managed to produce 4 winners, surprisingly, and Districts, Three, Four, and Five had each produced 3 winners themselves. District Seven and Nine each had 2, while districts Eight and Twelve each only had one known winner, with Disctrict 11 never having won the games.

I managed to form a small, sad smile, trying to convince myself that he was probably right. I was different than most of the unicorns I knew, and I could do all the things that he said. While we were limited in the arena, there were still things that I knew how to do.

I carefully let go of my shaking mother and then quickly embraced my older brother into a very heartfelt hug. He was so much bigger than I, making the hug a bit awkward, but I did my best to stretch my muzzle up to his ear so I could speak. "Take care of them. Please, they will need you even more if I don't come back." He nodded sadly, and then backed away. I then turned to Flashlight with a sigh and smiled weakly at him. I quickly but carefully thought out what I could say to him, and then I shifted my head down to his face level.

"Flashlight, could you do me a favor?"

He nodded proudly.

"I need you to take care of mom for me, can you do that?"

He looked at me, confused. "But, how can I do that?"

"You must be strong. Do what your mom and brother tell you what to do." I paused and smiled. "Conceal, don't feel. Don't let any bad feelings show."

He nodded, and then jumped and hugged me. "I will, I promise you that, but you have to promise to win, too!"

I let my ears drop, and I sighed. "While I can't promise that I can win, I will promise that I will try to do everything I can to win." I gave my brother a soft smile. "Is that okay?"

He shrugged. "Well, I guess it will have to do."

Just as my mother had opened her mouth to say something else, another guard in white had walked through the door and gestured for my family to leave the room. I gave him a quick mean glance, as I pulled my family into a group hug. "I love all of you so much," I whispered before the stallion had proceeded to take the three ponies out of the room, and then he rather rudely slammed the wooden door behind them.

I let out a soft yelp and collapsed onto the floor, hanging my head. No matter how much I wanted to stay strong, it was just so difficult. I wanted to act like I was going to win but I didn't know for sure. There was no way of knowing for sure. I didn't know if that was the last time I would ever see my family. I didn't want it to be. My throat was closing up and I knew that I was going to start crying. I could feel the tear beginning to form under my eyelids.

And yet, I was disrupted when Circuit walked through the door.

I didn't want to get up to look at him, but I could feel him staring at him. I knew I had to get up sooner or later, so with a sigh, I shakily got to my feet. He stopped and stared at me, and for a moment he made eye contact with me. His eyes were so sad, and so scared. I knew he felt bad, I could feel it. My heart was aching. But my anger overrode any sympathy that was trying to form. I was still furious.

"Terra, I'm sorry, I was going to volunteer, I was, really, I just-" he started before trailing off. I shook my head at him.

"But why didn't you!?" I shouted, making Circuit take a few steps back and then look at the door behind him. We both knew that the Peace keeps would remove him if I got too loud.

"I-I got scared." He stammered. I know he was. I was just as scared. But unfortunately, you can't say 'no thank you' when you're reaped just because you're scared. My anger was starting to swell.

"Really! You promised Circuit! Promised!" I turned away from him, tears welling in my eyes once more. I didn't really want him to see me cry. "You promised..."

"Terra I...I never said the word 'promise'. I only said yes." He said quietly, huffing out a sigh.

The anger was too much; I overflowed. I had turned and slapped him with the back of my hoof so fast that he had absolutely no time to react. Before I had any time to react, really. As soon as I had done it, I stared at him with horrified, crying eyes, my hoof covering my mouth as my whole body tensed up. I slapped him. How could I have done that? I had never done anything like that before. I was never violent towards him. Never. But I just hit him.

"Circuit I..." I shakily muttered his name. I felt the need to apologize, but my anger was clouding my mind. I wanted to be angry and hate him. But it was so hard. It was so painful. I still loved him. And that was why this hurt so badly. I watched as he looked up to me, his expression a mixture of sadness, confusion, and a little bit of anger.

He had opened his mouth to respond, but the stallion in white had walked in the room and grabbed him. He tried to fight him, reaching back to me, "Please Terra, y-you know that I love you..." He was beginning to sob. It only made me feel worse. I could bring myself to look at him any more. I was crying way too much.

"Goodbye, Circuit... " I sighed sadly as I turned away from him and collapsed on the floor again. I could hear him calling my name, trying desperately to get me to look at him on last time. He was distressed. He felt bad. I felt bad. I hated this.

I sat in that room alone for several more minutes, crying harshly. I had no doubt created a small puddle on the floor with my tears. However, I was forced to try to collect myself when a unicorn mare I didn't recognize walked through the door. She looked gentle, and there were marks on her cheeks that showed that she had been crying. If she didn't have a silver mane, I probably wouldn't have even guessed that she was the mother of the other tribute. She looked at me with shaky eyes and noticed I was crying. She used her ocean blue magic to grab a tissue from the table and gently wipe my cheeks. No doubt I looked gross, with red eyes, a runny nose and mascara streaked down my cheeks. Yet, she didn't seem to mind. She cooed me for a moment, gently shushing until my cries were gentle sobs. She was a natural mother, and even though she was a stranger, I was grateful she had come in.

"I don't have much time. I need to ask you something very important, Terra, and you should not tell my son."

I looked at her with serene eyes and swallowed hard.

"If you can, can you protect my boy?" She asked. It was so humble, and I didn't know what to say at first.

She wanted me to help some pony else win? This was a stallion I didn't know and had only met once, just moments before the reaping. and yet, she wanted me to protect him; a stallion I knew nothing about.

"I can try, but I cannot assure you that your son will win."

"I understand that," She smiled sadly. "But we used to live in another district, and therefore it feels as if he is representing two districts as he competes this year."

"Yes, but-" I was going to object to her request until I realized that I didn't really know what my objection was, so I gave an awkward gasp thing. I don't know what kind of noise I made.

She gave a little silent laugh at me and then responded to my noise. "You have a good chance of you winning, and I don't believe my son doe-"

I quickly cut her off. "Everyone has a chance of winning, even if its small. It's still a chance. There is always a chance."

She smiled yet again, but only for a moment. "Please, Terra. Don't just do it for me, do it for yourself, too."

I stared into her deep eyes and searched somewhere for a strong meaning to what she had just said. But alas, I had found only nothing as the mother was gently removed from the room. I stared after her, holding my breath. I didn't want to go back to crying. Wiping my cheeks with another tissue, I watched as the peace keepers beckoned for me to follow after the,

III - The Train Ride

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After I had finished saying my goodbyes, I was rushed away with the other tribute towards the train station. I wasn't particularly fond of traveling in any form, despite the fact that my district was the one who made all of the aircraft and trains. Ironic, Isn't it? I personally didn't make any myself, but mother and elder brother both worked towards producing them. There wasn't any easier way to travel, so I guessed that I would have to find a way to deal with it.

We were guided onto the train by several peacekeepers as well as the pink mare from the reaping. We were all placed into a lounging compartment. It was nowhere near as plain and boring as the room I had said my goodbyes in. It was longer, of course, fitting the whole cabin of a train. There were 3 seating boots, placed in front of the long window that extended along the whole side of the train. Each was circular in shape and faced the center of the cabin, and decorated in a velvety blue fabric. There were small silver tables inside each one, upon which stood a small orange flower vase. There were two other small sofas placed in the room completed with matching silver coffee tables, each facing the end of the compartment. One wall held a bookshelf, and the other sported a television screen over a faux fireplace. I was impressed by how much they managed to fit in such a small cabin.

I watched the short, dainty pink mare walk towards a door and enter another compartment with the door closing automatically behind her. The tribute, on the other hoof, sat down in one of the booths and began looking out the window as the train began to leave the station. I stared at him for a moment, admiring his collectiveness. He looked perfectly calm. His mane was rather long for a colt, as I had recalled from earlier. I admired his attractiveness and the sun shining through the window highlighted his features even more -- I shook my head from that absurd thought, telling myself that I had a coltfriend. Only...I didn't have one. Not anymore. But I shouldn't pursue him. Only one pony would leave the arena and there certainly wasn't room for feelings. Still, no pony had gone through the games with zero help. Even if only for a single moment, we needed to depend on someone.

I sat down across from him and decided I should try my best to make some kind of conversation anyway. I didn't know his name, and his mother had asked me to protect him. I couldn't exactly do that if we didn't get along.

"So, I'm Terra North, or Terra," I said, trying to make my voice sound at least a little bit excited.

He gave me a little sideways glance, then sighed. "Name's Jockey."

"It's nice to meet you, Jockey." I cleared my throat. I couldn't tell if he was purposefully trying to avoid me, or if he was actually just upset with the whole situation he had been put in. I know that I was, so it would be natural for him to be too. Being chosen is not an easy thing to cope with. I thought for a moment about what I could say next to keep the conversation going. "I remember you saying that you had moved to district six from another district recently. Would it be alright if I asked which one?"

He finally turned to look at me, and I was actually happy to see him smile, even though I could definitely see in his eyes that he was worried. "I moved over from District Four. I used to have a radio show over there, and I was listened to by many. We even had a few celebrities on to talk with me," He said, somewhat confidently.

"Why did you guys move?" I asked, curiously. He was looking a little more comfortable, so I kind of figured that I would keep talking to him until we were interrupted by somepony or something, or until the conversation died.

"The Capitol thought that my family's - mine mostly - talent would be put to better use in a different district."

I smiled at him, "Well tha-"

I was cut off by several hoofsteps and a small amount of laughter behind me, and I had turned around to see several adults standing behind my chair. I knew almost instantly that this group of ponies was our mentors. They seemed to be a decent pair of ponies, and they looked rather proud to be assisting their district yet again. The only thing that really bothered me about the group though was that there was only one mare standing among them. There were two unicorn stallions, as well as an earth pony that was also a colt. But the mare was a small, pure white pegasus with a blue mane.

"Well, well. It's good to see that you two are bonding a little bit," A tall, fairly slim unicorn had said almost jokingly in the back, though there was a twist of a foreign accent in his voice. "Don't get any bright ideas before you guys head off to face your possible deaths." He winked.

"Oh Silver Jet, stop teasing them! It's good for them to practice social skills. That's the first skill they will need in the arena," The mare said sharply at him. I blinked and smiled a little bit as I saw him roll his eyes.

"Well anyways, we three colts will be your mentor, Jockey, so you should come with us. We have a lot to talk about," Silver Jet said mockingly.

I wasn't able to see that stallion fully until now, and I was a little shaken when I saw him. He had half of his black mane shaved off, and the one side that wasn't was rather lazily styled. His hooves were poorly cared for, and, in fact, they looked as if he hadn't even looked at them. But his eyes were what caught me the most off-guard. His eye color was bright orange, but his eyes looked like he had gone without blinking them for days. And from what I could tell, he had a foul smell too, which made me believe that this pony might be doing drugs. While it wasn't my business, it did make me a little nervous for Jockey. The only that that might be his saving grace was the fact that the other two stallions looked much more put together that Silver Jet.

I watched Jockey get up from his seat and walk over to the group of stallions that had openly welcomed him. They walked back towards a door, and I watched the four of them leave the room, the door sliding closed behind them.

The white pegasus that was left smiled at me and had taken Jockey's seat. She looked eager and excited; almost like she hadn't looked so hopeful before with any other tribute.

"So, Terra North, tell me what you can do," she said, while her face did not move, all of the emotions in her eyes portrayed that she was excited to hear whatever I had to say.

I thought for a moment, knowing that she probably wanted to know my strengths and weaknesses.

"Well, I am very good with my magic. I'm one of those unicorns who can create fire fairly easily. I'm also good at with water and rocks." I paused and looked at her, but she hadn't reacted at all, so I kept going. "I've been able to move and break rocks, make crystals grow, and freeze water. But my greatest element would probably be plants. I know them like the back of my hoof, and I can create and nurture most of them with ease. Foods and poisonous plants are harder to create, though, and usually, drain me of significant amounts of energy." After this was when she reacted and I was pretty glad that she had.

"Well, as far as creating foods, you are not technically allowed to create them as far as the rules go, which we will need to go over later. However, it sounds like you are pretty adaptable to most situations, which is something that will definitely be needed." She blinked at me with her golden eyes and sighed. "What about weapons? Do have any experience with anything that could be used as a weapon?"

I thought for yet another moment. I remember when I was younger I used to play fight with my older brother, and for a while, I told myself that I was good with close-hoof combat. But that was about seven years ago, and I didn't think that my play-skills would be good enough to survive in the games. However, I have also have been known to kick things with a good amount of strength, but that probably went under the skill of close-hoof combat.

I looked back up at her and flatly told her, "If anything, it would be close-hoof combat."

She shrugged, and she shifted her position in her seat. "Well, I guess that it's better than nothing. How much have you used that fighting technique?"

"Well, I used to play fight with my brother for several years when I was younger. That was a while ago, but I've been known to sometimes get a little violent with my hooves when I'm angry. And, apparently, I'm a good kicker."

"Give an example of your skills." She said quickly.

I paused and sighed. The only thing that quickly came to my mind was that I slapped my colt-friend today, so that's the example I gave her. "I slapped my colt, er, ex-colt-friend this morning."

She laughed at me, which I wasn't exactly intending.

"Brilliant! I think that in individual training we need to work on your fighting skills, and figure out how broad your magical abilities are. Does that sound good?"

I nodded.

"Good. Then let's go get ourselves something to eat."

I hesitated as I watched her get up from her seat. My stomach wasn't all that hungry, even though it was definitely growling moments before I had gotten onto the train. I figured this newly found loss of appetite was probably because I became motion sick, just from the tiny movements of the train. While they were practically minuscule movements, they were visible in the nerves of my hooves, and they were also visually detectable, for the chandeliers and trays would slightly teeter back and forth every now and then. I usually prefer to have my hooves planted firmly on the unmoving ground.

She looked at me with concerned eyes, and I gave an awkward smile. "I've lost my appetite since I got on this train," I said mildly.

She gave me a humble grin but didn't show her teeth, unlike the other smiles she had given earlier. "I used to have the same thing happen to me every time I got on this train, but after several years you get used to it." I gave her the 'oh really' look. "Well, You might not be hungry, but you should still eat something. Dinner is usually a little late when we get to the capital, so it would be good to not try to starve yourself."

I slightly rolled my eyes, and then let out a puff of air. I had little interest to defy her right now, and after all, she was probably right. Even if I wasn't hungry, it would probably serve me best if I had a little bit of food. I got up out of my seat and followed my mentor, and then I realized something. And this something was probably more on the important side. I didn't know my mentor's name. I watched the sliding door open in front of her, and then cleared my throat to get her attention. She turned and looked at me over her shoulder.

"Yes?" She asked.

"What's your name?" I asked, almost hesitantly for a moment.

"Oh, right." She blinked her eyes, and I guessed that she was just realizing that she had forgotten to tell me. "It's Wind Pipe."

She then turned and continued walking on her previous path. I didn't know what to think of her name. I knew that a windpipe was an organ that was located in our throat, but I also knew that one's mind could be taken towards music. Finding musical ponies was pretty rare, so I didn't think that she was at all a musical pony. And if she was named after an organ, well, then I would probably end up feeling sorry for her for a while. However, the most logical place her name came from was probably from an air tunnel that was used for air conditioning. It was the only things that made sense, but I decided that I would call her Wind.

The dining room we had walked into was much more sparkly and colorful than I could have imagined. The chairs were bright, neon green, and the tables were a weird purple glass that looked like it was moving. There was a crystal chandelier hanging over the three tables that were set up. There was a silver and purple bar on the far side of the cabin that I saw Silver Jet was sitting at, sipping at a drink that had a bright blue hue. There were several dishes of foods set up on one table, and at that table I saw Jockey as well as the two other mentors.

I watched Wind walk over to the table, and take a seat next to the red earth pony. I slightly raised my eyebrow as she had given him a kiss on the cheek, and then he proceeded to smile. I figured they were a couple, and it made the knot in my stomach twist tighter. It reminded me of Circuit.

I walked over and sat down next to Jockey, who had smiled when he saw me. I naturally smiled back, but I couldn't figure out if I meant it or not.

"So, how do you like little Windy?" The red earthpony asked, a small amount of some type of cake in his mouth. Wind rolled her eyes and playfully but carefully punched him in the shoulder, and he laughed.

"She seems like a good mentor, and I'm excited to see what she can teach me," I said nodding.

"You think she's good, then you gotta try these cakes!" The red stallion said, jokingly, shoving a small round pink cake into his mouth.

I turned to look at Jockey, who was actually eating his food on the more civil side, with a knife and a fork. Actually, seeing the male mentors, it made me happy that I wasn't Jockey. You had the slob earthpony, and the druggie Silver Jet. The only male who could even be slightly decent was the yellow one sitting in the corner silently eating his food. He wasn't even looking at the others, now that I had noticed him.

I looked away from him, and had grabbed an apple from a bowl, and began to munch on it. The red stallion kept giving me weird glances, which only made me uncomfortable. I took another bite of the sweet apple and stood up from my seat. The three of them watched as I got up, and they were a little confused. I picked up one of the little cakes, and turned and walked back towards the caboose of the train.

I walked through the first compartment, still eating my apple as I went, when I noticed a small room that was opened just a tad. I knew that I probably shouldn't look through the door, but I did anyway. There was a peacekeeper lounging in a chair in front of a large screen. This screen was made of 12 smaller screens, each one from a different district, as said in the upper right corner. The districts looked comfortable and content, though some were more so than others. The ponies in district one, two, three and looked excited and proud of their tributes. Most of the other districts looked content, like this was just another day and they didn't care too much about what could happen to their tributes. Then again, those who smiled could be smiling for other reasons.

The stallion lounging in the chair stood up, and stretched his wings, filling up a good amount of space as he did so. He looked like he was going to turn around, so with a little skip, I went back to the path that I was on.

I kept walking down the small hallway and finally came to the back of the train. I started out the back window for a moment, and held my breath, counted to ten, and then opened them back up. I could see the metal train tracks jetting out from underneath the train as I looked through the window, but other than that, everything else was a blur. The green trees, the gray rocks, all faded together. I knew we were traveling at around one-hundred and eighty miles per hour, and at most it could have been two-hundred and twenty. It was far too fast for my liking.

I silently laughed at myself as I gazed out the window. Earlier I had done so because I was a pony from a technology district who didn't like technology, but now I was laughing at myself because I was a pony from the district of transportation who didn't like transportation at all. Most ponies said that they barely felt a bump on this train, but ponies from my district usually feel everything wrong on a transport. For example, they will notice if an aircraft isn't perfectly even, or hear the gear that's just every so slightly out of place. While I'm not entirely that detail oriented, I will notice slightly bigger things.

I sat down on the couch and finished eating my apple, and then proceeded to eat the small cake that I was told was delicious. As I took a small bite of it, I did agree that it was of a different flavor, and the texture itself was moist and thick, which was very perfect. There was a type of filling in the middle, which only added an extra burst of flavor. The top of it was dusted with powdered sugar, though from what I could tell didn't have a big effect on the taste. It might have been the best dessert I've had in a very long time.

As I looked out the window of the train yet again, I sighed. I really wished that I could go back, and change the events of what had happened. But I couldn't. All I could do was look back and go blindly forwards on the terrifying path that I was on.

IV - Welcome to the Capitol

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After a while of sitting in the back of the train, Wind had walked back to see me. She had gazed over me then with a grin as she told me that we were arriving the Capitol soon. I didn't want to leave the train. well, actually I did, I just didn't want to leave the train at the capitol station we were at.

I had only stood up out of the seat when the train had slowed to a halt. I followed my mentor towards the entrance of the train, only to find Jockey smiling out of the window. He was laughing and looked like he knew what he was doing, waving at the surplus of colored and modified ponies that hollered at our train. I saw another train pull into the station on the tracks opposing us, and the same thing was happening to them. I tried to figure out what district the train was from, until I saw a small number '5' etched onto a panel above a door.

I could see a hoof waving in the window, and a smile upon the waver's face and the crowd had loved it. Wind had leaned over to me and whispered, "If you want to get sponsors and want to have a high chance of winning, involve the crowd, like they are your family." The mare in the other train backed away and went to go and talk to the other mentors.

I had looked out of the window on the other side of the train and saw yet another train pull up, this one more worn down, but I could see the number '7' etched even more clearly on this train. The other ponies were arriving on other trains as well, but the only ponies that we would be able to see first would probably be the ponies from the fifth district if the crowd allowed us to do so.

I viewed the sea of colors and eyes as it was parted by several ponies wearing white. They had walked towards the entrances of the train, and I knew that if they were not there to clear and block a path, then I would probably end up becoming swarmed and trampled. Jockey and I were pushed towards the door, and we waited for a few seconds before the door slid open and bright sunlight had struck our faces. We were practically launched out of the door, and we were met with several peacekeepers.

We were brought to a pathway that was blocked of with heavy-duty fences and more peacekeepers. although, that did not stop the hoard of ponies from reaching past them towards the small group that made their way through the row. We were joined by two other tributes from district five, along with their mentors. The mare tribute's body was a shimmery pale gold, and her long wavy mane was of a darker hue that seemed to glitter in the sunlight. It was hard to tell if she was a formidable foe or not. She was tall and thin but had wide, curvy hips, giving off the appearance that she would be good for kicking. But she didn't seem strong otherwise. Her emerald eyes were decorated with eyelashes that reminded me of feathers. The other however had caught my eye, because he actually fit in well with these capitol ponies.

I had never seen a pony like him before; if he was even a pony to begin with. He was a deep shade of green And had a short, curved horn on his head he had no mane, but he had a yellow tail that looked like a dragonfly's wing. He had what looked like armor on his back, but it looked like beetle wings. 3 Yellow gems lined his chest, but his eyes were what had drawn my attention. They looked glazed over, almost like pearls. They were bright and vibrant orange, like the color of a sunset. There was a faded yet bright spot on his eyes that move around, and I had to guess that they were his irises. It made it hard to see where he was looking, however. If I had to guess, I think he was something called a changeling. They were rare and most of them disappeared along with the Crystal Empire

We had exchanged glances with them both before we were pushed down the aisle. Jockey and the other golden mare were waving and acknowledging the roaring crowd, shaking some member's hooves and giving others hoof-bumps. They would surely be the crowd lovers. I, on the other hoof, Was only smiling and politely acknowledge the other ponies. The bug-like stallion from the other district appeared to be scowling at the crowd, unless his eyes were fixated on the ground. I wanted to ask him why he was doing so, but I was a little scared to. I didn't know much about changelings, other than the fact that they were able to change their form into any appearance they wanted.

Taking a breath and trying to muster up courage, I fell back so I could walk next to him, leaving Jockey and the golden mare up at the front to wow the crowd.

"Um, hello. My name is Terra North, or Terra." I said, trying to be a little friendly.

"Scale." He muttered. I was surprised that I had been able to catch his name since he spoke so quietly the crowd almost drowned out his voice.

We walked for a few more awkward steps, before I spoke to him again. "I don't know if you just don't like the situation or if you're just trying to act tough, but you should at least act like you want to be here. It's a good way to get sponsors." I had said this in a quiet tone, hoping that the crowd wouldn't be able to hear. However, when I had moved closer to him, the crowd had actually only gotten louder.

"I don't need sponsors to survive these games. I just want the games to be over and done with," He said, in a rather conceited manner.

I puffed a sigh and tried to smile at the stallion that was staring at me with his bug-like eyes. "We all don't want to be here, trust me, you're not alone on that boat." I looked over the crowd, and for a moment I was re-living the walk in the streets before the reaping. "But you know that anything could happen in the arena, and it is utterly unpredictable. Everypony should be searching for anything to help them." While I knew that was true, I wasn't exactly doing that myself.

"So you want me to be like Golden Quill and your tribute? Kissing up to the slipshod capital ponies?" He said, his voice turning into what I thought was frustration. There was a green flash that emanated from him, and suddenly the other tribute was walking in his place. The crowd roared.

"Oh, I love these ponies so much! I'm so happy to be here! Don't you all wish you could be as beautiful as I am?" He said in a mocking tone that sounded nothing like his voice. There wasnother flash of green, and he had returned to his normal self. "No thank you. That's not me."

"Hey, I'm not exactly sucking up to them myself," I said, glancing up at the pair who seemed to be competing with each other at who was the friendliest. "But at least hold your head high and be proud. If you're meant to win, then you should be proud that you are the future winner of the games."

Part of me actually didn't know why I was helping him. While one side of my brain didn't want to see any of the tributes die, the other side of my brain kept scolding me, saying that the more I help him, the greater risk I have of being helped less. It altered my odds of winning. Though there was also the possibility that since I had offered him help, he might show mercy on me, if he was the merciful type.

I saw the corner of his lips curl upwards into what looked like a smile. With a flick of his ear, I could tell that he was a little thankful. Or at least that was what I had hoped it was.

We continued down the row until we had reached a transport carriage, something that looked like a purple box on wheels painted with a silver and gold pattern with the number '6' written on the side just above the rear wheel. Four peacekeepers were pulling it from the front, not even giving us any attention. Jockey had happily strode inside. The mentors did too, but the golden mare had followed her mentors to another car, decorated the same with the exception of a 5 marked on their carriage. I had only exchanged a quick glance with the changeling before I had taken my place inside the odd changeling.

I saw my mentors smiling. " I would advise waiting to get friendly with the other tributes until you can see what they can do. You could make a mistake but giving something away to a pony that could turn on you and become your enemy. Still, a changeling for an ally would be a very useful asset."

I sighed, "As much as it bothers me too, trying to befriend to ponies--or I guess creatures--I meet, gives me an advantage, doesn't it? It's a lot harder to turn against someone you know and care for, and even harder to kill them. And in the event they do, the guilt will follow them."

"You're right, but it is a dangerous game to play.

We had reached the hotel rather quickly and we had just made our way through the lobby when I laid eyes on a pair of four ponies chatting in the corner. The dark blue unicorn that caught my eye first had given a glance over to me, and after she did, the rest of the group did too. Her legs faded into a lighter, almost sky blue, and her mane reminded me a little bit of toothpaste. I gave a little respectful nod their way, while the rest of my group kept walking. She gave a sly smile, and nodded back. Her brown eyes blinked at me, and then she leaned over to whisper something in the ear of a silver stallion that stood next to her. He nodded in agreement, and then they went back to their chatting.

We had joined in the elevator with two other ponies, a dark blue mare with a brown mane and a black pegasus with a striking red mane. Jockey had smiled at the two of them, and had carefully asked what district they were from.

The mare responded back with "nine," In a very gentle voice, though I thought I had caught a hint of an accent from her word. Jockey had replied by saying that we were from district six. Nothing was said after that.

That elevator ride was quite awkward, especially since there was no conversation. when we had reached the sixth floor, we had walked off with another nod. Our mentors had taken a different elevator since the eight of us in one elevator probably would have probably ended up being a rather uncomfortable thing.

When I had walked onto the floor, the first thing that I saw was the great window that filled the entire wall opposing the elevator. Practically hypnotized, I walked down the metallic hallway towards this window, around a pit, and smiled at the clear glass. I gently pressed my face against it, letting my horn tap the pane. I was thankful to see that even while the capital was so used to artificial and strangely shaped things, they still had the decency to put windows in their buildings and let in natural light. I was able to see the partly cloudy sky through the pane, and the city as well. I eventually backed away from the glass wall, and looked at the room.

In the center of the room, four green sofas were placed in a circle around a fire pit that was giving off heat, but the flames were clearly fake. There were colorful and decorated plants placed around the room as well, some looking like a kind of bonsai and others were elaborate ferns or more dracaenas. On one of the chairs, there was a little black and round remote, and it made me wonder what it did since I saw no screen anywhere in the room. Placed on one side of the square room were three steps that led up to a platform that had a small but elaborate and modern kitchen. There was also a long, glass and silver table resting atop of it. The chairs that were placed around it were a weird blue velvet fabric, and they were in such an absurd shape that they probably defied the laws of physics. There were also several crystal chandeliers that were hanging from the ceiling, and they sparkled so much that I questioned if they were made of fake or real crystal. There were doorways on both sides of the over-roomy room that led down to other rooms, most likely to private chambers.

I watched Jockey go through and look at the same things that I did, though he had walked down into the pit and picked up the remote that was sitting on the chair, and he carefully pressed a little power button with the edge of his hoof. There was a blue flash from behind me, and I had turned to see a little glowing name in the center of the glass. I gasped in confusion, and Jockey pressed another button. This time the entire screen changed into a giant wall of water. There were fish of various sizes swimming among the water, and it looked so clear and realistic, that I had half expected my hoof to go through the glass when I touched it. With another click on the remote, the wall had changed to an old town. He kept flipping through the channels, passing through a factory, a modern street, a giant wall made of flames, and finally a forest scene. The only reason that he stopped was because our mentors had walked in laughing.

"I see that you are both playing with the screen controls. Quite an impressive feature, isn't it?" Silver Jet remarked, a weird smile on his face. "You will find that your rooms have the same feature, just on a smaller wall."

Wind had flicked her tail at the stallion who was clearly going to make another remark, and I was thankful that she had stopped him. "Well, what did you two think about the welcome? It was bigger than the one that we had gotten when we were tributes."

Jockey smiled and replied bumptiously, "I think I might have made myself a good contender for the friendliest pony."

The red stallion smiled back. "You can be friendly with the crowd as much as you please, but don't always be friendly with the other contenders. The audience will always be there to help you, whereas the other tributes won't."

I scrunched up my nose and asked, "Has that happened to any of you?"

The mentors exchanged a glance with each other, before Wind stepped forwards. "Yes." The group walked down and sat down on the sofas, but I stayed above them, out of the pit, watching them. "I was in a group with the two other district nine tributes, and we had made it to the top seven. One night, the stallion decided to turn against us two mares. We were able to take him down, but not without the two of us getting injured. We were lucky enough that the crowd sent us some medicine, but it wasn't enough to save us both. I had fewer wounds so I managed to survive, but the other mare wasn't so lucky. I was too friendly with the stallion, and he knew exactly where to hit us to take us down. But before that, he always misused our friendship to let him get what he needed, and he was frightening if he didn't get what he wanted."

I sighed, and made my way down to the sofas. While one could count that as having their friendship misused and manipulated, because it was so far along in the games, it was going to happen eventually.

"Well, let's not talk about allies now, since we should probably talk about rules," Jet Stream said, obviously bored with Wind's tale.

Everyone agreed, and Wind began her lecture. "Since neither of you are pegasai, the explanation should be a little easier." She cleared her throat. "Unicorns are only permitted to levitate inanimate objects, like weapons, within a fifth-meter radius. This also means no levitating other tributes. While you are allowed to create fire, the intention of the fire cannot be to burn a significant amount of the arena, depending on what it is. You are also not allowed to create any foods with magic either, though I believe things like thorns or vines might be permitted. And if they are, then the capital would most likely prefer that you didn't use them as your primary way of killing. Tracking spells are disapproved, but they are not illegal as far as the rules go, mostly because you will find that there are few unicorns who know spells like that."

"What happens if you break these rules?" I asked.

This time Jet Stream spoke. "While I'm not sure what the penalty is for unicorns, one of my allies broke a pegasus rule, and the game-makers had manipulated the arena shortly after and purposefully damaged her wings, preventing her from flying for the remainder of the games. They clearly went through a lot of effort to do so, but at the same time, she was still able to fight."

At least I knew that they enforced the rules.

I saw Jet stream perk his ears, and stand up from his seat. "Looks like the food is here."

How in Equestria did the food get there so fast without us noticing?

I wanted to get this meal over and done with, and head to bed. I knew that tomorrow there would be the chariot presentation, and I would be able to meet my stylist. I only hoped that the stylist that I received would be a good, smart one. Since my district created transportation, the costumes would need to somehow represent the metalwork that was planes, trains, and cars. There was one year where the designer just painted over the ponies to make them look like robots. While it was a cool idea, it was poorly executed and didn't stand out from the others.

As I ate that meal, all that ran through my head was the ideas of what could happen tomorrow, as well as a possibility that there were loopholes to the rules, or at least a way to bend them so that they might be beneficial to me.

V - Costumes and Chariots

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I woke up, blinking my eyes to the light that shone through underneath the door. It shouldn't have been in my eyes if I was asleep on the bed, but alas, I wasn't. I don't remember much about last night, let alone sleeping. Though I think that at one point I had decided the bed was too soft so I just decided to sleep on the floor. Or, I could have also just fallen off of my bed and decided not to get back into the heap of fabric. Either of those things could have happened, knowing myself.

I knew I had to get up and at at least try to tame my mane that I could feel was all over the place, but at the same time, I knew that if I got up, then I would have to go to breakfast and socialize. I would really prefer my socialization be limited to facial expressions and body language later, like later when I had to ride on those chariots.

No matter how much I didn't want to, I got up from the ground, letting out a very tired sounding sigh in the process. I strode over to the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, and I was lucky enough to find a silver brush. I carefully pulled it through my mane, taking out most of the knots I could find. I did the same with my tail, and it had been a few minutes before I finally put the brush down. My mane was as good as it was going to get.

I wasn't overly worried though, as we would have to be with our designers about two or three hours before the chariots were presented, just to get ready. They would do our hair and our make up, and make any last adjustments to the garments they designed for us to wear. And when they did that, they would surely hose us down at least twice.

I made my way out of the bathroom and looked at the nightstand next to my bed. It was there I saw the gold necklace that I recalled taking off and putting there. I picked it up and placed it over my head again, and let it slide down and dangle from my neck. I lifted the metalwork up with my hoof and viewed the six-pointed star one more time before I let it go.

I walked out of the gray and blue bedroom and made my way over to the dining table, where most ponies were sitting and eating. The only one I didn't see was the male unicorn mentor that I didn't know the name of. I figured he was still in bed. I sat down in the blue velvet chair and proceeded to grab an apple from the fruit bowl, not saying a word to my tablemates. I had only taken a single bite when Jet Stream had commented.

"Well, looks like the princess has awoken," He said, a weird dirty smile on his face. "Did you sleep well?"

I flicked my ear, and took another bite of my apple before I said, "Define what you mean by 'well.' I slept and had rest, and I'm awake now."

Jet Stream had made a sour face at me, and gone back to eating his pancakes. I was actually glad that I had said what I said. I didn't like his personality that much and if he was going to stop, then I would probably have to deliver the same short remarks that he did. I knew that I was a little rude, but at the same time, I was always meaner in the mornings, especially if I was tired or reluctant to wake up. And I was very much feeling both this morning.

This time Wind was the one to talk. "I can see that you're not really a morning person, Terra." She said, putting a thick pink sauce on her potato cakes. "But at the same time, while what you said wasn't exactly the nicest thing, It was actually quite a smart thing to say." She looked away from her food and up at me. "In fact, it sounded like something that a good tribute would say."

I smiled, and grabbed myself some potato cakes. "Thanks actually. At least I'll know I will fit in with the others, " I said with a chuckle. I decided not to put anything on them, other than salt. I wasn't sure what that pink sauce was, let alone if I would even like it.

After I finished the remaining course of my meal, the group of us six ponies made our way into the elevator. When I had looked at the clock we passed on the way into the silver tunnel, it said that it was around nine thirty in the morning, and the chariot presentations were at one. This meant that we would have to go without lunch today.

We had only gone about halfway down when the elevator stopped. The doors opened, and we were surprised to see another apartment. Two tributes and 3 mentors, strode inside. The thing that caught my eye was how intimate the two tributes were. The Grey pegasus stallion was almost constantly snuggling the scared looking blue mare. I felt sorry for them, and my heart ached. They reminded me too much of Circuit and I back home. Now I wasn't sure if their situation was similar to mine, where she was reaped and he volunteered. Only, in this case, the stallion actually did volunteer. It made me wonder what it would be like if he was actually here.

The doors closed and we moved down another two more floors, and then we bid goodbye to the couple that had shared an elevator ride with us. We made our way over through the lobby and into the same metal carriages that had brought us here. However, the windows in this metal box were covered, so we were not able to see where we were going. I couldn't tell how long we were riding; if it was five minutes or fifteen.

All the same, we arrived at the 'stylist' building, and we made our way inside. There were a group of 4 ponies there to meet every pony, four for every stallion and four for every mare. That was too many stylists, and each pair also had their own separate costume designer. There was far too much money put into these games.

I made my way over to a group making eye contact with me and beckoning me over to them, I found myself in slight discomfort when I saw that two of my stylists were stallions. I didn't know the exact procedure they went through, but I knew I wouldn't be happy depending on what they did, so all I could do was hope was that they were homosexual, or only do something like my hair.

I followed them to a new room, saying goodbye to Jockey and the mentors. Attached to this room was a shower where the two mares had taken me to be cleaned, scrubbing literally every inch of my body with a vanilla smelling shampoo and conditioner. After that, I returned to see the stallions with all these weird products in their hooves. The four of them spent a great deal of time shining my hooves, brushing my mane and coat, and they even made my brush my teeth with weird tooth paste that made my teeth whiter than snow. I felt overly pampered to the point where it was almost violating.

After they were done grooming me, they left the room, and a young mare had walked in and taken their place. She reminded me of Scale, but a lot more elegant. Her coat was a shiny lavender color, but she was less bug-looking than scale was. She didn't have the exact beetle shell on her back, but she had some kind of extra layer of skin in the same spot that was thicker than the rest of her body. It was hued in deep, royal purple. Her tail was similar to that of a dragonfly's wing as well and colored a light shade of blue. Unlike Scale, she had what looked like a mane, made of a similar wing-like pattern as her tail. It was swept to the side and curled around her face, Her horn also looked more normal looking, unlike Scale's, like she could actually use it. She was odd, yes, wasn't entirely pony. That was clear, but somehow, that was okay.

"Well, hello Deary, my name is Glimmer. I've been very excited to meet you ever since I saw your-" She trailed off, and gave me a confused look. "Are you alright? You look a little startled or shaken up."

I smiled nervously. "Yes, I was just a little overwhelmed with this whole process of grooming," I explained, "And the fact that you're not 100% pony," I added quietly.

She flicked her ear, and her tone turned a little sharply. "Yes, I'm well aware that I am part Changeling." She sighed. "I'm actually surprised that my parents decided to have in the first place, especially with the setting. They were all so busy fighting in the war for the crystal empire that one would think that there would be very little time for romance-" She cleared her throat and shook her head, shifting her tone dramatically. "Never mind my origin story, you probably don't need to hear about my parent's part in the revolt. Most ponies don't even know about it anyways!"

It was interesting though. I wanted to know what she had to say.

She walked closer to me and got a better look at my mane. I heard her mumbling to herself, and after a few moments she stepped back and nodded. "Well, the idea I had in mind will work perfectly. Would you like to see the dress before or after we do your makeup?"

I shifted my weight on my hooves, and thought before saying, "Um, after?"

She flew forwards on the tips of her front hooves, and exclaimed in a squeaky voice, "PERFECT!!"

Right after that happened the four other stylists returned to the room happily. I sighed, and reluctantly let them take me over to a chair surrounded by mirrors. They had only looked at Glimmer once before they went to work

It was like they already knew what to do. One of the stallions had started on the basic face makeup and one of the mares had started doing something to my mane. I could feel one of the other two ponies tugging at my tail, so I knew that they were doing something else. The fourth pony was polishing my hooves.

Before too long they had finished with all of the makeup, hair and general body maintenance, and when I saw it I was actually surprised. I had expected something overly girly, but the makeup was actually quite mature and rather bold. I could see that they had used a shimmery gold eyeshadow that faded into a silver or steel colored eyeshadow. There was a dark bronze line that was actually under the bottom of my eye and flared out in a simple design at the upper corner of my eye. Dark brown eyeliner was atop my upper eyelid and faded into the bronze one when they had met.

My mane had been pulled back out of my face with two braids that were pulled around my ears. The rest of my hair was down, but it was wavy and actually looked longer than It had before. A little chain had been placed around my forehead and looped around my horn. The top part of my tail had also been braided, though the style was not anything I could describe.

I liked what I saw, actually, and I was glad that it wasn't anything too girly. Though when I had seen the outfit she had made, it made me very happy. It was a sleek suit that shimmered with shades of gold, silver, and bronze. The neckline was in a 'v' and was lined with a sharp gold ribbon. Diamond-shaped holes led down the outsides of the front legs, showing just enough of my coat. My hooves were covered, but I could feel that there was something underneath them to not only make me taller but probably also to protect the fabric and the hooves. There was a decorated bronze backplate on the suit as well. Coming from underneath it though was a few layers of sheer grey fabric that flowed from my sides to past my tail.

It was sharp and fierce, but at the same time, it was still feminine. I probably couldn't be happier with the costume. It was somewhat diversely colored, and while it was actually quite simply designed, it would surely stand out. The designers seemed to like it, so I figured that I looked good.

"You look beautiful! It's even better than I had imagined!" Glimmer remarked excitedly. "I made sure the cape was a light enough material so that it would flow when you're moving on the chariot, which will only add to the appearance. The crowd should absolutely love you!"

I smiled shylyas I felt heat rush to my cheeks. We left the room shortly after that and we met up with Jockey. He looked equally magnificent, though his outfit wasn't as feminine. We looked like a pair, and I was actually proud that we did.

They pointed us towards our chariots, and we had a little bit of time before we would have to ride out. Being in the middle was nice, but the ones that are always remembered are the ones in the beginning or the end.

I walked over to the chariots and nodded to the two black stallions who would be pulling the cart with a decorated 6 engraved on it. The stallion's chest plates attached to their harnesses had the same 6 on it as well. I looked past the two colts and spotted Scale. He was looking out at the crowds through the tunnel that lay in front of us, not talking to any pony. The mare, Golden Quill, was nowhere to be seen. I thought for a moment before deciding to socialize with himself again. I trotted over to him gave him a nod. The corners of his mouth curled upwards just a little when he saw me, though this time his smile seemed much more devious.

I couldn't tell what his costume was, but I figured it had something to do with power, since his district was exactly that. Literally all I could see was that it was a bright, neon green jumpsuit. It had no frills, no sparkles, nothing.

"Oh Hi Terra. I'm glad I had a chance to talk to you." He cleared his through and looked slightly uncomfortable. "I wanted to thank you for that advice you gave me yesterday. I'll surely keep in it in mind when I power through the games."

I actually giggled at his comment, but it was more of a playful laugh instead of an 'oh you actually suck' laugh. "It's good to see that you're still confident in your skills. Perhaps you can teach me a thing or two about fighting?"

He snickered. "I just might. You're going to need all the help you can get if you're going to stand at least a little bit of a chance against me." He picked up his hoof and gave a coy expression. "Though we'll have to be careful if we do. There is a rumor going around that if I punch you while I'm angry, then I'll inject you with poison."

I flicked my ear at him and responded back with a litle smile, "Well, if it's true, then you really are a threat."

We laughed at each other. I don't know exactly why. It was so difficult to tell if he was pretending and being light-hearted, or if he genuinely was a dark pony deep inside.

I heard footsteps from behind him, and I turned to see a green pegasus trotting over. Her mane was composed of two colors, a turquoise and a light blue. Her costume was mixed with a shiny marble fabric as well as silver. In fact, it actually looked like real materials, which only made it look that much more expensive. She had a friendly smile on her face, though Scale looked wary of her.

"Hello you two, I'm Cherry Cloud, from district two." She snickered, "Oh hey, that rhymed."

"Why are you back here, instead of with the other career districts?" Scale asked firmly.

She shrugged. "Eh, well, I would surely like to try and get to know the other tributes before I choose an alliance."

He flicked his tail in annoyance. "I know that trick, it is done often. They try to befriend you and say that they want to have an alliance with you, and then they turn on you." Both Cherry and I had taken a step back, though her ears were flat against her head. "I won't fall for that trick." And with that, he turned and walked up into his chariot, his nose held high.

Cherry Cloud walked over to me, a look of sympathy on her face. "Was he like that when you met him?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. It seems like Scale's set on winning, and he's set on winning with as little help as possible."

"Oh well. Guess that's just the stallion in them," she said with a little chuckle. I looked over at Scale who had flicked his ear at us in annoyance, which only caused us to smirk. "Oh, I never caught your name by the way," she added.

"Oh, it's Terra North. Most ponies just call me Terra though," I said, smiling. While she might be from district 2, I could sense there was something different about her. She still had a powerful vibe in her like all of the other careers did, but at the same time, she seemed kind and more innocent than the others. She seemed. . . more sane.

"It's very nice to meet you, Terra," She replied, just after a little bell went off and echoed through the building. She gave a nod and quickly trotted back to her chariot in the front. "I look forward to competing with you."

We had about thirty seconds to get in our chariots, so choosing not to let my ride leave without me, I trotted back to my chariot and stepped inside at almost the exact same time that Jockey did. He had a weird smile on his face. Or at least it felt like a weird smile.

"Where were you?" I asked quickly.

"Talking to the pairs from district eight and nine. They seem like a good group, so we should see if we can join them in an alliance."

"But we don't know them."

"They seem responsible and strong, which would make them a good alliance. And besides, you don't know the creepy stallion from district 5 either!"

I gave him an annoyed look as our chariot started to slowly roll forwards.

"Look, ponies in lower income districts tend to be much saner, or at least when the games start," he remarked.

"That's just a stereotype and you know it," I countered. Part of me didn't know why I was defending him anyway.

"Then why do you believe it too?" He said loudly.

The sunlight hit our faces and interrupted our argument. We put the argument aside, though I knew that we would talk about it later. And besides, we had 7 days of 8 hour training before the games. It would be plenty of time to meet others and develop skills, not to mention we always had individual training time with our mentors after dinner.

Pushing that aside, we came in front of the crowds, and I held my head high. I nodded at the audience and acknowledged them, giving them good smiles. When I saw the cape hanging from my back, it really did flow out behind us, and in fact, it actually looked like metal that had flown out of our costumes and faded away. It was very cool looking. The crowd was constantly cheering and hollering, tossing flowers about to all of the tributes. I had managed to grab a stray bouquet of flowers, and levitated them at my side the rest of the parade, even though I didn't wave. The ride was long and slow, but it was kind of nice to feel loved and admired by so many.

I looked at Scale's chariot, and saw that the two costumes were glowing brightly. Their costumes lit up, and I found myself trying to figure out if it was meant to represent a light bulb or to show radio-activity. Well, whatever it was, they sure stood out, and it made me a little frustrated that we were behind them.

We reached the circle in front of Discord's stand, and our chariot pulled into a specific spot. We were next to district four and district eight, whom Jockey gave a good wave to. The dark blue mare gave a wave back, and that was when I realized that the two of the ponies standing in the chariot labeled '8' were the ponies we had seen in the lobby.

I blinked at them and then turned to watch the tall draconequus, smiling deviously as he stood on his pedestal. I hated him. I hated everything he did. Everything he stood for. I did not like Discord in any way, shape or form.

"Well, good afternoon ponies, creatures and tributes. I'm very glad to see that we have a strong amount of volunteers this year for the thirty-fourth year of our Hunger Games. As always I wish all of you good luck, and I remain eager to see which one of you lucky mares or colts shall reign victorious over your competitors." He was scanning us, and he was looking at all of us in the eyes. However, the last person he laid eyes on was actually me. "As long as you all abide by the rules," he added, his tone darkening. He turned away from the tributes with a chuckle and this time addressed the crowd. "For yet another year, I do say with delight, 'Happy Hunger Games!'" The crowd cheered and roared to life yet again as the chariots moved forwards into the door that rested underneath his booth.

Once we had made our way inside and all the chariots parked were we able to get off our chariots. We were met with our smiling mentors who were telling us 'good job' and 'you looked powerful' and 'the stylist made you look amazing.' But I only blocked out the compliments and focused on what Discord had said. It was like he knew something was up, or that something was going to happen. Did he? why did he look at me? I hoped that it was just my imagination and that nothing out of the ordinary would happen; oh sweet Celestia how I hoped nothing did. Because if something significant happened in that arena other than me dying, then we would surely be in for a hoof-full of chaos. And chaos was something that Discord was very good at and something that no-pony wanted.

VI - Training

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The next day in the capital was one that I was looking forward to, but also nervous for. Today would be the first training day, and we would have an opportunity to not only meet other tributes but also show off our skills. We would be able to find out more clearly what we were good at and what we weren't. I knew that I would need to meet the ponies from district eight and nine since Jockey seemed to very clearly have an interest in them. However, I also wanted to see if Scale was able to stand up to his mouth. Not to mention, there was also a possibility that I could find other ponies that I would want as a potential ally.

We were rushed to the training center right after we had eaten our breakfast. They prevented us from being able to see where we were going again, which only bugged me. There was no need for the capital to hide the city from us, and there was no need to hide us from the city. I was pretty sure that both had nothing bad to share.

My mentor, Wind, was talking to both of us about what to do when we arrived at the training center. "Terra, knowing what we do about your skills, it would probably serve you best if you practice weapons. Try a couple of them out and decide on which one you can learn the fastest. Especially if it is a longer-range weapon."

I sighed. "So I can't practice my other skills, like tracking or environment studies?"

Wind smiled. "No, you will have plenty of time to do that during training with me alone. Work on things that you need to work on. You know the environment well enough so you will be fine in that category." She turned her face to Jockey, who was listening inventively. "Jockey, your mentors decided that it would be best for you to work on your survival skills. They aren't too worried about your combat skills, though it wouldn't hurt if you practiced them one or twice."

"What about showing off?" I asked quickly. It might have sounded a little rude, but I think that we needed to know. Showing off our talents to a degree will help us pick allies, but they could also make us targets.

Wind flicked her ear and gave me a very annoyed look. "If you would like to make allies, do so verbally. Showing off your skills for everyone to see instead of just a few can place a target on the back of your head. Neither of you are careers, so I assume that they will be aiming for the ponies with a higher skill set."

"What if they are targeting us because we look weak?" Jockey chimed in.

"Then do something to not make you look like the weakest. Training is the most important part before the games, even more so than sponsors. You always have yourself in the games, and you don't always have others."

I nodded at her reply as the carriage slowed to a stop. We strode out of the metal container just to walk into another, bigger one. We were met with guards who scanned us at the doors with metal detectors, and they stopped on my necklace. I reluctantly removed it from my head and handed it to my mentor. I knew that she would give it back to me, but I felt odd without it dangling from my neck.

They let Jockey and I pass, while our mentors returned to the carriage and rode off. We were led down a hallway to a pair of large doors. They looked like they were sliding doors, but they were open as of now, and they didn't close behind us.

We made our way over to a group who was waiting behind an electric screen that reached from the floor to the ceiling, and from wall to wall. They had to hold us in a box before we were allowed to place us in the training facility? I guess they wanted everypony to have an equal amount of time. Jockey spotted a group of ponies he recognized, and he trotted over to them. I did not spot either of the ponies from district 5, so I followed him.

They gave me a weird look, before they asked Jockey who I was.

"This is Terra North, the mare from my district," The green stallion explained. They all gave a nod back, and then he proceeded to introduce the other four ponies to me. "Terra, these are the ponies from districts eight and nine. This mare to my right is Moon Breeze." He said, gesturing to a dark blue mare. "You've seen her before when we walked into the building, but we just never met," He added with a smile. She was indeed the one I had seen before, the one with the light blue and spearmint colored mane. Her eyes were brown and intense, and sparked with an inner fire.

"It's very nice to meet you," She said politely.

Jockey then pointed to a silver-colored stallion next to her. His mane was dark blue, and his eyes glimmered like sapphires. Or at least what I was told sapphires looked like. They were full of emotion as well, though they shone of a different emotion than Moon Breeze's. they looked...sad. "This stallion is Silver Streak," he replied, as the silver stallion nodded in reply.

He gestured to another stallion, this one a pegasus, that had his head held high, and his chest puffed out. He looked a little too conceited in this environment. His pelt was a deep black, though he had a red mark over his right eye. I couldn't tell if it was a scar or not, but it too stood out. His mane was sharp and bold, being the colors it was; red and brown. His wings were actually red as well, or at least part of them were. "That's Gearfly," he said with a bumptious smile.

And lastly, he turned to face a small, purple-blue earth pony with a brown mane that almost touched the floor. Her brown and small eyes were slanted, though that didn't take away from the fact that she looked like she knew what she was doing and that she looked prepared. Actually, she clearly wasn't equestrian, and if anything she was Chineighs. "And that's, um, how do you say her name again?"

"Mousha," The small pony answered. "It is Chineighs, as I am, as I am sure you all think." She said carefully. Her accent and the way she said her words clearly showed that she was not of equestrian origin. Our country was probably just her domicile for right now.

I scanned over them once more and smiled. "You all seem like a good group, that's for sure," I said, trying to sound at least a little excited. "I know that Jockey certainly likes you all," I said while looking at him. My comment made the rest of the group smile.

"If I might ask, what do you specialize in?" Moon Breeze asked, her tone actually quite curious.

I hesitated. I didn't know if I could trust her, or at least to trust her enough to tell her what I specialize in. While Jockey seemed to - or at least act like it - trust her, that didn't exactly mean that I did. She seemed like a good pony, but everypony thinks differently and behaves differently in the games. There are many strategies that can be running through a pony's mind, ones that only they know how to do. I clearly wasn't the oldest one here, but I wasn't the youngest. I would need to figure out what to do soon.

Collecting myself, I said carefully, "Environment. I know plants and landscape well. I can create some plants, including edible ones, but the rules don't exactly permit them in the games."

She nodded. "Well, you sound like you could be an asset. Its a shame that the rules don't entirely allow us to create plants or food-like items, But it's still a unique ability. And your knowledge could be helpful." She turned and looked at a group of four ponies who were snickering in the corner. I recognized Cherry Cloud, but she and the other mare didn't entirely look too sure of where they were. "It sounds like there is at least one other stallion who specializes in the same department. Terrain Tactical, I believe his name was. He resides in district two, I think, which of course, only makes them stronger."

"Yeah. I met one of them though, Cherry Cloud, the green pegasus. She actually doesn't seem that bad. I wish we could make her join us. Her skills would also be helpful."

Gearfly flicked his ear. "It's probably an act. I'm pretty sure there are 'secret' training facilities in the first two districts that allow them to be as toughly built and deceptive as they are. I mean just look at her! Shes small but you can see the muscles ripple under her skin. She's athletic. Like I said, She's probably acting."

"Or maybe she isn't," I countered. "We don't know anything for sure"

He pulled back his lips in a snarl, which didn't make me respond.

Silver Streak hushed us, "Calm down. We don't know what's in her mind, so let's just leave it as a 'be careful.'" I blinked at the large black pegasus, and then gave a thankful nod to Silver.

Hoofsteps coming from the door made all of us turn our heads, though some were slower than others. Our eyes saw another pair walk in, though I could hear Gearfly's wings shift, and I knew why. One mare who had walked in was so ineffably beautiful it was a surprise that their district had allowed her to compete. Her pastel-pink body was slender and curved, while her long, blonde, curled mane only added to her figure. Everything about her was perfect, her body was perfectly shaped, her muzzle was perfectly curved, and her hooves were polished to pristine quality. even the way her long eyelashes would sweep over her cheeks were perfect. She looked like she was a goddess. Her blue eyes were like the color of the sky, but that wasn't the best part. She looked so confident and powerful that it just increased her beauty. She was practically glowing, which only made the stallion who walked next to her look bleak.

He had a strong look to him, like he spent a good time making sure he was fit, either for these games or otherwise. His pelt was fairly bright for orange, and his scruffy red mane made him look a little aged. He looked as if he was used to spending a good amount of time outside, something that would be good for these games. He blue eyes were scanning his surroundings, and I watched them until they fixated on something towards the electric screen.

I turned to follow his gaze and spotted a brown pegasus standing there, her torso wrapped in a black vest. She wasn't a tribute, but she called all of us over. Once we were all in reasonable hearing distance of her, she began to speak.

"Well, now that you are all here, in a few moments, the screen shall be put away and you will have your first opportunity to experience the training center. I must clarify that you are not allowed to fight with the other tributes, not even as a practice partner. You will have more than enough time to do so in the arena. If you would like to try your hoof at physical combat, we have several sparring partners that you can choose from, depending on the weapon you use. If that isn't enough for you, we have what we call the pixel hall, where you shall be faced against several digitally created opponents that will try to kill you. And lastly, if any of you are injured significantly, you will find about 5 medics stationed around the center. I expect all of you to behave and make good use of these training rights."

She turned to look at a panel of ponies that was in a room above the training center, and she gave them a nod. One pony pressed a button, and the screen disappeared. She nodded, and then trotted through the group to be behind the door. As soon as she walked through that doorway, the door behind her closed, and the twenty-four of us were left to do what ever we may in the training center.

I watched as the group of careers walked over to immediately walked over to the weapon area. I exchanged a glance with Jockey, and then followed them. Most of the ponies had actually gone over to the weapon center first. I looked at the weapons and picked up a knife. I stepped aside and held it in my hoof. I felt the weight of it, and how the material felt. It was incredibly smooth and there was not a single blemish. The hilt of it was a diamind shape, and the blade itself looked like an overly stretched out pyramid. I walked up to a target line, and with a breath, I used my magic to levitate the knife, trying my best to aim I couldn't fly them all the way to the target; I had to throw them. I did my best to throw the blade with my magic, finding it a lot harder than I thought. However, I did manage to I hit it in the shoulder, which wasn't that bad of a throw. I smiled, and turned to look at the other ponies throwing next to me. I saw Cherry Cloud, Golden Quill, and each Scale throwing knives towards their targets, all hitting them perfectly in the center of their targets. There were about four other ponies doing so as well, though they weren't as good as the three of them, but they were still decent. It was at this point where I walked away from the knives and decided to try something else.

I made my way over to the stand that held a bow and arrow. I stared at it, hesitating. I didn't know if I should hold with my hooves or with my magic. I turned to see Moon Breeze holding the weapon with her hooves, so I tried to as well. It was difficult, so when I shot my arrow, It just slid into the ground. I frowned and then decided to just hold it with magic. It helped and this time I hit the target, but it was actually quite difficult to aim, even with magic. I shot a few more arrows, and after about 6 more tries did I actually figure out the aiming and was able to hit the bulls-eye. I was getting confident, when I realized that there could be other things that would alter the arrow in the arena, like wind and obstacles, as well as a moving target. This only made me mad, so I shot another arrow and then put the bow down.

I walked over to the sparring partner, and watched a mare who was fighting an armored stallion with a spear. I watched them carefully and then decided that I would wait for them to be finished. The mare hit the other with a spear in the back of his head and then knocked him off balance. I gulped and shifted my ears. The blonde pelted mare strode off the mat and flipped her steel-colored mane. A pale blue griffin greeted her shortly after and gave her a smile.

"That was really good fighting Candor. I didn't know you were so good with a spear," I overheard him say. I watched as they walked over to the survival area.

It was my turn to face the fighter. I stepped onto the mat and felt it squish beneath my hooves. I took a breath and waited for the stallion to get onto his feet. He saw that I had no weapon, so he put his own spear back. I sighed and beckoned him forwards with a swish of my tail.

He rolled his neck, and then jumped forwards, aiming a blow to my right shoulder. I learned to the left, easily dodging it, and swung my foreleg around to elbow him into the ground. He landed with a thud, but he quickly swept his leg aside and knocked me off of my feet. I rolled away from him and jumped to a full stance as soon as possible. I waited for him to stand again, and when he did, I put my shoulder down and charged into him with as much force as I could. I wrapped my front legs around him, and tried to pull him into the ground. When we finally hit the ground, one of my legs was caught, and I heard a faint crack as it was smashed in between his protective gear and the mat. I could still feel my leg so I know it wasn't broken, and it clearly wasn't sprained. I didn't know what the crack was. He landed a blow to my stomach, which knocked the wind out of me. Taking a deep breath, I watched him begin to stand up fully when saw it as my chance. I kicked him with my hind legs as hard as I could, which made him fly forwards and onto his stomach. I flew on top of him and quickly struggled to pin his hooves, and once I had done so I held him there for a few seconds. I let him go, and gave a thankful nod.

I stood up, and saw that a few ponies had been watching me. One stallion, in particular, a grey one with a blue and black mane, was nodding. There were other career ponies standing at his sides, whispering to each other. I blinked at them and watched as they turned and walked back towards more weapon stations.

I had just barely begun to take a step off of the mat when I felt a sharp, overwhelming pain shoot up my front leg. It hurt so much that I fell to my knees as I let out a groan of pain. I lifted my hoof in front of me, and the first thing I saw was a large crack, going from the top to the bottom of my hoof. It reached up towards the skin, and the skin itself was red and a little puffy. On the inside of the hoof, the crack was still visible though not as clearly as the outside. It had hit the frog in my hoof, and that was probably why it had hurt so much.

I looked around, and once I had pinpointed the medic, I had beckoned her over. She pulled out a small tube, and I watched as she rubbed a white ointment over the crack in my hoof. She then proceeded to place a few heavy-duty staples in my hoof, which made my hoof feel a little heavier. She then briefly bandaged it, and then walked back to her former location.

I rose carefully, making sure that it was fine. It still ached, although not near as bad as it did before. However, I decided that it would probably be best if I took it easy for the remainder of the day. I didn't want to make it worse. Disobeying my mentor, I made my way over into the survival section, and I came across two ponies trying to start a fire.

I had seen them before, and I recalled seeing them in the elevator. One was a grey pegasus with a two-tones red mane, with thick, square glasses placed firmly over his muzzle. His blue eyes were deep and loving, and they were always glancing up at the mare who sat next to him. This mare had a blue pelt, which was actually close to the same color as his eyes. Her mane was pink and while a little messy; it did look like it had been attempted to be tamed, so it was swept to one side of her face. She reminded me of cotton candy. The pair was trying to make the fire with sticks, and they were having a good amount of difficulty. I felt bad for them, so I walked over.

They looked up at me, and the two of them looked a little unsure when I met their eyes. I sat down next to them, and tried to help them with their fire. "Well, the first issue is that the wood you chose was very damp," I said as I tossed it aside, and grabbed a clearly dry piece of wood. "drier wood will catch fire quicker, but will also burn quicker. Damper wood usually feels smoother and heavier." I grabbed a stick, and shoved it into the ground, making one end of it flat. I then located a duvet in the wood, and placed the stick firmly in the hole. "Finding a dent or hole in the wood is a good place to create a lot of friction. It helps for heat to increase, and heat creates fire." I then proceeded to place the stick in between my hooves, and rubbed them together as fast as I could with my new found injury. It did hurt as I did so. I gradually moved my hooves down the stick, and when I started to see smoke and small flashes of red from underneath the stick did I stop.

"Now you try," I said, placing the wood aside. I watched the pair copy what I did, and they picked out good pieces of wood. They followed, and when they succeeded, they looked very thankful and relieved.

"What's you're name?" The mare asked.

"Terra North, from six," I replied. "And yours?"

"I'm Aerospace Zero, and this is my colt friend, Code Red," She answered shyly, looking at her partner. "We're from three."

"Wait, you two are a couple?" I asked, my chest aching. If they had done what I thought had happened, then I would end up hating my ex-colt friend even more.

"Yeah, we've been together for a good amount of time. He actually volunteered after I was reaped-"

"Oh," I said, dropping my ears. I turned to the side and looked away for a moment. I sighed, and Zero put her hoof on my shoulder.

"You okay?'

I sighed, "Kind of. I envy you guys a little now, after hearing your story. My colt friend and I had promised each other that one would volunteer if one of us was reaped. Well, I was reaped, and he didn't follow through. His excuse was that he was just scared, but..."

Code Red added his comment, but a little quietly. "I was scared to. Especially since I'm not really a talkative pony. I guess I just cared enough for Aero that I was willing to risk my life."

The mare smiled, and kissed Red on the cheek. I smiled at them, though I could feel the jealousy building inside.

"Well I think I'll leave you two to your survival studies," I said, getting back onto my feet." If you never need anything else, I would be happy to help," I said honestly. They were a good pair, and I wouldn't mind fighting for them. Especially since their story was what mine should have been.

"Thanks for the lesson Terra," Aero said, her eyes scanning my face. "You are surely one of the nicer ponies here, and help from others wasn't exactly something I was expecting."

I shrugged a shoulder. "Well, I hate these games. No pony here deserves to die, no matter how bad they might be, "I thought for a moment. "I'd still fight to the death, but I think I will only end up killing if by means of defense. If everypony thought that way, there might not be a Hunger Games."

The pair turned and looked at each other, and then I walked away.

I made my way over to a plant quiz and decided that I should try my hoof at making sure I knew enough to survive. Another large stallion had trotted over at that point, and he was clearly looking for competition in this area. His pelt was a deep green and his mane was a lighter shade of green with dark streaks of brown. His eyes were hazel but were clearly dilated. They were all over the room, and he kept looking at the ponies he passed like they were going to challenge him. He looked like he would be perfect for camouflage, as well as pretty much anything that had to do with the wilderness.

I kept my eye on him, and I clicked on the screen that asked which test we could take. I selected the plant quiz, trying to test my knowledge. I looked over at the other stallion's screen and saw that he had selected the same option. I swished my tail and watched him look up at me.

"Best score wins," He said, a devious smirk on his face. It was similar to the same one that Scale had given like he was just conceited.

We counted down, "Three, two, one, go!"

There was a picture of a leaf that popped up on the screen, and it asked which tree it came from, and listed four options. I knew immediately that it was a maple leaf. Similar questions followed most of them of leaves, but there were a few about berries and roots. There were 25 questions. We finished close to the same time, and when we had looked at our scores, they were the same. We had each received 23/25.

We looked up at each other, and there was a shocked expression on both of our faces.

"Well, well. It seems our knowledge is evenly matched," He said, a smirk on his face.

"Indeed they are," I agreed.

"What's your name, if I might ask?"

"Terra North, from district six," I blinked. "And you?"

"Terrain Tactical, from District two."

This was the stallion that Moon Breeze warned me about. He had skills that rivaled my own.

"Oh, so you're tributes with Cherry Cloud?"

"Yeah, I'm excited about that," He commented, his eyes glazing over in a happy look.

"She seems very nice, that's for sure,"

"Indeed she is..." He trailed off, his cheeks blushing. He clearly had some feelings for her.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," I said, trying to close this conversation.

"Yes, I see that I at least have some environmental competition."

"The games should be a little more interesting now," I added.

"Bye," he said with a nod.

"Bye." I bid him farewell, and then trotted off towards the obstacle courses.

I figured that I should spend some time over there, building up more muscles so that I had better strength. It would also build up endurance, making it so I could last longer in the games, running or such. l spent the remainder of the day over in that area, practicing jumping and running techniques, as well as trying to build agility. Every pony was good at something different, which was good. Some were fast, others were strong. Some were great with weapons, others were all brains and knowledge. There were talkative ponies who wanted allies, and unsocial ones who wanted nothing to do with other ponies. This group was broad, but all of them would be tough opponents.

Though the hardest part of this would be surely choosing whom I wanted as my allies. There were too many ponies that could make good allies, and each one had something different to offer. It feels as if these games have started long before even the sound of the arena's siren.

VII - Assessments and That Crazy Host

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I plopped myself onto my bed after the final day of training. I was sore, especially in my shoulders. Most of my time had been spent building up body strength and gaining endurance. My forelegs had grown to the point where if somepony touched them, they would discover that they were firm and a little bulky. Before this training, they were just soft, small and almost flabby. I didn't turn into a muscle-horse, no, the difference was only really noticeable by touch or feel.

I flipped onto my back, curving my hooves over my chest and stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow I would have to attend the interviews in the morning, and in the evening I would have my final assessment. I still wasn't sure exactly what skill I wanted to show them. I could show them how good I was at close-hoof combat, or maybe even how well I had been able to take up a spear in the seven days. There was also the fact that I could show them my survival skills, or how well I knew my plants and nature.

I moaned and then crawled under the sheets of the bed, trying to make myself sleep. I lay there for a good hour or so before I gave up and ventured out of my bed and into the main room. I walked out, my hooves making a quiet rhythm as I strode across the floor. No pain shot up my leg anymore, and you could barely even tell that I had cracked my hoof. I placed my rump down on the floor in front of the window, my tail sweeping the floor around me. I stared up at the night sky with wide and curious eyes and allowed the sight of the stars to make me grin. The moon was nowhere to be seen, and after a few moments of searching for it did I tell myself that it might just be a new moon. The stars were dimmer here then When I had seen them at home, but they were still the same stars. I was able to pinpoint Orion's belt, and then the remainder of the constellation. Soon followed were the constellations of Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the bears.

I wondered if my family was watching the stars on this moonless night. They were the only thing we could share together of this last night before the games, and I wished my goodbye had been better. Right after that thought had vanished from my mind, did I see a bright streak slid across the sky, and then vanish. A shooting star, and a very bright one at that. I lifted one of my hooves to the window and bowed my head. I sighed sadly.

I had never looked at shooting stars the same way thanks to Circuit. We had spent almost the entire day together, laughing and having a great time. We had been friends for years, and that day was so great, we didn't want to leave each other, so we found our way on top of my roof. We had stayed there for a while, cuddling and watching the stars. I remember it so vividly; I had spotted a shooting star in the sky and pointed it out to him and told him to make a wish. And his wish was to kiss me. I remembered being shocked at first, but he had explained that he had a crush on me for the few months prior. Ever since that night, we had been dating.

I cringed at the memory. I missed him so much, and I felt so bad for how I left things. He had every right to be scared, and he had every right to not volunteer. As much as it hurt, it was probably better that he was at home. If he was here...it just meant that one of us would be left alone for sure. Only one pony would walk out of these games alive, and if we were both in the games, one of us would for sure lose the other. And I couldn't bear that. I could not bear to see him die. Did he know that before I did? That both of us participating in the games would only cause the other the most pain imaginable?

Oh Circuit... what have I done... would he even take me back if I won? I was so cold to him because of what happened, failing to realize that it was probably for the best. I just had to hope that somehow everything would be okay.

My thoughts were disrupted when soft hoofsteps echoed in my ears, which had turned to face the sound before my head did, and seeing Jockey put a little bit of relief in my heart. I didn't know why his image made me feel that way, but it did.

"I'm guessing you can't sleep?" I asked the green stallion as he sat down next to me.

"Yeah, there's just too much on my mind," He replied.

We sat there for a few moments in silence, waiting for the other to say something. Finally, he broke the silence.

"What do you think is going to happen once the games start?"

It was a very vague question.

"Anything could happen. We could die the first day, or we could win the games. We could have friends or we could have enemies. You should know that, right?" I answered. I think I sounded like a smartass though.

"Well, yeah, but I mean, I get this feeling that something different is going to happen in these games. That after these games, everything will change."

I looked at him through the corner of my eye, and saw that he was just staring out the window.

"The games seem to always change a little bit every year, but I actually have that feeling a little bit too. It's difficult to explain exactly what it is, but you aren't too alone in that realm."

What I said to him was honest. For the last few days every time I would sit and think about the games, I would always get the feeling that something would be different after these games. Or at the least, something was off. I don't know if it just meant a rule change, or if the entire process of the games itself would change. There was always the slim possibility that if the games went tragically this year, then there might not even be another game next year. That was a stretch and knowing Discord, he would not allow that to happen.

We stayed there for about half of the night, waiting until our energy was drained. We were finally able to sleep, though our beds did not call to us as strongly as the couch did. It was the right type of bed that my body had been longing for the entire time.

The next morning was far too early. I knew the interviews were at ten thirty, but still, there wasn't a need to wake up at 6 am. We had gotten up and out of the inn so quickly that I didn't even have time to pick up my brush. I was practically thrown in the stylists' room, and they were on me faster than bees on honey.

The mares hosed me down with water that was much colder than it was last time, and it was all I needed to be fully awake. The shampoo was far more fragrant this time, and I clearly smelled like apples once I had left the showers. They took me to a booth, and they did everything they had done before. Polished my hooves, curled my eyelashes, and lathered my mane and tail with more apple-smelling products just to make it shine. The mares brushed down my coat to practical perfection, though this time I felt so overly groomed that I felt like a doll. Literally, one of those plastic ponies given to foals. I felt like one of those.

After they had finished, they ran me back to Glimmer, my stylist. Her calmer demeanor relaxed me once more as she came up to greet me.

"So, I was thinking of doing something simple but unique for you," She explained for me. "You really don't seem like the kind of mare to be into flashy things, so I intend to use that."

She was walking around me, probably observing how I had grown some in the past few days.

"I want to find something that brings out the tougher side of you, but also the more feminine side of you as well-"

She trailed off her sentence, and she walked over the box that held a surplus of fabrics. Soft hums were heard in her direction, and She was clearly in deep thought. Her thinking was quickly interrupted with a loud "AHA!" and then she quickly pulled many fabrics out the box. The pieces swirled around me, along with scissors, sewing needles, and spindles. They were moving so quickly that I was afraid to move.

There was a blue flash, and I found my body covered in a midnight blue waistcoat. My cutie mark was left visible, but the coat's two tails that curved over my rear-end created an elongated look of my body. The sleeves reached close to the floor and made my front legs look quite longer and stronger than they would without it. The bottom of the sleeve was lined with a dark blue glitter, but it gradually faded upwards towards my shoulder. The neck collar was cut in a flattering angle that was very feminine, and it too was lined with sequins. There would probably be a white blouse on underneath the collar, and maybe a tie or something.

For a moment I worried if it didn't represent the transportation enough, but after viewing it in a mirror did I realize that it was sharp and sleek, much like the trains my district made. I also couldn't wait to see the look on the Host's face when he would see a mare walk out in a waist coast instead of a dress.

"There, you see? It's perfect and unique. They will be expecting something like this for a stallion, but not a mare!" She leaned back on her hind legs and clapped her hooves a single time. "I'll have a little headpiece to match the costume as well after the others do your hair and makeup."

She removed the garment from my body, and then she sat herself down at the sewing machine.

The other stylists then removed me from the room and fought to put makeup on me. They used more silver colors, but they used dark blue eyeliner instead of the gold they used last time. They drew a small design at the corners of my eyes, which helped showed that we came from the district that made transportation.

They didn't do too much with my hair, Other than just braining my bangs so they went around my right ear. They braided the top part of my tail as well, which added a nice touch. They polished my hooves once more, and then they took me back to Glimmer.

The interviews started in thirty minutes so things were starting to rush more quickly. Before I knew it, I was dressed, with a little hat atop my head, a silver bow-tie around my neck, and waiting in line to be interviewed.

I was watching the screen intently and smiled as the male tribute from district 3 walked on to the stage. The audience cheered, and the host, whose name was Romagee, made a comment about how strong Code Red looked in his white tux. They then proceeded to talk about why he volunteered, and I felt the same heart-pains as he told the story about him volunteering for his marefriend. The audience gasped and there were little sobs that echoed in the audio, clearly showing that their story would be a tragic one. They talked about that for a while longer, and then the host wrapped it up by wishing him good luck.

He invited the next tribute on stage, a mare by the name of Mocha Puff. She seemed nice, but she kept flipping her hair every time she answered a question. These ponies were clearly trying to win sponsors. Scale, who was in line in front of me, turned to face me, with a smirk on his face. Knowing him, he was probably thinking about how pathetic she was or something.

I pulled my head away from the screen and looked at the dark green stallion. I blinked at him, and he didn't move his gaze. I sighed and rolled my eyes. "If she's trying that hard to win sponsors, she must not be that skilled," I told him quietly.

Scale nodded and turned back to face the screen. That was a very weird...conversation.

I turned and looked back up at the screen, just in time to see her wave her goodbye to the crowd, and a stallion made his way onto the stage shortly after. After him, there would be two more tributes until I would take my place onto the stage. The stallion, named Cocoa Cream, started talking about how both he and his sister were reaped. Their story was just as, if not then more tragic that the couple from district three. I would hate to be the mother of those siblings, especially since only one of them could return, if at all. How many lives did these games ruin?

I actually ended up zoning out for the interviews from district 5, mainly because I was trying really hard to calm myself down. I hate doing things when my emotions are raised, so I knew that if I was stressed for it then I wouldn't be good onstage. When It was my time to go on, I was escorted by two peacekeepers to the stage entrance. A stylist added tiny final touches to everything and made sure that I was in good shape to go on.

I waited and listened to him. "Well, we're reaching the halfway point, my good friends, and we've reached the tributes from district six!" The audience cheered. "Now I've heard many good things about the next mare you're going to meet, so I assure you that you are all going to love her just as much as I do." He paused for dramatic effect. "Fillies and gentlecolts, I present to you, all the way from district six, Terra North!"

The audience roared to life as I made my way onto the stage, though once I had made my way fully into the spotlight, their yelling increased to the point where it was just overwhelming. I went to take my place, but Romagee stopped me, which made the audience stop cheering almost immediately.

"Now what do we have here! Your designer surely stepped outside of the box with this one. What do you think made her decide this was the best look for you?"

I hesitated, then I remembered how much he loved himself. "Well, maybe, she liked how you looked in a suit so much she copied the idea." The crowd laughed, and I looked at them. I was able to pinpoint Glimmer sitting in the seventh row, and she was nodding at my comment. At least I was doing well.

"Well, now I wouldn't doubt the idea," He said with a chuckle. "But enough about me! Sit down, and tell us all about you."

We sat down on the chairs, and I waited for him to ask a question.

"So, how have your days of training going down?"

I thought for a moment. "Well, I've made a few friends, and definitely have down what my skills are."

"Friends huh? Like who?"

"Well, they're actually ponies you haven't met yet. I couldn't possibly spoil the surprise."

"Oh, come on! Surely just tell us their district!"

"Nope! You'll just have to wait and see!" The crowd clapped, and the host sighed.

"Very well. Well, perhaps you'll tell us about your friends at home then? I'm Sure a pretty mare like yourself would have a colt friend."

I winced. "Yes, I did actually,"

"Did? Whatever do you mean; did something happen?"

I sighed and looked out to the audience. "I had a colt friend, and just before the reaping, we made a promise that if one of us was reaped, the other would volunteer. Unfortunately, that fell through." The crowd sighed. "I was upset and hurt, and I turned my back on him. I didn't listen to what he had to say before I left. He was scared, and that was why he didn't volunteer. He didn't want both of us to die, and he didn't want one of us to be forced to live without the other. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get to tell him goodbye, I'm sorry I didn't get to tell him that I loved him." I could feel the tears falling from my face.

Romage lowered the tone. He seemed caring. "You know, he might be listening to this right now, watching this very moment. You can say what you want to him, and he will hear you. Now is your chance."

I searched and found the camera. I stared at it, hoping that he was watching. "Circuit, if you can hear me; I'm sorry. I am so very sorry. You know that I love you..." I choked back a sob.

Romage patted my back as the crowd let out a sad 'aww'.

"You should be proud of yourself Terra. And I bet he heard you. If you go and win these game, I see no reason why he wouldn't take you back when you returned home."

I gave a sad chuckle. "You're right. . . As usual," The audience giggled.

"Before you go, could you give us a little demonstration? I've heard that you're quite gifted with magic," he asked.

I looked at my mentor, sitting next to my stylist. She nodded.

"I see no reason why not."

"Alright then! Let's see!"

"Mind if I borrow your flower on your suit?"

He looked surprised at first but handed it over to me. Using my magic, I sat it in the center of the stage. I stood back up from my seat and concentrated all of my energy on the small red flower from his suit. My horn was glowing with my purple hued magic, the Flower began to grow. I grew branches and vines that sprouted leaves and more flowers. Soon enough the flower vines had decorated the stage. The crowd was in awe. Then, with a spark from my horn, the plants burst into flames, fading away and leaving nothing behind, but not damaging the stage. All that was left was the same flower that came from Ramage's suit. The crowd screamed. I picked up the flower and presented it back to him.

"Well, I hope this was just a demo of what could come in these games! That was superb!"

I blushed. "Well, I can do more, but of course, there are rules to these games," I said, looking at him. I turned back towards the audience and smiled. "But I'll stretch all of my limits! I'll stretch them all, just for you!"

They cheered again, and I knew that it was time for me to allow Jockey on stage.

"My friends! I told you all that you would love her! Terra North! May the odds be forever in her favor!" I bowed and trotted happily off stage. I was met with my mentor giving me a great big hug. How she appeared that quickly backstage was beyond me.

"You did perfectly Terra. Appearance is everything, and you surely appeared magnificently," she commented. "Now come on. Let's watch the remaining 13 ponies, shall we?"

The rest of the day went well, but in the evening, it was time for personal assessments. I was nervous - well, who wouldn't be? Even if you were beyond confident that you would do well, there was always the possibility that something could happen; you could slip-up and perform tragically. It sounds like it happens to somepony about once a year, and I just hoped that it wasn't going to be me.

We were waiting in the square silver room, a gentle chatter among a few of the ponies. Jockey was talking amongst his friends, and a lot of the pairs were talking to themselves. Others were stretching or jogging in place. I thought that I should join a group to talk to as well, but I didn't. As much as I wanted to, there was a section in my head that said I couldn't bond with too many other ponies. It would just make their death harder on my emotions. . .

The speaker dinged on and called the stallion in. "Jockey, from district six."

The other ponies had already gone, and it was getting closer to my turn. I was scared, actually, and I just focused on my breathing. I closed my eyes and waited.

Before long, all I was aware of was a clear voice that called, "Terra North, from district six."

I sighed and stood up from my chair. I walked over to the doorway and walked down the hall. I passed jockey on his way, and he had a little bump on his head.

This was it, this was my moment.

"You have ten minutes to present your skills. Begin," was all that I heard from the booth filled with ponies.

I walked over to the plant quiz again and turned it on with a little beep. The screen in front of me was projected on the wall for the judges to see. I clicked start and began my quiz. It was different this time, and it required verbal answers instead of just clicking a button.

"Dogwood. Blueberries. Western Hemlock. Mint. Douglas Fir -" I kept going, swift and barely blinking. I had finished through fifty questions in about four and a half minutes. After I finished, the screen loaded and showed that I got all of them right. I gave a sigh of relief.

I looked at the judges and saw that some of them were giving impressed nods. I wasn't finished though. I made my way over to the weapons rack and picked up a spear. I let it rest atop my hoof, and felt the weight. I aimed at the target and threw. I was aiming for the bulls-eye of the chest, but I ended up hitting the bulls-eye of the head. I tipped my head sideways in slight disbelief, and then proceeded to throw yet another one, this one hitting it in the second ring from the center on the chest target.

I was relieved, and heard a buzzer that showed that my time was up. I gave the judges a thankful nod and then trotted out of the room with my head held high. I performed well, that was for sure, but it was up to the judges to decide how well I actually did.

Later that night we were given our scores. The lowest scores were two sixes, both from district ten. Most of the other ponies scored well, and I was shocked to see that Scale ended up scoring an eleven. I scored a ten, a score that was worthy of the careers. Jockey scored a solid eight. The only real shocker was a mare from district one, who scored a seven.

The stallions from one and two both scored tens, and Cherry Cloud scored a nine. Code Red scored an eight, and his marefriend scored a seven. Both ponies from District Four scored sevens as well. Golden Quill, from district five, also scored a seven. The mare from seven, the overly pretty one, scored a nine, where the stallion scored an eight. There was a griffin that I didn't catch the district of who scored a ten Moon breeze scored a ten, as well as the Chineghs mare from district nine. Both stallions from those districts scored with an eight, and the remaining ponies all scored sevens, other than a red stallion named Blaze. He scored an eight.

These games would be tough, that was for sure. I didn't know how I would be able to face any of these ponies, let alone defeat them.

Tomorrow was it. Tomorrow I would be starting the games. Tomorrow would change my life forever. Tomorrow was the beginning of the rest of my life.

VIII - With the Sound of the Siren

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Today was the day. I would finally be placed into the arena. I was shaking as I made my way into the deployment room. I didn't know If I would come out of the arena. Or at least, come out of it alive.

I found my way into the room and jumped when my stylist wrapped her arms around me. She was trying to comfort me and her hug was well appreciated after I realized what was going on. I held her for longer than she was expecting. I just didn't want to go into the games. I wanted nothing to do with the event. I only ever watched part of it - I usually just pretended to be asleep or busy with a job or something.

When we finally pulled apart, she was shaking her head. "Stay calm and make your first priority to find water and shelter. You'll eventually get your hooves on a spear, I'm sure." She paused, and let out a sad sigh. "Are you ready?"

"I'm as prepared as I will ever be," I responded.

She picked up a thin grey jacket, and then she pulled out a little gold chain - The same gold chain that held a metal version of Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark. I was relieved to see it again. It was a connection to home. She placed the clothing item on me, and then slid the necklace over my head. I let the object dangle, happy to have it's a comfortable feeling back.

"I also have to put a tracker in your arm," She muttered quietly. She levitated a small syringe looking device to my leg, and with a click and a sting, there was a small piece of metal resting just under my skin. It felt unfomcortable. "This is just so they can keep track of your wearabouts and figureout which cameras to use."

"Thirty seconds to deploy." Said a voice. I glanced around the white room and tried to find the speaker. I didn't know where it came from. I could already begin to feel my heart pounding in my chest.

"You're lucky they let you wear that. At first, they thought it could be used as a weapon of some kind, but they eventually let it go. Just be careful with it."

"The symbol didn't bother them at all?" I asked.

"Surprisingly, no. They didn't know how important of a symbol it was, and even if there were some that did, they did didn't say anything. Still, I would keep it tucked inside of your jacket, Just in case." She glanced over at the tube. "But that doesn't matter."

She leaned forward and kissed me on my cheeks, something that was for good fortune, I suppose. I would always see ponies who wanted to be proper do things like that. "Fifteen seconds to deploy."

"Now go," She said, rushing me. "Release your fire and never die down. Create the spark you are meant to be."

I turned and walked over to the glass tube. I turned and looked at Glimmer, who gave me a single nod, as I stepped into the case. Almost right after I did so, the tube sealed and I was lifted up towards the arena. I closed my eyes and lifted my nose to the sky.

When the ground below me stopped moving and no more little vibrations were felt under my hooves, I opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was sand. Large amounts of bright, golden sand that wrapped around the entire base of my stand. I looked to my left and right and saw that Scale and Jockey were noticing the same things, and they too were wearing a grey jacket. However around them and probably around me as well, I could see a faint glow of a bubble. A force-field, actually. This was not only to prevent Unicorns from casting spells too early but to also prevent the pegasai from taking off into the air.

I looked straight ahead and saw a giant silver cornucopia ahead of me. I scanned it and spotted about four visible spears among the pile. I needed to get one of them.

I looked over at the ponies from district eight - my view slightly obstructed by Jockey - and gave them a nod. Moon Breeze nodded back, and I knew that it was her way of saying that we had an alliance. Or that we would at least work together for a while.

I looked back up at the cornucopia, but then looked then looked above and beyond it. I then noticed a shallow hill covered in grass. It went up, and there were about four other hills behind it, and then two mountains. I looked around again and spotted a thin line of blue around the sand I assumed it was water, but I didn't know if it was salt water or fresh water. I think that we were on an Island, or at least on a shoreline. This should be interesting.

I waited for the clock to wind down, and prepared myself to run forwards towards the chaos. It was funny, actually. Discord used to be the maker of chaos and the first thing in these games was exactly that. Chaos.

10...

9...

8...

7...

6...

This was it. There was no turning back.

3...

2...

And then there was a loud siren beyond anything I had heard before. It rattled the ground underneath my hooves, and then it faded away. I flew off of the grey platform and sprinted towards the silver Cornucopia.

The blue pegasus from district one quickly was inside the arena, and he had picked up a sword and was starting to make his way around, scaring others away and at least injuring who he could. I watched him out of the corner of my eye, and then I spotted Cherry Cloud. She had picked up a pack of sleek, silver knives and was throwing them at ponies. She managed to hit one of the ponies from district four and another from district ten. She looked at me, and then she hesitated. Why wasn't she trying to kill me? Surely that was the point of these games?

In her moment of hesitation, I quickly went to pick up a bag when I felt a woosh of air pass just over my back as I bent down. It took me half of a second to realize that the stallion I had spotted earlier was attacking me. I turned and used the sack I had just picked up to hit the blue stallion in the face. He staggered backward as I dropped the bag, kicked the stallion in his chest. He collapsed onto his side, but he went down swinging with his swords. He cut my right forearm and my left shoulder, causing me to fall on my knees with a groan. He lifted himself up and went to plunge his sword into my back while I was on the ground. I quickly rolled out of the way, his blades barely missing my body. I twisted my torso and landed a punch to his chest again, and then jumped to my feet and used a front leg to hit him in the jaw. Blood squirted from his mouth, as he turned away, gripping his face.

Without hesitation I grabbed the nearest bag with my magic and ran, kicking up a large amount of sand as I moved. I ran and ran, not caring where I went. Well, I was sort of paying attention, but there weren't really many places to run. I ran through the valley of the hills and was relieved when the grass turned into forest.

I eventually came across a good thicket, one that was perfect for hiding. The ground was shallow, and the vines that twisted around were the right pattern for camouflaging me. I sat there in the bushes and caught my breath, and then slung my sack around so I could look through the contents.

There was a loud 'boom' which made me jump, and the bag that was in between my hooves shifted and fell through my hooves onto the ground. I knew that it was the first cannon, signaling the defeat of the tributes. I did my best to count them, wanting to know how many of the other tributes died today.

Only four cannons sounded, which was surprising. It was probably the lowest amount I've ever witnessed or even heard of, except maybe the first games. I sighed, and then returned to my bag.

I sifted through the bag, checking the three pockets it held. In the largest pocket, there was a reflective blanket, as well a rope - probably not longer than 20 feet. The second pocket held a small plastic container and a metal canteen. I opened it and looked inside, only to find it empty. And in the last pocket, there were three bandages. The bag could have carried worse things, but at the same time, I could have grabbed a much better package.

After I had put everything back into the bag and attached it to my back, I heard rustling behind me. It was in the distance, but it was moving this way, and quickly. It was also clearly at least two ponies. I figured that the first one was being chased by the second. I held my breath, hoping that the ponies weren't aware of my location. And if they did, I hoped that they would be ponies like Moon Breeze or Jockey.

A green stallion leaped over the shrub and tripped. I didn't get a good chance to look at him before I realized that there were only two green stallions in these games, both of which I knew. I flew forwards and grabbed him instinctually, wrapping one arm carefully around his stomach, and using the other to hold my hoof over his mouth so he wouldn't holler. I scooted back into the thicket, dragging him with me, and shushed him as he attempted to fight my grip. I still didn't know exactly who it was.

Another stallion leaped over the bush, much like the first, but he kept running forwards after he landed, much more gracefully than the first stallion. He was probably thinking that the green stallion I now held had kept running on the thin path in front of him. I watch the rear end fly through the forest, stopping in the distance to look around until it turned right behind a row of trees. I waited for about ten seconds, then released the green colt. Anxious and unsure, I scooted even farther into the cave of brambles so that the bush was brushing my back.

"Really? You're lucky I didn't try to kill you," He said with a sharp tone as he turned to face me, a very soft blush on his face. I gave a thankful sigh as I recognized the stallion as the only changeling in the games, Scale.

"Well, I know both of the green stallions in the arena. I decided to take a chance. I was just trying to do you a favor-" I began, but was quickly cut off by him scoffing.

"Oh please, I was fine. You just worry too much." He stood up and brushed of the dirt from his arms. "Well, good luck I guess. I'll be seeing you around...maybe." He started to walk back out into the forest again, an only when he did so did I realize that he had a small pack around his shoulder. He had no visible weapon, so I was worried about him - at least a little.

"You're just gonna leave like that?"

He looked over his shoulder but didn't stop. "Uh yeah, remember? I work alone."

I flattened my ears and trotted after him. The least he could do was give me a 'thank you' or something. Once I reached his side, I slowed down so I could walk next to him. He gave me a glare out of the corner of his eye, his cheeks flushing, but he didn't say anything.

"You might work alone, but nopony has won these games without a little bit of help from at least one other pony," I commented

He sighed, and I could tell there was a major shift in his mood. He was so confident before, but now he just felt...lonely. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something, and then his mood changed again. What happened to him? What made him like this?

He opened his mouth again, this time to let real words out. "Well, fine. If you're going to be a comrade of mine, then we need to find a way to get our hooves on some weapons. We're sitting like ducks out here without them."

I was going to protest the fact that I had managed to stand my ground against the stallion from district one without a weapon, but I didn't want to stretch my limit too far. Getting him to let me side with him was like a big revolution or something.

"If that's what we need to do, then we should set up a camp first and come up with a plan."

He shoulders tensed up. "I know what I'm doing."

"I understand, but you would know that we need shelter and water first. They are essential to living, in any environment. Starvation and Dehydration can be just as deadly as any weapon."

"And we won't be able to get them without weapons."

"But without the basic necessities, we might not even be around to get them!" We clearly had two separate survival styles.

He flicked his ear at me, and his black muzzle was scrunched up at the bridge between his eyes.

"As I said, I know what I am doing," He said in a very cold tone.

"Clearly you don't," I said quickly. By the time the words left my lips, I regretted saying them.

He started speaking, but his voice was so cold and flat that it gave me goosebumps. "I say to you that we can work together, and then you insult me. Go." He beckoned for me to run away.

"Scale I-" I started. I felt bad, and I had turned a potential ally into someone who could become my enemy.

"No. Just go." He wasn't looking at me. He had turned his head away from me so he couldn't anymore.

"But I-"

"GO TERRA!"

As soon as he yelled, I turned and bolted out of there. I ran up towards the mountain, depriving my body out of breath yet another time. I eventually slowed to a walk, and was looking around for a place to hide. The sky was getting darker, so the area was also getting colder. As much as I knew I had to find water, I also needed to find shelter to sleep in.

I scanned around, looking for a place to rest for the night. My throat was dry and was asking for just a single drink of water, but there wasn't much I could do about that right now. There should be time for that in the morning. I eventually found a cave under some rocks, which was also curtained by a mixture of vines and ivy. The cave itself was fairly large and had probably enough room for about five people.

The rocks were fairly smooth, which would make sleeping a little bit more comfortable. As I was laying down, I felt my shoulder begin to sting and ache. I suddenly remembered that I was hurt. My adrenaline had been so high that I forgot to notice. I checked my wounds at this time since I had not done so before. They were not deep nor were they too large, but I had to be careful that they didn't get infected. Since I had no water, I, unfortunately, had to use some of my saliva to clean the two wounds out. I had to make a mental note that I needed to rinse them better when I found better access to water. Still, I wrapped them with parts of the bandage, just to be sure. I didn't want to take any chances.

Shortly after the sun was nowhere in sight, the familiar trumpets sounded and Equestria's anthem came on.

I poked my head out of the leafy curtain and looked to the dark sky to see Discord's symbol in the sky. Shortly followed were the faces of four ponies. The mare from district one, the mare from district four, and both ponies from district ten. I sighed in relief, knowing that no one I cared for or had made alliances with was killed.

After it ended, I walked back into the cave, and pulled out the blanket and rested it on the ground, but my hoof also was caught in the rope. I realized this was my solution to worrying about intruders to my cave. I lit my horn, sending an eerie, blue tinted glow into the cave around me. I left my belongings in the cave and trotted outside to find some sticks. I found two that were relatively the same size after a short search and was thankful that I wasn't met by any opponents.

There was an owl that made me jump at one point or another, but it didn't mean any harm. After I returned to, I found two divots on both sides of the cave, and carefully shoved the sticks in. I tied the ropes to both sides and made sure that it was tight enough for a pony to trip. The rope itself was about ankle height, which was the perfect height for a tripwire. I just hoped I would remember the rope in the morning.

With the small trap set, I returned to my corner and closed my eyes to sleep. It wasn't a nice rest, nor was it the most comfortable, but it was well needed. I was woken up once in the night with a scream that echoed off the mountain rocks, and I glanced through the cracks of the curtain to see an obscured face of a stallion, this one from district four.

Here on this first night, five ponies were gone. Five ponies would never return home. With the sound of the siren - with the sound of the cannons - my life, and theirs, were changed forever.

IX - Good Morning ... Allies?

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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.

X - Isn't the Beach Just Lovely?

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The group wasn't at all the same after Zero died, even though her passing was about 3 days ago. Gaelan really tried to make the group laugh, or at least keep our spirits lifted, but all he ever really got was a shrug or a sigh. Every now and then somepony would smile, but that that was a rare case.

We decided to make our main priority for the days finding water. Not only were all of us worn out from running, but the island itself was quite hot. The nights were cold and the mornings would start cool and at a perfect temperature, but by mid-day, the heat was almost unbearable. Most of our bodies were covered in what small amount of sweat our body would create.

To no luck did we find ourselves a river or stream, but we came across several patches of mud, or damp ground. Every time we came across them we could get our hopes up, thinking that there must be water near the site. However, there was always nothing.

I eventually got the idea that perhaps the water was in the ground, so, we dug in the mud. We made a decent sized hole, reaching about a half of a foreleg's length down into the ground and about a foot long in diameter. We stood around it, waiting, and after some time, we were relieved to find that there was indeed water inside the hole. Finding a way to drink it was a challenge, and the water itself tasted like dirt. However, it was better than no water at all. We carefully filled our canteens, making sure to take from the surface of the water, and only taking from the well once the water had stilled. We wanted to keep the possibility of an illness to a minimum.

We kept munching on blackberries since there seemed to be a lot of those bushes in this arena. We found other plants as well, coming across a patch of clovers and daisies. It was better than eating the blackberries every day.

After the three days had passed, we were relieved to find that only two other ponies had died in the games. The blue stallion from district one had died, 8-Bit, his name was. Another stallion, named Gearfly, had died just before the stallion from one. I had recalled that he and I were supposed to be in a group together, and it made me anxious about the state of his group.

Based on the order of events, I was to presume that the careers probably came across the stallion and his group, and ended up killing him. He was supposed to be in my alliance, so something must have happened to that group. I felt sad. I wanted to at least know Gearfly a little bit. The group decided to avenge him and killed the stallion. There was also the possibility that the stallion from one also died from his wounds since we had faced him only a few days before.

Knowing that the threat of the careers was almost gone, it made high emotions rest, but there was something else that was lurking inside every pony that remained in the arena. There was fear of their allies. All that every pony wanted to get through was the careers. If they survived them, then there was usually a group left - a group that would have to turn on their allies they had spent so long bonding with.

I knew in myself that I didn't know how I would be able to fight Code Red, or Gaelan or Candor. And even if I brought myself to face them, I don't think I could kill them.

We rested beneath a tree, waiting patiently in the shade. While we wanted to go out and face the remaining enemies, we also wanted to stay away from heat and losing body fluids as much as possible. This was easier said than done, of course, as everything in these games always was.

I was thinking to myself as I played with a knife with my magic. Code Red was sitting in the tree above us. While his mood had lightened since his marefriend's death, he was still rather glum about the whole thing. Gaelan and Candor were talking about something that sounded like their home. They mentioned their parents several times, and Gaelan mentioned something about being an artist.

Anyways, I was thinking. My mind had wandered over the idea of home and what would happen if I was the one to walk out of this arena alive. I thought about how nice it could feel, being the winner of the games, and receiving not only a new house but plenty of food and supplies for my family every year for the rest of our lives. The Idea was great, sure. but another thing followed. Depending on what happened in the rest of the games could determine how I react when I get out. I could have PTSD, constantly giving me visions of the past and terrible nightmares. I didn't want them if I walked out. No.

Upon thinking of home, I started thinking about the old mare that had come and talked to me during our goodbyes. I remembered her asking to keep her son safe. Asking me to keep Jockey safe. Jockey. Alliance.

I jumped to my feet so quickly that the other ponies around me jumped as well. Candor was on her hooves, her magic levitating her pair of swords at her sides. That was the other thing we needed: more weapons.

I didn't know why the thought hadn't dawned on me before. I had waited so long that the thought practically punched me in the face. I wasn't planning on breaking my promise. I was going to find Jockey and his group if it was the last thing I do.

"What's wrong?" Gaelan asked, his eyes darting around, looking for an enemy that he didn't see.

I turned and looked at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to jump up like that..." I trailed off, and adjusted my hooves below me, rocking back and forth in thought. I probably looked like I had to pee.

Candor flicked her ear in annoyance, and then placed her swords on the ground next to the base of the tree. "Well, then what happened?" She asked, her head looking out into the forest.

I gave them a shy little smile before telling her, "I realized that I need to find Jockey."

Gaelan looked confused. "Who?"

"Jockey," I answered.

"Jockey?" Candor repeated.

"Yes. The stallion from my district," I finally explained.

"Oh.." They said simultaneously.

"I have to find him soon. I made a promise and I need to keep it." I explained. Riley shrugged as Code Red made his way down the tree.

"Well, where do you suppose we look? This is a smaller arena, yes, but at the same time they are probably moving," Gaelan complained. It didn't bother me.

"Well, let's just head down to the beach before we decide. The ocean will be a nice way to cool us down, even if it's salt water," Candor said, sort of answering my question. "Who knows, we might see them along the way."

I looked over at Code Red, and hesitated. I didn't know if he was ready for more allies, and if he was, he probably wouldn't talk to them that much.

I flicked my tail and picked up my bag. "Well, off to the beach then?" I asked, throwing the bag over my shoulder.

"To the beach," Gaelan said with a broad smile.

After making our way down the hills and through the forest, we came to a thin stretch of sand on the west side of the island. It was quiet, but the waves rolling on the beach were slow and gentle, creating a very soft sound as the sea-foam rolled.

"Well, this beach wasn't what I expected," Candor commented.

I shrugged. "It's better than nothing."

I made my way towards the water and walked in until the water was mid-thigh. The way the water lapped at my legs was what I needed to cool myself down. The gentle breeze helped too.

If I looked to my right, I would see Gaelan and Candor splashing water on each other, laughing and trying to enjoy this moment before we went off and searched for Jockey, and maybe his allies as well. I didn't know if I wanted to find them, but I had to.

The movement of water could be heard behind me, though I fought the urge to turn my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Code Red standing next to me, his gaze fixed on the horizon far off in the distance.

"It's rather pretty, Isn't it?" I asked, following his gaze.

"Yeah, I guess."

"The water looks like It could go on forever." I started. He didn't respond, so I kept talking.

"I was always amazed as a kid how big the ocean actually was. I went on a vacation with my mother when I was about six years old, and when I first saw it, I froze and stared." I giggled at myself. "My mom told me that, 'the ocean is the biggest thing in the entire world, and most of it is still waiting to be explored'" I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "I wanted to be the one to explore it and discover everything, you know. Now that I look back I can laugh and realize you silly the idea is now, but then again, when we're kids, we always come up with these crazy ideas that we think we can use to change the world."

I turned my head to look at him, only to see that his head had dropped and his eyes were closed. He was thinking, by the looks of it. Or listening.

"And now that I'm older I realize that every pony is destined to change the world in their own way. Be that change small or big, everyone does. It's what makes all us so special." I turned my head and look back at the horizon.

I swear, for a split second there was a small ripple in the air where I was looking. It was like the forcefield itself was water, and someone had dropped a drop of water on it, and it rippled outwards. They faded and they weren't that noticeable after awhile. The only thing was that I didn't know if it was my imagination, illusions from the heat, or if something had actually happened far off in the distance.

I blinked, and then looked back at Code Red, who still had his eyes closed. I don't know what was shooting through my head, but once I opened my mouth words just came out. "You could always win for her."

His head shot up and he turned to face me. "What?"

"You could win these games in honor and in memory of her." I flicked my ear. "If you and I were the last two tributes left, I might let you win. For her."

He gave a little smile, but it faded. "But why? We don't even know each other that well, and you're saying you would give your life if meant I won?"

I pondered over the thought and looked back out on the horizon. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to think of Circuit back home. I knew he was still mad at me. But I loved him. I would do anything to come home. and I knew that Code Red felt the same way.

"Yes. Your story should have also been my own. I came into these games with the mentality that if I was to give my life for any pony, it would be you and your marefriend. It might be a little difficult to explain, but just trust me."

He looked back at the horizon. "Thank you, Terra. I probably wouldn't have gotten through this...situation without you, even if you didn't do a lot. I'll try to win. I'll try to win for her."

I opened my mouth only to hear screaming coming from the shore.

"Again!?" I moaned. I made my way back to the shore and shook the water off of my legs. Sand still clung to them, creating an itch that only sand could create.

"We should hide." Candor muttered, "Just in case."

I turned and looked at the bushes where the screaming came. A single, clearly female scream sounded again. It was getting closer.

I jumped into the bushes, and the group quickly followed me. Gaelan was on my right, and Code Red was on my left. The four of us were squished together, trying to take up as little space as possible. Of course, being in between a griffon and a stallion that were both noticeably larger than me didn't make the most comfortable situation. We were sitting on our bags, compressing whatever was inside of them. Gaelan and Candor had their weapons at the ready in case there was a sour situation.

We waited there until two ponies popped out of the bushes and walked onto the shoreline. The large, bright orange stallion was out first, yelling things at the mare he was with. The two of them were arguing, but after seeing the mare I instantly recognized her as the very pretty one from district seven, whose name was Aphrodite. Gaelan laid eyes on her as well, and I could feel one of his wings stiffening at my side. I rolled my eyes, and continued to watch and listen.

"I had no Idea that Cherry Cloud would attack us like that! She was so nice earlier!" The mare chirped.

"It's not her fault, she's the only sensible Career left!" He argued. "Stop complaining about everything! These are the Hunger games, remember?"

She stamped her hoof on the ground. "It's not my fault that I was picked and no one volunteered to save me!"

He puffed out his chest. "Uh, yes it is! Maybe if you thought with your heart instead of your flank, you would have more friends! Or maybe, you would be able to survive out here by yourself!"

Her ear flicked at him as she leaned forward, their faces pressed together. "Oh, so are you telling me that I should just give up my talent, they very thing my cutie mark represents, and just CHANGE!?"

He rolled his head back, his messy mane flopping to the other side of his neck. "Oh look, she can think!"

The pink mare's face was turning bright red. I almost expected her to burst into flames. "Well, unlike you, I was trying to make the best out of the situation!" She flipped her golden mane and turned away from the stallion.

"By taking a bath and flirting with the cameras to get sponsors to send you useless things like ice cream!" He yelled back.

"It's hot outside. And it's better than you can do!"

"I haven't needed anything yet! All I've done is gotten you food, protected you, found you shelter, made sure that you were comfortable!" She continued to stay turned away from him, her nose in the air as he ranted on. "You physically made me polish your hooves and braid your hair and even give you a back massage!"

"It's not my problem if you fell for seduction!"

"I'm not the problem, you are!"

"If I'm such a problem, then why haven't you killed me yet?" She screamed, turning to face him again.

"Maybe I will!"

She flattened her ears and backed up as the dark red-maned stallion ran towards her. He gripped her head between his muscular arms, and with a quick twist, she collapsed. A cannon sounded in the distance, sending goosebumps rippling on my back.

"Holy -" Gaelan started. Candor cut him off with a quick little "Shh."

The stallion was pacing in the sea foam that lapped against his leg. He was constantly kicking sand as he went, sending water and small rocks into the air and into his face. He shook them away, but he kept ranting as he mumbled to himself.

The small aircraft floated overhead and picked up the pink mare's body with a large metal claw. The stallion starting throwing rocks at the aircraft, showing off that he had an impressive arm. He hit the ship several times with a few rocks, as well as some stray sticks.

"This is all your fault, Discord! Only someone with a sick mind like you would create these games! I quit!" He yelled up at the aircraft. "I quit, I quit, I quit! Just kill me now!"

The aircraft was about to take off, but it hesitated. I heard rumbling in the sky and looked up to see a single black cloud in the air. It was small, but there were visible blue flashes that flickered behind the cloud puffs.

With a loud crack and a white flash, the stallion on the beach was on the ground, his mane scorched and his pelt singed. He shook violently, as he suffered from the electric shock that sent his body into a seizure. He continued to twist and convulse violently for several seconds until finally, the terror stopped, and Daylight Sun lay dead on the sand. I was stunned and mortified.

A cannon sounded, and the aircraft lowered the giant claw once more, picking up the electrocuted stallion from district seven. My heart was pounding because of what I had just seen. That was not a good way to die, no sir. This was evidence that I needed to be careful with what I say and what I do.

The four of us sat there, staring at the beach where the scene had happened. The ship flew away, but we were still resting there, appalled. Finally, Gaelan broke the silence.

"What in the hell-pit of Equestria was that?" he whispered.

Candor muttered to herself, then spoke aloud. "Probably his punishment for the killing of a capitol fave. Or just maybe they did what he asked - they killed him. He did say he quit."

No pony was moving. There were more visible clouds in the sky, and the sky looked like it was going to rain. It would be a great relief if it did, but they probably would only torment us with the idea of fresh water.

"W-we should go and find Jockey. I don't want to stay on this beach..." I said, my voice shaking. I wouldn't be able to un-see that. I would surely have nightmares.

"Agreed. Let's just go..." someone said. I couldn't tell who it was. We turned away from the scene and made our way back towards the center of the island on our quest to find the green stallion from my district. It was all that I had a purpose for now. I had to find Jockey and keep my promise.

So much for the beach clearing our minds.

XI -Well that Happened

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We made our way away from the beach and headed inward, trying to find Jockey, or at least his group. Moon Breeze was also in the group, and I wouldn't mind having her join. I didn't know too much about Silver Streak or how he acted, but I just hoped that he was tolerable. And then there the Mousha - The quiet non-equestrian mare that scared off Code Red and Aerospace Zero in one of the first few days of the arena. If she was with them, then the group would be a little rough getting together.

We found ourselves in the valley closest to the cornucopia, and we were waiting in the wide open territory. The whole island was silent, except for the sound of our breathing and the pitter-patter of our hearts beating inside of our chest. It was far too quiet.

There were grey clouds that hung over our head, but from what I could see, it wasn't going to rain. This was a shame, especially since we had gotten so far with minimal amounts of water. My allies looked dreary and desperate for water, and it didn't make me feel any better. I remembered passing out from dehydration earlier in the games, and I didn't want to go through the same thing again.

I stared at the clouds. Depending on how I felt and if there were still clouds in the sky, perhaps I would make it rain if the clouds did not dump anything on us by then. I also wanted to desperately find Jockey before I started testing how much I could push the rules.

We were near the base of the hills, looking out upon the cornucopia. Cherry Cloud was sitting on the top of it, looking out at the ocean, with her back faced to us. The was a visible wound on her back, and her jacket was not on her at all. The only reason we had kept our own jackets was that the nights were so cold.

She flicked her ear in our direction but didn't turn her head. What was she doing? Was she waiting for herself to get caught or killed? Or perhaps did she think she was safe up there? I don't know.

Gaelan was next to me, his muscles twitching. He grew more and more anxious as we drew closer to the two remaining careers. We hadn't made any plans to attack them or take them out, but even if we did, I would only have an interest in taking out Terrain Tactical. Cherry Cloud had a good head on her shoulders, and I kind of want to be her ally.

"What if we took them out?" Candor suggested. "That way the two largest threats will be gone, and then we can take out the other groups little by little."

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. She was staring at me attentively like she was waiting for me to say something. I blinked at her, and let the others respond.

"I could do it. Probably. We could take out the green mare on top-" Gaelan started.

Out of reflex, I punched the side of his ankle, cutting him off.

"What was that for!?" He asked loudly.

"Sorry. My hoof slipped on the grass," I answered flatly, slightly biting my lip.

He looked me up and down with his eyes, then started again. "We could take out the mare first, and then go after the stallion, who I think is inside. Does that sound like a good enough plan?"

Candor nodded. Code Red agreed, willing to at least try. The three of them were looking at me. I didn't want to take out Cherry. Not yet. But I also couldn't just tell them that I wanted to save the career because she was nice. They would think that I was siding with them or something. I had to come up with something.

"I think only one of us should go for Cherry Cloud - the green mare on the roof - while everyone else goes after Terrain Tactical. That way, we have both covered. We don't all want to be in one place, because if we are all fighting her, it leaves Terrain Tactical an opportunity to jump up behind us, leaving us at lower odds of winning."

They were still staring at me until Candor broke the silence. "Well, that plan actually sounds a little safer. Terra, Do you think that you... could..." She was trailing off, and her gaze didn't look at me, but past me.

I turned my head and spotted three ponies making their way across the field. I recognized them as my would-be alliance and watched Moon Breeze making her way towards the side of the cornucopia, so she could climb up and attack an unknowing Cherry. Jockey and the Chineghs mare were creeping slowly into the cornucopia, picking up weapons as they went along.

They had come up with the exact same plan that I had. They were going to take out the careers. I looked at The blue unicorn then at Cherry Cloud. I took a deep breath in astonishment. Cherry cloud was too good of a pony to be killed, even if she was a career. At the same time, I couldn't just turn against the group I was supposed to be with.

Without thinking, I started running. I couldn't let them do this. Not now. I knew that I couldn't beat Moon Breeze up there, so I had to find another way to get up there.

I recalled a mode of transportation called 'flashing'. Unicorns could appear and disappear in seconds with this technique. I focused all of my energy on the area next to Cherry Cloud. I had used this skill several times before, but I was far from a master at the ability. Every now and then I would under or overshoot where I wanted to land, and I could only travel so far. Hoping for the best, I focused on appearing there with every cell in my body, and I lit my horn. With a bright purple flash, I landed messily on the roof of the cornucopia.

I lifted my head and looked at Cherry Cloud, who was staring at me with wide eyes.

"Terra, what are you-" She started.

White spots were in my vision and I had lost my footing. I shook my head, but it just made feel nauseous.

"You have to run. Moon Breeze is going to kill you-"

As soon as the words left my mouth, the blue unicorn jumped over me and onto the green pegasus. I panicked and tried to get them to stop fighting.

"Moon Breeze, stop! She's a friend!" I yelled at her. "Cherry don't kill her!"

"What do you mean she's a friend!?" someone yelled as they were fighting.

I knew that they were both very good with knives, but neither of them had grabbed any.

I looked back and forth between the two ponies, not sure what to do. One of them would surely kill the other.

"Stop, you guys!" I bent down, my head low. "Stop!" They didn't hear me. "STOP!" I shouted.

I lunged forward, wrapping my forelegs around the first thing they touched. I took the pony with me as we slid away from the other mare, almost falling off of the other end of the cornucopia.

Just as I noticed that I had grabbed Moon Breeze, she writhed out of my grip with a good kick right at the bottom of my jaw. There was a crack, but I could still feel my jaw. I bit my tongue, which in turn started to bleed a little after colliding with my newly chipped tooth.

I punched her right back and then proceeded to pin her down. "Did you not listen to me!?" I yelled at her, my tail swishing side to side in frustration.

"What the hell Terra!?" She shouted back. "Do you really want to save the pony who has killed so many others!?"

"Why is killing her making you any better!?"

There was a yelp behind me, and I looked up to see Gaelan flying up to hit a stunned Cherry Cloud in the face.

"GAELAN, STOP!" I shouted. This was growing pointless, but I couldn't see them fight, even if this was the Hunger Games.

Gaelan gave an angry moan as he jumped up into the air, his wings flapping furiously against his sides. He gripped a spear in between his talons, holding on to his only mean of self-defense. Cherry Cloud threw a knife at him, and I watched as it just barely scraped his cheek. This only drove him to fly higher up into the air as he dodged it.

Cherry Cloud followed him up into the air, and I glanced down at Moon Breeze who was still pinned underneath me. She was giving me an angry glare, but I let her go, somewhat reluctantly. She shoved me out of the way, leaving me to almost fall off of the cornucopia yet again.

I looked back up at the fighting pegasus and griffon. Gaelan was constantly trying to take her out, but Cherry was clearly a much better fighter than he was. She kept making blows to his sides and wings, causing him to stagger in the air. Even when she had used all of her knives, she started to make her blows with her hooves.

Things were looking dull for the blue griffon. There was little chance he would survive this.

Moon Breeze and I watch in agony as the two flew up past the curtain of clouds. We couldn't see them anymore, but we could hear the screams that they were giving as they fought.

A little time had passed before we saw Gaelan's limp body falling from the sky, shortly followed by a smaller object that was his same color. Was it his wing? No cannon had sounded, so he was still alive. I immediately bolted from the roof, jumping off and somersaulting as I collided with the ground. I kept running, as fast as I could to try and reach the pegasus before he collided with the ground.

I didn't think I was going to make it. I lit my horn again and was relieved to land just below his body. However, after doing so did I realize that I had no safe way to catch him. The only thing I could use was my magic.

I hesitated, looking around for something, anything. I couldn't break the rules. I didn't know what would happen if I did. For all I knew, I could be zapped by lightning like the stallion from Seven. I concentrated and closed my eyes.

I caught him carefully with a levitation spell, slowly lowering him to the ground. Moon Breeze and Jockey ran over, shortly followed by Code Red, Candor, and Mousha, who were giving each other dirty looks. They immediately surrounded him, trying to find out what had happened.

I had only glanced once at his body before I realized that Gaelan had lost a wing. He lost something that made pegasai pegasai. He would probably never fly again if he left this arena alive. I released my levitation on him and turned my back away from the scene. I could still hear the others talking though.

"He's just unconscious, we can still save him-"

"He's lost a lot of blood and I don't know what we can do!"

"Red, help us with wing anatomy. Are there any vital arteries in the-"

"Of course there are! Hurry up and close the wound before he bleeds to death!"

"We need to clean it first!"

"There's not enough time! We just-"

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. We were interrupted by a small canister that was floating down by parachute in front of me. I quickly gripped it with my hooves and opened the case to find a medical string, a needle, gauze, and bandaging. My hooves shaking, I quickly handed the objects over to the first pony that was next to me, leaving them to get to work.

I looked up at the sky to see the green pegasus slowly stagger downwards. She would descend slowly and carefully, then all of a sudden make a dramatic drop before evening out again.

I glanced back behind me, then started to walk in the direction that Cherry Cloud had the intention of landing.

"Wha- Terra? Where are you going?" Moon Breeze called out after me. I flicked my ear at her, not turning around.

My pace quickened to a run as the pegasus got closer to landing. I flashed again, and I found myself In a new area of territory. I was getting better at 'blinking,' that was for sure. I still got an uneasy feeling in my stomach, but all the same, It was still a faster way of transportation.

I turned around to see a scared Cherry Cloud with her hooves up, ready to fight me.

"Are you going to kill me for what I did?" She asked, her voice shaking.

"I'm not here to hurt you."

"Then why are you here?" She asked, carefully lowering her hooves.

I sighed. "I . . . I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Yeah, right. No pony cares about us in district one or two. They make it sound like they do, but they don't. It's why we have to fend for ourselves. We know that we are going to be alone in the arena." She dropped her ears and opened her mouth again like she was going to say something else, but she stopped herself.

"We might have been told to be your enemies, but that doesn't mean I have to kill you," I responded.

"What?"

"Have you ever wondered what would happen if, for some reason, everypony in the arena just decided not to fight?"

"That would never happen. At one point or another, somepony would snap and start killing. And if that didn't happen, Discord would surely manipulate us into doing so."

I flicked my tail and went to comment again, but the sound of a cannon echoed in my ears. My eyes widened, and I feared that Gaelan had died. I immediately started running back towards the place where the group was. I was scared. I so hoped that it wasn't him. Anyone but him.I retraced my steps, passing a weirdly twisted tree that I went by as I ran in this direction earlier.

I came to the clearing where the group was mending Gaelan, and stared at them with wide eyes, hoping that my fear wasn't real. Moon Breeze looked up at me, breathing a sigh of relief.

"It wasn't him. He's still breathing. We mended his wound, but the real test is if he can hold the night. If he can, I think he'll live."

I nodded, happy that the death wasn't him. My chest was still pounding in my chest But if it wasn't, who was it then?

Jockey came forwards from the group that was huddled around Gaelan, and gave me a tight hug.

"I'm glad to see that you're still in one piece," He said with a smile. "For a moment, I got worried that the cannon was you."

"Nope, I'm still here," I responded, pulling away. I looked back behind me to see a pair of blue eyes staring at me with an uncertain face, barely visible as it hid in the bushes. She was hiding in the bushes, unsure if she was able to come out.

"Could we have another pony join us?" I asked. They all gave me weird looks like I was crazy.

"That depends on who it is you are talking about," Code Red answered.

"Well, She's a good fighter, and I think you all have met her."

"And?" Candor added.

"She's a pegasus. Really good with knives."

"Terra, you can't mean..." Moon Breeze started.

"She's really nice, and just like us. She's only misunderstood." I craned my head to look back behind me. "Cherry? I think you can come out now."

The green pegasus slowly walked out, her head hung low to the ground. Most of the ponies took a step back or got into battle-ready stances. She clearly had no interest in attacking any of us. And even if she did, she would find that she was greatly outnumbered.

"You're crazy!" Code Red commented.

"You're kidding..." Candor started. "You are kidding, right?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not kidding. She might have been a career, but our origins don't always define who we are or who we become. We should at least give her a chance."

Most of the ponies looked unsure. Mousha was shifting her ears back and forth like she wasn't entirely sure what she was supposed to do. Candor was staring at Cherry, sizing her up or something. Moon Breeze had her head cocked to one side, an unamused look on her face. Jockey was trying to find words to say, but for probably once in his life, he was speechless. Code Red was the first one who spoke up.

"Well, I wouldn't mind. She's a good fighter, which we need if we want all of us to make it to the end. There are less than half of us left, you know."

Moon Breeze flicked her ear. "Yes, but a team of nine ponies? Eight is a large enough group already. I don't think we need any more than that. It will just make the final part of the games harder. I say no."

I looked at Mousha, who blinked at me with her slanted eyes. She nodded, I interpreted that as a yes.

Candor sighed. "I say no. She could turn on us at any point. Gaelan would probably agree, especially since she ripped his wing off."

Jockey shrugged. "I say yes. No matter what we say, we will probably end up fighting her at one point or another."

I flicked my tail, there was a majority. Four ponies said yes, and three ponies said no.

Moon Breeze sighed. "Majority rules, I guess. Very well." She looked up at the darkening sky and flicked her ear again. "It's getting late. Let's find some shelter and something to eat. I can take first watch."

We nodded in agreement. Jockey carried the unconscious Gaelan on his back, with occasional assistance from Candor. We came across a large tree, one with a little den under the roots, and many sturdy branches hanging above. Gaelan, Candor, and Jockey went inside the den, trying to make themselves comfortable. Code Red and Cherry sat up in the branches of the trees, With Mousha climbing the trees after them. She was like an acrobat, with how she flipped and twisted around the branches.

Moon Breeze and I were left outside.

"I'm not happy with you," Moon breeze started. "You tried to take me down just to save a pony you met once. For all you know, She could have killed Gaelan, then gone after everypony else. We got lucky that Terrain Tactical wasn't inside the cornucopia, or we would have lost several of our team." I lowered my ears. "You need to decide who's team you want to be on, Terra, because once everypony in our group are the only ponies left, you're going to have to pick a side. You can't fight for both."

I looked up at her trying to understand where she was coming from. "I know. When it comes done to certain things, It's better to let your heart guide you."

She scoffed. "Terra, we aren't in some children's story. This is the real world, and all but one, just one, of us, If going to die in this arena." She was turning to make her way up into the tree. "And I don't know about you, but I sure as hell don't want to die by the likes of some stupid career. I would prefer to die with at least a little of my dignity intact."

She finished her turn and started to climb up the tree. She wasn't as good of a climber as Mousha, but she was probably a better climber than I was.

I turned away from the tree and walked just beyond the farthest branch of the tree. I sat down and lifted my head up to the dark grey sky. If these clouds weren't going to rain on their own, then perhaps somepony needed to make them.

I took a deep breath and focused my energy on the clouds. I let sadness fill my chest and my heart. The reason I did this was that water-related powers are connected to emotions, especially sad ones. I've found that my skill level using water magic was increased if I was upset. A single tear fell from my eye as a glowing white orb shot up from my horn into the sky, leaving a thin white streak behind it. The orb hit the clouds surface, and exploded, sending a growing white ring over the entire blanket of clouds.

I took another deep breath, and let another tear fall from my cheek. A single raindrop fell on the tip of my muzzle, and I smiled. The rain increased rapidly, starting off as a drizzle then escalating to fat raindrops that came down all too quickly. I let the rain cover my body, wiping off all of the dirt, sweat, and grime off of me.

There was a break in the clouds, and Discord's anthem began to play. The first face that was shown was of the mare from District five, Golden Quill. She was probably the mystery cannon we heard earlier. Then came the ponies from Seven, Aphrodite, and Daylight Sun. Only three deaths.

These games were going surprisingly fast, that was true. I only hoped that Discord wasn't taking most of what we said seriously though, and if he did, whoever won could be charged and punished for trying to start a revolt.

XII - In the Shadow of the Moon

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Despite that the moon was high in the sky behind the wisps of clouds that were left over from the downpour, I still remained just beyond the reach of the longest tree branch. The truth was, I just couldn't sleep. Yes, my body was physically tired and I had to sometimes shake myself back awake, the thoughts that danced in my head were telling me not to sleep.

Some of these thoughts were friendly and ones that I had thought before. I thought about my family and what it would be like if I returned home as the winner of the 24th Equestrian Hunger Games. I also thought about Circuit's reaction when I returned home. He would surely beg for me to come back to him, and I might accept. I didn't know where he and I stood anymore. I just wanted to talk to him.

There was one idea that kept creeping back into my head the more I thought about home; Jockey. I made a promise to protect him, at least until he got farther into the games. There were about half of us gone, which was still a lot of ponies to go through and fight.

Ugh. Sometimes I hate it when I think.

The other thing that would come into my mind was the large group I was now in. It was practically unheard of to be in a group that large, and for the most part, it was made of most of the remaining ponies. While I wanted to stay with them and protect those that I cared about, namely Jockey, Code Red, and Cherry Cloud, I also wanted to take my leave and just fight on my own. I wanted to wait it out by myself until I was the last one left, but I knew that was unlikely.

I stared up at the moon and sighed. I didn't know what to do. I really didn't.

"Dang it! Why is a simple decision so much harder in this arena!?" I asked the white, round orb that hung in the sky. I wanted it to answer, perhaps give me some kind of guidance when I needed it. But alas, it was just the projection of a giant rock that floats in the sky.

I smiled though. I knew what the moon stood for. Long ago, before Discord ruled, it used to be raised every night by the Princess of the Moon. I knew that I was one of the few of my generation who knew this tale, and that made me proud. Circuit didn't know the tales, and when I had tried to tell them to him, he shrugged them off with a confused look. The only reason I even knew the stories was because my mother had told me the several tales about the moon.

Another one that she had told was how the moon had once held a mare. I thought was ridiculous, but she explained to me that it was actually the Moon Princess, after she grew dark with jealousy of her older sister who raised the sun every morning. I remember that the story went on about darkness taking over her, which turned her into an evil mare, named Nightmare Moon. The Sun Princess had no choice but to banish her sister to the moon with a special kind of magic.

I shook my head at the tale, a thin, sad smile on my face. As much as I didn't want to agree with Moon Breeze, she was right. This was no child's storybook. There was no use in holding on to fantasies and old legends, even if there was a chance that they were true. This was a matter of life or death now, whether I liked it or not.

I stood to my feet and shook my damp mane. My rump had grown sore from sitting for so long. It was very early morning now, though the sun was not visible yet, nor where it's rays.

I got an idea, and I didn't know how good of an idea it was. I guess I could just hope for the best. My idea involved splitting up the group.

I walked back towards the massive tree we were sleeping around and looked up into the branches. I spotted Moon Breeze resting her head with her eyes closed. Mousha was well awake though her eyes were not fixated in my direction. I figured that she had taken overwatch. It looked like Cherry Cloud was higher up in the tree, though still asleep, as was Code Red. I would need to wake them shortly.

I poked my head into the cave beneath the tree and spotted Jockey in the dim lighting. Thankfully he was pretty close to the enterance.

I walked over the other sleeping ponies that were in the way, careful not to step on them or too close to them. I remember watching movies where a pony would try to take something from some pony, and the pony they were trying to steal from would sometimes grab their foreleg or something, thinking it was a pillow or a teddy bear. I didn't need that to happen to me. No sir.

I stood carefully next to Jockey, in a thin stretch of ground between him and a lightly snoring Candor.

I cautiously poked him on his shoulder. "Psst, Jockey," I whispered. He rolled his shoulder.

I poked him again and lowered my head so my face was closer to his. "Jockey, wake up."

He mumbled something but didn't awake. I sighed, blowing my side-swept bangs up in the air.

I flicked his ear with the tip of my hoof, trying to lightly startle him awake somehow. I used to do a similar thing to my brother, and it would always work. But just after I had started, Candor let out a snort behind me, making me jump. I then nearly stepped on the green stallion. I sighed again, regaining my balance.

I continued to flick his ear back and forth with my hoof since it was getting the biggest reaction from him. I could see him smile and his shoulders were moving like he wanted to swat away whatever was playing with his ear. He let out a soft chuckle, before opening his eyes with a happy grin on his face, like he was going to say something. I place my hoof down and blinked at him while a gentle heat filled my cheeks.

He sighed, then whispered, "What?" As he got to a more comfortable sitting position.

"I need to talk to you. And no, it can't wait till morning."

I blinked and then turned sharply, nearly stepping on Candor. I quickly stepped over her and then over Gaelan, who was silently asleep in front of the door. His wound still struck me in the heart. I couldn't look at that poor griffon the same way for the rest of the games.

We made our way outside the little cave and walked to the same sitting spot that I was at before.

He sat down first, and I sat next to him.

"Alright, what did you need to talk to me about that was so important that it couldn't wait until morning?"

I flicked my ear and looked at him. "What if we left?" I asked. He looked confused.

"What do you mean? We can't leave the arena..."

I shook my head. "No, I mean if we left the group."

He looked down at the grass and gave a barely audible sigh. He was thinking. Which was okay. I don't know if it was the moonlight or just my lack of sleep, but he suddenly looked much more mature than the friendly pony I had met on the train. He had grown and he had changed.

"If we did, we would have to take some supplies and weapons with us. There isn't a whole lot, but the supply isn't exactly low." He paused and turned his head back to face me. "And would it just be the two of us? We wouldn't take anyone else with us?"

I craned my neck behind me to look at the tree. "I was hoping to take Cherry with us, and maybe Code Red. Cherry has good skills which will be useful. Besides, she shouldn't exactly want to kill me. I did save her life, in a way"

He nodded. "Yeah, they seem like good ponies. I've talked with so many and seen so many types of ponies that I know how to tell apart the good from the bad. Cherry has a good head on her shoulders, even though she is a career."

I smiled. "I'm glad I'm not the only pony here who agrees with me."

"So, how are we going to wake those two up?" He asked.

"Well, someone is going to have to climb that tree."

He looked at me, and I instantly knew that I was going to be that pony.

"Okay, fine, I'll go climb it. You have to get the weapons and supplies though." He nodded. "Probably a spear for me and a pack of throwing knives for Cherry. I think CR can use a sword. You grab what you need, and a few backpacks. Don't take more than we need though."

He trotted away towards the supply pile, leaving me to find a way to get the two pegasai down from the tree.

I walked to the base again, and dimly light my horn, giving me a better view of the situation. I smiled when I saw the two pegasai sleeping on opposite sides of the tree. I stared at them for a moment or two, before I used my levitation spell to get a grip of the branch that Code Red was sleeping on. I curved the branch ever so slightly, allowing Code Red to slowly slide down the branch. I smiled and began to curve more branches, making the transfer between slides seamless. He came close to the bottom, and he slid down the final branch onto the grass so gently that the movement didn't even phase him.

I started to do the same thing to Cherry's branches, but about halfway down, she woke up. She jumped up, and hovered in the air with her wings flapping at her sides. She floated down, a concerned and confused look on her face.

I poked CR awake, and he rose slowly. I wanted to explain the situation as few times as possible. "Jockey and I were planning on leaving the group, and we were wondering if you could come with us. Jockey is already getting what we need from the supply pile." The glanced at each other like the other would give them the answer to the question. "We would really appreciate it if you came with us."

There was a small pause, and then Cherry Cloud nodded with a little, "Hmm." She landed silently on the ground. "I'd gladly be in an alliance with you. You are one of the only ponies I've met so far who even remotely cares for me. You've earned my trust, and for that, I'll fly with you."

CR was looking back and forth between me and Cherry. He shrugged. "Why not? I do need to get some vengeance for killing my marefriend. I want to take down the last career with my bare hooves. Joining you guys gives me my best chance of doing so."

I nodded. I completely understood where the two ponies were coming from, and I respected their decisions and why they chose to join us.

Jockey trotted back over, his magic levitating several weapons and bags behind him. He looked ready to go, and the two other ponies smiled when they saw him. The green unicorn handed a bag to each of us and then gave us each our weapons. Jockey and CR were each given a sword, and Cherry and I were given our strongest weapons.

Code Red adjusted the glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose. "Well, should we take our leave?"

Jockey started to trot away from the tree, and we all followed. My only hope would be that the other remaining ponies wouldn't get too angry with us just disappearing like that in the middle of the night.

We hadn't walked for too long before the sun's rays were just starting to creep up over the horizon, casting a purple-pink hue over the sky. We decided not to sleep since we wanted to put as much distance between them and us as possible. It was also fairly early in the morning, and sleeping would be near pointless.

There was some rustling in the bushes in front of us, making us grip our weapons even tighter. We got into battle ready positions, and we all prepared to face an enemy. I lowered my ears and muttered to myself. Again? Really? If they were some ponies from our old group, I wouldn't be happy. Then again, they wouldn't be either.

We waited for the thing to come out of the bushes, and what did greatly surprised us. This thingwas low to the ground, crawling forwards ever so slowly, with its rump high up in the air. It was covered in a mixture of mud, sticks, and blood. I couldn't tell if the thing was even a pony. I couldn't even see its eyes. Cherry Cloud walked forwards and kicked the creature with her hoof.

It rolled over and made a pony-like squeak. It was laying on its side, and its head was pointed towards us.

"What is that thing?" Cherry asked.

The creature shook its head, and raised one of its forelegs. We tensed up, not knowing what would happen next. It swiped its arm over its face, removing a layer of the mud. It wasn't enough to get it all off though, so it tried again.

"Whatever it is, I don't think it wants to hurt us," I commented.

I walked forwards, and reached my hoof out to touch the thing's face. It froze and turned its face towards me or my general direction. I wiped my hoof over his face, removing most of the mud from his eyes. He opened them wide to reveal a pair of sapphire blue, pony eyes. He looked up at me, relieved that he could see. I continued to wipe off more of his face, revealing a silvery grey pelt. I helped the mud covered pony up, getting him to stand properly.

"He's okay, we just need to get him cleaned off," I told the group.

They dropped their belongings and started to help me clean the grey stallion off. We were able to get the outer layer of mud off of him, but he was still very dirty. We could see several cuts on his body, but none were too severe. We were able to find a couple of puddles in the ground left over from earlier that night. We got him to walk over to one, and we cleaned him off even more.

I couldn't help but wonder what happened to him though.

Jockey seemed relieved to see him. The stallion we had found was Silver Streak, a pony that was meant to be in the group with Jockey and Moon Breeze. He was obviously separated from them, either in the beginning or somewhere else in the last week.

"What happened to you anyway?" CR asked as he walked out of the puddle, as clean as he was going to get.

"Terrain Tactical happened," He responded.

Cherry Cloud raised an eyebrow. "What did he do?"

He flipped his blue mane, shaking some water droplets from it. "I don't know, but he's completely lost his mind."

"He probably thinks he's the last career left. Most of them get a little looney when they are," Cherry cloud added.

He shook his head. "No, He knew you were alive. He kept insisting that all of the ponies left were teaming up against him and using Cherry Cloud as bait. He was determined that everypony wanted to kill him."

"Well, even if that was true -- which it isn't -- that's a lot for him to make up in his head," I mentioned.

Cherry nodded in agreement. "As the games went on and the numbers lowered, he slowly became less of himself. He was more persistent to keep me safe and he wanted to do more things by himself."

"It sounds like he really is losing his mind," Code Red agreed. "I guess the games can do that to a pony though."

"When he was attacking me, he kept pausing and looking around at the trees and bushes like something was going to jump on him or something. He looked like a drug addict," Silver Streak said.

"Well, we should keep an eye out for him. He's an even bigger threat now that he's lost his mind." Cherry said sharply. "Come on, let's keep moving."

She picked up her bag and weapon, and we all did the same. We walked through the bushes, Silver Streak following us after a little hesitation. Cherry and I led the way, with the boys behind us.

The game has changed with this new information, and I couldn't tell how much it did.

XIII - Scale

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The five of us had made our way towards the mountains, trying to separate ourselves from the rest of the ponies. For the most part, we knew where everypony was, other than Scale. Other than my first encounter with him, I hadn't seen his face at all. Part of me worried a little about him, not sure if he was doing fine or struggling. Even though he and I had an argument, that didn't mean that I didn't at least worry for him.

We passed the cave where I had found Code Red and Aerospace, though neither of us said anything. I didn't know how far we were planning on going up the mountain. Though now that we were on it, it wasn't as big of a mountain I thought it was. It was kind of just like a slightly-larger-than-normal hill. Real mountains were definitely much bigger than this.

I eventually fell next to Jockey, and he and I were walking side by side. Code Red and Cherry Cloud were in front of us, talking about some old cloud city, an all of these things that only pegasai would know. Every now and then one of them would make a joke and they would laugh about it. I was glad to see that the two of them were getting along pretty well, especially Code Red. He probably needed someone to make him laugh. Actually, I think we all did.

Silver Streak was walking behind us, his head held low. I didn't know why he looked upset, but I could guess. I thought that it might have to do something with the fact that he was the only earth pony in our group. I didn't have a problem with earth ponies, but there were some earth ponies that had problems with unicorns and pegasai. I didn't know if he was one of those ponies, but I didn't want to make it worse by bringing it up. It could also have something to do with the fact that he didn't have another friend to talk to. It made me want to find one for him, though it might be just a little too late for that.

I decided to make conversation with Jockey, trying to get my mind off of Silver.

"So, what was with you and that ear of yours?" I asked teasingly.

Jockey scrunched up his muzzle and blushed, his eyes widening. It was a cute expression.

He chuckled, "Um yeah, about that..."

I smiled. "It's okay I do it to my brother sometimes if I have to wake him up. Though I have to admit I think your reaction was better."

My comment clearly didn't help his blushing, but his face wasn't as scrunched up as much. "When I was younger my mom used to wake me up like that. Poking me or anything never worked for some reason, nor did bright lights. So she would play with my ear and it would always wake me up." I nodded. "Though I would usually wake up laughing, and then she would tickle me..." He sighed. "And for a moment last night, I was back at home, having my mother waking me up again."

I looked at the grass below me as we walked, as it was slowly filled with more rocks and pebbles.

"I really do miss her, but then again I'm sure you miss your family too," He added.

"As much I love my family, it's hard to think about them in times like this, I know. It's very easy to think that we might not see them again. But at the same time, I think that it's those thoughts that keep us going. It's what keeps us fighting; knowing that we have a family at home and that we will have a family to come home to if we win. And because of that reason, I think it makes us want to win just a little bit more."

He smiled. His smile was kind of cheesy, but it was one of those faces that couldn't help but raise your spirits. He certainly had the face of a radio host, even though their faces aren't really shown all that much.

"What was your family like?" He asked, kind of out of the blue.

I blinked. "Well, my mother works as a designer. She makes sure all the machines and everything look nice and she works with a team when they have to design something new. She married my dad and had my eldest brother, Trax. He makes tires and wheels. Then they had me and my younger brother, Flashlight. Shortly after he was born, my dad started seeing a peacekeeper. He broke off from our family and told us that he went to go and live in district two with his new marefriend." I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, we are pretty close and we all play our part in doing things to keep our family together. We don't have much but it's enough to live by." He smiled as I concluded my explanation.

"It sounds like a good family," he said in a genuine tone.

I nodded. "Yeah, it was."

We walked for a while longer in silence, only hearing chattering from the two pegasai in front of us and the rolling of stones beneath our hooves. My legs had grown tired, though thankfully there wasn't much of the mountain left.

All of a sudden, there was a very loud BOOM that filled our ears and made us stop in our tracks. I bit my lip, cutting the exact same spot in my mouth that was already injured from my chipped tooth.

"What the hell was that?" Silver Streak asked, looking behind him, over the arena.

That was something that was good about being up so high - it gave you the ability to see over the arena. You could see the entire island and the water that surrounded it. I slightly lifted my head as a gentle breeze swept across my face. The sun was completely above the horizon, and about halfway across the sky. My guess, it was probably around noon. I actually felt quite majestic right now. I could get used to the feeling.

"I don't know, but it didn't sound like a cannon," Cherry Cloud answered.

After a moment of watching the land, we could begin to see a visible cloud of smoke rising up from the forest, close to the cornucopia, on the far side of the island. A few moments passed, and there was another boom that followed, this one closer to us, though not by much. Another plume of smoke began to rise. Three more explosions continued, gradually moving closer to our mountain, each one creating smoke plumes. There was finally a cannon, and the explosions stopped.

My heart was pounding in my chest as we waited. Another cannon followed though we could hear the screams of the fight just before the cannon sounded. I looked at Jockey, who was staring intently at the forest. None of us knew what had happened, but we probably had our guesses.

Somepony had either found explosions or made them, and probably started attacking somepony else. My guess was they had attacked the other group, and the group had followed the attacker. Somepony died. Actually, two ponies did. Shortly after, a ship flew over to retrieve their bodies.

"Come on, who ever they were, they could be headed our way. I don't want to stick around if they have explosives," Code Red said. "You could tell by the explosions that they were hoof made," He added.

"There wasn't really an explosion though," Cherry replied.

"Exactly. If they were made professionally and in a factory, they would have made a much larger explosion. Even if they were something small like a grenade," he explained.

"And how do you know this?" Jockey asked.

Code Red blinked at him. "I'm from District three. We do make some bombs along with everything else we make."

Jockey nodded. "Alright."

We had eventually made our way over the mountain, which led us to a steep cliff that dropped almost straight down into the ocean. The only problem was that once we reached that cliff, there was nowhere for us to go, except down, or back. And right now, neither of them seemed like a good idea.

"Well, it looks like we've reached the end of the island. What do we do now?" Cherry asked.

"Well, we could always just set up a camp here," Silver Streak answered.

"Well, yes, but we're kind of in the open if we do. And we if get jumped, I don't want to be the pony who falls off the cliff. As much of a skilled flyer as I am, it's not easy to catch my bearings depending on how I fall," Cherry responded.

Code Red nodded in agreement. "It also doesn't really give us a place to run, either. I mean, Cherry and I can fly, but you guys can't. We probably aren't strong enough to carry all three of you anyways."

I thought for a moment. I had an Idea, but it might be bending the rules a little too much. But as long as we don't eat them...

"Terra?" Jockey jumped in. "I can tell you're thinking. What is it?"

"Well, what if we made a fence of some kind, and come up with a plan to escape if we need to?" I offered.

"What do you mean by 'a fence'?" Code Red asked. "We could probably build one with the trees, but we would need better cutting tools, nails, shovels, you know, all that stuff we don't have. Not to mention that it would take a long time, too."

I smiled at them. "Well, you know the rule about us not making edible plants or what ever that rule is?"

"Yes." They said simultaneously.

"I'm thinking that as long as we don't eat them or use them as a weapon, I think I could grow us a fence. Out of plants."

All of their eyes widened, and it kind of shocked me. "Are you sure that you won't get penalized?" Cherry asked.

"They haven't punished me for levitating Gaelan when he was falling earlier, and they probably would have by now, don't you think?" I answered.

"Yes, but you were saving his life. It's not like you threw him across the arena or something," said Code Red.

"If you're willing to take the risk, Terra, then I say it's worth a try," Cherry said, supportively.

I looked at the other ponies, who were smiling. Silver Streak gave me a nod.

"Go ahead," Jockey said reassuringly.

I turned to face the cliff and stared at the rocky ground. It clearly wasn't the most stable of ground, but I had to take my chance that the ground was tough enough to hold. I took a deep breath, and began my spell. Sweat began to form on my brow as I concentrated, allowing the plants to sprout from the ground and to twist and curve in a fence like a pattern. The wrapped around themselves, tying itself into solid, sturdy knots as the roots in the ground grew longer, clutching on to the cliff with all its strength. The fence grew until about eye-level height, mainly because I didn't know how much longer I could keep it growing. It was over 15 feet long and extended across most of the cliff.

I finally released my spell, taking in a sharp breath of air and dropping my head a little, trying to call my strength back to me. I've learned that growing spells like that are actually quite draining. Over my years of practice, smaller growing spells don't drain my energy as much, but larger projects, like this fence, do. I glanced up at it, relieved to see it hold.

"Wow," Cherry muttered, walking up to the fence. "I knew you were good with plants, but I didn't know you meant like this!"

Her compliment made me blush a little.

Jockey walked up next to me. "Yeah. I heard a lot about you and your skills, but I really didn't know that this is what you meant. Your abilities - I haven't come across or even heard of anypony with skills that even come close. You certainly have a rare gift."

"It's all about practice, really. And at home, they're put to better use - helping to create some food and other little things like that. I just do and create what's needed, even though I'm not known that much."

"Well, they'll know you now," Cherry replied. "You're one pony that I'm very glad I met."

I made a motion with my hoof, beckoning them to stop. "You really don't have to thank me. I was just doing was what necessary."

"Are we going to set up camp?" Silver Streak asked. "Even though it's like the middle of the day?"

"Yeah, I suppose we can," Cherry answered. "Though we should probably see if we can find something to eat too," She added, holding her hoof up to her stomach, which I guessed was probably growling.

"Alright, the three of us, Code Red, Silver Streak and I, can go and see what we can find nearby. It might not be much, but it's better than something. You mares could start setting up a firepit and what ever kind of shelter or something you think we need," Jockey ordered. "We'll be back within the hour," He added, walking back the way we came with the other stallions right behind him.

I looked at Cherry Cloud and smiled. "So, firepit."

We had just finished building when we heard a soft rolling of stones near us. Only a short amount of time had passed, so I figured that it was just the boys returning. Cherry and I were sitting and waiting for them to return.

Cherry had turned her head around to look in the direction of the sound. "So, you find anything interesting?"

Suddenly her ears dropped. I stood, not being able to see the stallion's face. I could see the green hooves moving over the stones, so I just figured that it was Jockey. Turns out I was wrong.

It was Scale.

"Long time no see, Terra. I see you've gained a friend." He started to walk around us like he was looking for a weak point, or he was trying to intimidate us. "It's a shame that we're not allies, you know? You and I would have been a wonderful team, and make it all the way to the final two."

"That's your loss then," I countered. "You were the one to ask me to leave, remember? After I saved your life?"

He chuckled as his face blushed. "Yes, I remember, and it's thanks to you that I took out those ponies from district eleven." Cherry tensed up. "What were their names? I don't remember the stallion's, but I do remember that the tan and white mare was quite a fighter. So surprising too - she always looked like she was half asleep."

"When did you kill them?" Cherry asked suddenly.

"Oh, just this morning. They decided it would be best to try to bomb me, but it didn't work. I don't even know where they got those explosives! I chased them and took down that grey and red unicorn. I then proceeded to follow that mare. She put up quite a fight for her comrade, I must say."

"What do you want, Scale?" I asked, placing my foreleg in front of Cherry, who looked like she was about ready to jump on him.

"I want to win, just like any pony else!" He shouted, tensing up his back almost like a scared cat.

"But why! Why do you fight Scale, we all have our reasons; surely yours is more than just for the pride and thrill!" I shouted back.

He closed his eyes and dropped his head, his body trembling. I didn't know what he was going to do. it was so hard to read him; I was prepared to defend myself if I had to. But I didn't want it to come to that.

Finally, he lifted his head, his face dripping with tears. Cherry and I froze with awe. Here was a pony who had labeled himself as a threat and had proved it a thousand times over. He was a fierce competitor and great at combat, and he had sworn to win. He seemed very set that he was going to be the winner. So why was he crying? Was it all just an act?

"I want to win because I'm one of the last of my kind, Terra!" he finally exclaimed with a trembling voice. "Ever since the revolution when the Crystal Empire disappeared, my kind was practically nonexistent. Most of us disappeared right along with the empire, but not all of us did. A small hoof-full remained...my parents were part of that few." He sobbed. "And everypony who saw us saw us as traitors or as demons! We had changed long ago and were no longer feeders of love, but sharers; so why didn't anyone see us like that! We never did anything wrong, and yet, we were persecuted..."

I took a few small steps towards the shaking changeling. "Scale..."

"Ponies didn't like the idea of us breeding. They tried to do everything possible to stop it, some even resorting to violence...they said we were the weaker race...And that's why I need to win Terra! I have to prove to everyone that changelings aren't weak! And I have to make a stand since there are so few of us left! I can't let my race die out!"

I lowered my ears. I had no idea that he went through all of that in his home district. I didn't know that he was in so much pain. I felt sorry for him.

I had just begun to take a step towards him when there was rustling in the bushes behind Scale.

"Terra!" I heard somepony yell. Before I knew it, Jockey, Code Red, and Silver Streak had darted from the shadows and lunged themselves towards Scale.

Code Red attacked him first, his hooves flailing wildly, However, Scale was ready and had turned rapidly, landing a punch right on Code Red's chest that sent him tumbling backward onto the ground, gasping for breath. He was alright, but he probably had the wind knocked out of him. Jockey was next wielding his sword, attempting to send sending fast blows to Scale's sides. Scale weaved in between the blows with ease, twisting with such fluid motion he looked like a dancer. Jockey made a thrust forwards and Scale reached his hoof forwards and did a very flowing move where he tremoved the sword from Jockey's grasp. Jockey stared wide-eyed as Scale turned on him and swiped the sword across Jockey's face. He too collapsed backward, and I was terrified that Jockey was fatally wounded. Thankfully he raised his head and looked back up at Scale with raging eyes, a new cut lining diagonally between his eyes, he went to stand, but Code Red grabbed his leg with his own, holding him back. Both of us clearly knew that he wouldn't beat him.

Silver Streak had attacked last, aiming with a kick to his face. To no surprise, Scale easily dodged it. He rotated and grabbed his hind leg with both hooves, directing his momentum past him and throwing him into the ground. Before I had any time to react, Cherry had come from nowhere and quickly pushed him over. They somersaulted in the pebbles and grass, before Cherry landed on top and started to make powerful blows to his face.

He had to be getting tired worn out, so I was amazed that he could keep going like this. It was almost unnatural.

I carefully trotted over to Code Red and Jockey who were laying on the ground, helping them get to their hooves. "Don't fight him. He's just..." I didn't know what to say. I was scared. Everything had changed and Scale wasn't who we thought he was. Still, there was no way we could intervene. We had watched the two green ponies fight, seeing that they were very equally matched. Both of them were fast, and they each had the muscle to make devastating blows to their opponent. There was no way we could step in without hurting ourselves in the process.

Suddenly, Scale had kicked Cherry to the ground and was prepping to make about to make the final blow. The thing that happened next was both so slowly and so quickly. They were a quick blur of grey and the next thing I knew Silver Streak was standing over Cherry, a sword in his back.

He looked up at me, his eyes filled with fear. Everything was silent. Cherry was screaming at him, and the boys next to me were doing something else, but I didn't hear it at all. I didn't want to hear it. His gaze was ice cold and it sent chills running all over my body. It made my heart skip a beat and left my body feeling hollow.

With my vision turning red, That empty feeling inside suddenly exploded with rage. I bolted for Scale, picking up a knife as I went. He was so occupied watching Silver that he didn't see me coming. I leaped onto Scale, and with a somersault I had him pinned to the ground, holding a knife to his neck. I was staring into his amber eyes as tears filled my own.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now!" I said shakily.

"There isn't any reason why you shouldn't. I've done horrible things." He responded back, his tone monotone.

"But you have your reasons for fighting! You aren't evil, you're just. . . hurting."

"I've always been hurting, Terra, It's the curse of being a changeling. I was born into this. . ."

"But you shouldn't have been! You said so yourself; changelings are love sharers! You're good-natured and kind! You had good intentions, you just. . . You just. . ." I was sobbing. "You don't deserve this! Please!"

Scale extended his neck and closed his eyes. "You can kill me, Terra, it's fine."

"I-I can't, I-"

"Terra if you don't, somepony else will. And I'd much rather it be you."

"Don't make me do this! I can't kill you!" The words left my mouth, but I was still holding the knife against his neck.

"Just do it, Terra!" He shouted, reopening his eyes to stare at me.

I was shaking, hesitant. I stared at his neck and the blade pressed against it. I didn't want to kill him. Not now, not after everything I've learned. But it was so hard to just let go of the fact that he had stabbed Silver Streak, and I knew that the others wanted me to take revenge. What should I do?

"No," I said firmly. I heard him, as well as the others, gasp. "I won't do it." I dropped the knife to the side and stepped away from him.

He rolled onto his side and slowly got up. "Terra what are you doing!?" I heard somepony call. I lowered my head and let my bang sweep over my face as I found myself continuing to cry.

Scale was flabbergasted. His head was lowered just like mine, his eyes empty and gazing at the ground. We stood close to each other, our face only inches apart.

"Please don't make me regret my decision," I whispered.

He looked up at me, sadly, "You won't". And before I knew it, he had lunged forwards again.

However, it was not at all what I was expecting. He didn't try to attack me or anything of the sorts. No. Instead, I found his lips pressed against mine. I was shocked and I didn't understand what was going on. He looked like he was glowing, and I felt like I was glowing. I felt such a warm feeling rise in my chest; something I had only felt with Circuit. But I didn't have feelings for him. Or at least, not the same way I had feelings for Circuit. What was this? Was he sharing his love? He backed away, his cheeks flushed. He kept his eyes on my face as he began backing away, before finally turning and running into the woods. I sighed shakily, my face heated and more tears falling from my eyes. What happened?

"Dammit!" I shouted, before collapsing onto the ground. I didn't know what happened. He kissed me, and I didn't killed him. But I almost did. And he stabbed Silver Streak, who was surely dying right now. Scale, who were you? What have you done?

Jockey walked over to me, and he hesitantly put his forelegs around me, trying to calm me down. But I couldn't. My chest was twisting and my throat was tight. I just wanted to scream and yell and just... just do something! Yet, he didn't saw anything about Scale, or about what had happened, he just got me standing again. He had to pull me towards Silver Streak, trying to get me to say goodbye or something. I wanted to, but at the same time, I didn't want to. The three other ponies were circled around him, his eyes drifting to all of our faces. Cherry looked very unsettled, and Code Red had a terribly blank expression on his face. None of us had come so close to death in these games. Even when Code Red was attacked by Mousha, he escaped by pure luck of slipping on a hill. None of us had witnessed death in front of us before, and none of us were prepared.

"W-why did you s-save me?" Cherry asked, her voice shaking.

"You four saved my life, more or less. I would have kept wandering aimlessly covered in-" He coughed, a trickle of blood coming to his lips. "I knew I wouldn't win... no matter how hard I tried.." His voice was straining, and it hurt to watch.

Cherry had a few tears falling down her cheeks, dropping off of her chin. Code Red was holding up his head so he could speak. I reached forward, and rested my hoof on top of his, making him give a weak smile.

"I'll keep an eye on you in the next life..." He said, trying to sound a little better. "Don't do anything... stupid."

Cherry only gave a sad smile. He shifted his gaze upwards, looking at the rolling clouds above us.

"Oh... and, one of you...please... win..." I picked up his hoof, gripping it with my own.

"We will," I answered. "We promise."

"Good." Was all he muttered. His gaze blanked out, and his eyes lost focus on the clouds. His hoof went limp wrapped in my own. He was gone, and the sound of the cannon sealed it all off.

XIV - All for Discord

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After Silver Streak's death, the group was awkwardly quiet. Our brains were rattled and we didn't exactly know just what to think about the whole situation. Each of us had something different that was bothering us, depending on where we were when it happened.

Cherry was trying to adjust to the fact that she almost just died, and yet she was the one who was saved by him. Not only had she gotten closer to death than any of us did, but she had somepony else die for her.

From what it looked like, Jockey and Code Red were upset that they hadn't done anything more to take down Scale. However, Scale wasn't just any regular pony. He was the changeling who had received an 11 on his score, and he clearly had the skill to show why. Even if they did bring him down, they probably would have gotten very injured or at worse, killed, if they tried.

There were two things that were sitting on my mind; The first being Silver Streak's facial expression as he was wounded. I knew for a very clear fact that I would surely have nightmares about his face for a very long time, and for all I knew I might even get Post-traumatic Stress Disorder from those moments. As I watched him, I just felt all of the air escape my lungs and for a moment my whole body went numb. It was almost like I was the one who had been stabbed.

Scale's kiss was also on my mind. Why did he do that? Did he have feelings for me? Or what he just trying to share his love, like changelings were known for. I didn't understand anything, and I was even more confused about the warmth that filled my body when he did it. Why did that happen? Still, I found myself picturing about what could have happened if I had killed him. I knew that I was going to end up killing at least one pony in these games, but I didn't want it to be him. Perhaps I would have killed him if he hadn't said what he had just moments before. And even then I was so close to doing it. I could picture it in my mind; what it would have looked like. It was horrific. I couldn't stand it.

We had decided to lay Silver Streak to rest, placing him on his back and folding his fore-hooves over their chest. He lay peacefully, or at least as peacefully as he could. We laid stones around Silver Streak, trying to let his deaths be as treated as right as we could. They deserved a funeral at least, but they would never get one. It was all we could do.

After the airships took their bodies away, we sat there, trying to figure out what to do next. Code Red was laying on his back, staring up at the sky. Cherry was curled up next to the fence, and I was sitting and staring at the firepit that had yet to be lit. Jockey was sitting to my left as well, doing the exact same thing I was. I don't really know how long we actually sat there for - if it was an hour or several, but the sun had stretched a decent length across the sky. Nopony had yet asked me about Scale.

Jockey was the first one to speak, and it made me jump. "I'm going to see if I can find something to eat. we didn't really get anything earlier."

I looked up at him as he rose, replying to his remark. "Would you like for me to go with you?"

He shrugged. "I think I will be alright, actually. With Scale gone I don't think there are too many other ponies around, He ran and I doubt he will be back for a while."

I blinked at him. "Alright. Just be careful, alright?" I added.

He blushed, though I don't really know why. "I-I will." He turned and walked back the way we came, his head turning from side to side as he looked around him.

Turning my head back to the unlit firepit, I sighed. I knew there were only about 10 other ponies left, and we had come across most of them so far anyway. In fact, that group knows pretty well what our strengths and weaknesses are. Well except maybe Mousha, since she clearly didn't speak much ponish. Gaelan was probably too injured to move right now anyway, and I actually felt bad leaving him there for the other ponies. Part of me was hoping that the group would wait to kill him off or something, though Candor would probably hold her own and stand up for him.

Glaring at the stacked wood, I lit my horn and with a quick burst of anger, lightly lit the logs on the fire. I wanted to smile as the smoke began to rise and the fire began to spread across the other logs, but I didn't. I let a scoff escape my lips and then proceeded to itch my right foreleg.

I didn't want to sit and just wait for something to happen. I wanted something to happen now - just something interesting. Whether it was Jockey to come back with food, or for an announcement or heck, even for us to get attacked again. I don't like waiting like this. Even walking was better than sitting around and waiting.

It seemed as though Discord heard my thoughts because there was a bell or something that rang throughout the arena. His voice followed, in a tone that was so cheerful that I half expected it to start raining confetti. "Hello everypony! I just wanted to congratulate you all for making it to the top 10! Hooray!" He paused for a moment, and then he cleared his throat, calming down his tone. "As a little reward I have prepared a feast for you all down at the cornucopia ~ Isn't that exciting?" His voice picked up again.

Feeling up to responding, I nodded my head, knowing he was watching. "Well, it does sound a little interesting..." I commented.

He obviously heard me. "Well, I'm glad to see that at least Terra is getting into it! Everypony else should too!" He paused again, then cleared his through again. "Anyways, as I was saying, There is a feast in the cornucopia, and I've prepared something for every district. You all need something, I'm sure. However, The gifts to you all will only arrive once everypony is in the cornucopia. I know that might take a while since some of you are quite a ways away from it and some of you can't exactly move too fast. But I'm sure most of you who get there early will be willing to wait, right?"

I flicked my ear, not sure what to think about that.

"Well, I hope you all have fun at the little feast! That is all for now. Bye-Bye!" There was a faint click, and his speaking ended.

I looked at Cherry Cloud who was looking back at me, and Code Red was getting up to stand on his feet.

"Well, it looks like they really want to speed things along, huh?" The grey and red stallion commented.

Cherry Cloud shrugged. "I guess so," She looked at the sky, with its now painted colors and hues that told us it was getting closer to sunset.

I scratched my right foreleg again, then spoke. "It will be weird, seeing them again."

Code Red nodded in reply. "Yeah, especially since we left them like that."

Cherry spoke up. "Well, not only that, but we were all a part of the same group at one point. We sort of know each other enough where it's going to not be comfortable if we have to fight them."

"What makes you say that we have to fight them?" The male pegasus asked.

"It's why they have the feasts," The green mare responded. "They have them to bring up action, hoping that the ponies left will have no choice to fight each other at that point."

I flicked my ear. "I'm more worried about having to meet Terrain Tactical, to be honest."

Cherry nodded. "Yes, especially since Silver mentioned something about him losing his mind."

"Do you think we should go?" The red maned stallion asked.

"I think we should," Said Jockey's voice, coming from somewhere behind me.

Turning my head I spotted Jockey, levitating a bunch of mountain Blueberries with his magic. "Oh, welcome back."

He nodded, and separated the berries fairly equally, and placed them down in front of us. I began to pick them up with my magic and began to eat a few. Code Red did the same.

"So, you really think we should?" asked Cherry Cloud.

Code Red nodded. "Yes. It's what Discord asked of us. And after seeing him electrocute that one pony, I think It would be best not to aggravate him too much."

Cherry swallowed her food, and then spoke. "Not only that but if we don't go, we could potentially make the other groups mad at us for not showing up. Which Isn't exactly better."

I nodded. "Yeah, making them wait and getting them angry isn't exactly a good idea either. Especially if one of them is sick or injured."

Jockey added his thoughts as I scratched my right foreleg yet again. What was with me today? Why am I so itchy all of a sudden? Did a bug bite me or something? "In that case, I think It's a good idea that we should go then. It will probably take us a day or two to get there, especially since we have to climb back down this mountain and over the hills."

"Well, we can always go through the valley," Cherry recommended.

"Yeah, she's right, it would be faster if we went that way," Jockey agreed.

"But what about water? Most of the puddles are probably dried up by now and our water cases won't stay full that long." The red maned pegasus added. "And it's not like Discord had the decency to put a river in the valley."

"Yeah, eating too many solids and not having a lot of water is bad for digestion," I added sort of randomly.

Cherry gave me an odd look in response, but it was fine. "Okay. . . So when should we leave?"

"Sunset is probably a good time. I know we all need our sleep, but I don't think we can sleep after today," Jockey answered.

Cherry dropped her ears, though nodded as well. Code Red spoke for her. "Yes, sunset sounds like a good idea."

I nodded in response, and scratched my foreleg yet again. It was really bothering me, and it was just in that one spot. I was waiting for somepony to notice it.

"Then sunset it is," Jockey confirmed. He smiled, and sat down, and started eating his blueberries.

Cherry looked at me just I had stopped itching my foreleg. "What's with you? You've been itching there a lot lately."

I tilted my head slightly. "I'm not sure, it's just been itchy lately. But only on my foreleg."

"Let me see." Code Red was suddenly on his hooves and leaning over my shoulder to look at my foreleg. Him being so close made my cheeks flush a light shade of pink.

He backed away, and then he adjusted the glasses on his nose all smart-like. "Yeah, you have a rash."

My eyes widened, and his answer didn't help my blushing. It was a little embarrassing. "A rash!? From what!?"

"Probably an allergic reaction. But from what?" Cherry said.

"Hmm. . . well, from the location on the, it might be near the tracker," Code Red explained.

"You think she's allergic to the tracker?" the green pegasus asked, a little dumbly.

He shook his head, and it seemed like he was trying not to laugh. "No, but more likely a metal in the tracker."

"Oh," Cherry and I said simultaneously.

"Is it lethal at all?" Jockey asked.

"I'm not sure. It's only been a couple of days so if it was lethal she might already be dead by now. But if it's in her system for too long, she might have a worse reaction and eventually die," He continued to explain. The thought of dying from an allergic reaction made me shudder. "So we either need to end the games quickly, or find something that can postpone the effects of it."

"What if we took it out?" Cherry asked, sort of out of the blue.

"You mean, by ourselves?" I asked, getting a little nervous.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure that it would be more interesting of a show to watch to see you fight to your death instead of suffocating from an allergy," Cherry said. It was sort of like a back-sided compliment, I guess. It was like her telling me that I'm going to die, but at least it won't be as soon as it would be if it were from an allergy. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"I think it's breaking the rules to take out a pony's tracker though," Jockey replied, defending me. Was it actually defending? I'm not quite sure.

"Yes, after breaking the 'no levitating others' rule and stretching the 'growing plants' rule, I'd prefer not to test my limits any further," I added. It was true.

"But don't you think that they would have punished you by now after everything you did?" Cherry asked.

I shrugged. "Well I don't know, I'm not Discord."

Jockey smiled. "Well, she has a point though. Why hasn't he done anything to punish you?"

Cherry gave me a playful smile. "Maybe Discord has a thing for ponies who like to break the rules..."

"Stop it!" I yelled, my cheeks filling with heat yet again.

The three of them laughed. Not only at me, but at the situation. I didn't mind. It was nice to know that we were close enough to each other that we could laugh at ourselves and make jokes like that.

"Well, I think it would be best to take it out, just in case," Jockey continued.

"But how do you suppose we will do that?" I asked. "Just stick a knife if my foreleg and dig it out?"

Cherry sighed. "If you want to take it out, that might be what you have to do."

I flattened my ears against my head. Somepony was going to be digging into my arm to take out the tracker. I didn't like the idea at all, just stabbing me like that. I couldn't do it myself, and I didn't really want somepony else doing it. Even if it was just so I didn't have a fatal allergic reaction. I moaned to myself in slight anger.

"Fine! But I can't do it on myself," I shouted.

"I'll do it then," Jockey volunteered himself. I shifted my ears back and forth, not exactly sure how I felt about that.

"Are you sure? I will gladly do it as well. I am pretty crafty with knives, you know," Cherry added. This situation still felt very... odd to me.

"No, I can do it," The green unicorn said strongly.

I watched his face as he levitated a knife and a water pouch over to him, as well as a bandage. I actually didn't know that we had any bandages, but apparently, we had claimed some from our old group. I figured that they were just left over from the sponsor gift that had floated down from Gaelan's injury. He walked over to me and sat down next to me perpendicularly. I reluctantly put my foreleg out in front of him, preparing for the upcoming pain. I tried to get myself to relax, but it was just difficult.

I craned my neck to look away, and Cherry walked over to sit next to me and wrapped a foreleg around my shoulder in comfort. I was scared for my life, actually. I was putting my life into the hooves of others, and it was very unsettling to me. I trusted them, but we were in the final ten now. It would be so easy for them to just turn on me and kill me right now, and I would be utterly defenseless. I closed my eyes tightly, and sighed, my voice shaking.

A sharp pain in my foreleg told me that it had started. The pain shot up my whole leg and was sort of a tingling sensation. It was such a weird feeling, but it still hurt. I turned my face towards Cherry Cloud, my eyes still closed. I leaned my muzzle towards her neck, only to be met with a face full of her mane. She only proceeded to hug me tighter, reassuring me that she was there for me.

How much longer would this last? Was it almost over? The pain turned to more of a pinching feeling, and then it changed into a feeling that something was squeezing it. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest, and it mixed with the rhythm of our breathing. The crackling from the fire blended it together in an interesting sort of melody, and it was quite interesting to listen to.

"It's out," suddenly came to my ears.

I lifted my head away from Cherry's mane and looked to see Jockey's face with a slight smile that read pride. It was almost like he just offered to take it out to prove that he could do it. I glanced down to see my foreleg now bandaged together almost perfectly. Code Red was actually sitting next to him, and it made me wonder if he had helped. The knife lay on the ground, the blade coated in blood, and the small metal tracker sitting on the tip. It gave a little flash, showing it was still on.

I gave a relieved smile, my eyelids fluttering a little awkwardly. "Thank you," was all I could think to say.

He levitated me the water pouch, telling me to drink. As I was taking a sip, the boys stood up.

"Well, let's get everything packed up and start heading down to the cornucopia," Code Red said. "We don't want to be late," He added with a little playful wink.

I went to start getting up, and Cherry beckoned me to stay seated. "We can pack everything. You should save your strength for the trip."

I flicked my ear in slight annoyance. "Really? Do I need to tell you yet again that this is the Hunger Games? The games don't care how weak you are at any given time. I'll be fine."

She lowered her head a little bit, and I realized that I had made her a little upset.

"But I'm thankful for your concern," I added with a smile and a little nudge from my left elbow.

She smiled back and helped me to my feet. I flicked my tail and helped them pack up the rest of the belongings. I was actually looking forward to some sleep tonight, especially since we had all had gotten limited sleep the night before. However, I think that if we all got tired along the way, we might just agree to sleep somewhere. I also knew that after today, most of us would probably have a difficult time sleeping anyway. I was sad to leave my beautiful fence behind as well, especially since it took a good amount of energy. But as the games are, there isn't really anything I can do about it.

After we had everything packed, we loaded things onto on our back and began to make our way towards the cornucopia and down the mountain, getting closer to the surprise that awaited all of us.

XV - What a Glorious Feast

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We had walked for about half of a day after we left the mountains. We had walked through the valley of the hills, but even then it was a long trip. We walked until the moon was just touching the horizon, then decided to take a few hours to sleep. Cherry, in particular, was so tired that she was practically sleepwalking. Jockey acted in a similar manner, managing to walk himself straight into the base of a tree.

I myself was not just deprived of sleep, but I was sore and anxious. There was an odd, aching feeling in my foreleg from having the tracker removed. It made me a little anxious to walk. I knew that I should be taking it easy since I did lose some blood, and I needed to let the wound heal a little. But at the same time, I understood that there was no time for that. Gaelan was injured far worse than I was, and he was still part of these games. Still, the thought of the tracker also left me with a ball of guilt sitting at the bottom of my stomach. I had stretched the rules to the limit, and Discord actually decided not to punish me at all. I couldn't help but wonder why. My mentor even said that there were ponies who had been punished for breaking the rules, so why not me? Surely I at least deserved to be...don't I? So why wasn't I being punished?

We had needed our rest so much, we had managed to sleep until about midday. Being awake again, we continued to walk for another day, taking a break every now and then to eat and drink. We arrived on the beach of the cornucopia just a little while before sundown.

The four of us walked towards the cornucopia warily, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. From what we could see, Moon Breeze, Gaelan and Candor were already there. Gaelan was sitting near the back of cornucopia, Candor at his side. He was doing better, clearly, as he was making visible chatter with her. Still, his whole side was bandaged to the point where most of his body had been wrapped in bandages. Moon Breeze, on the other hand, was sitting on top of the cornucopia, staring out at the ocean and the slowly setting sun. She reminded me of Cherry, sitting up there, exactly like the green pegasus had done before she joined our side. I did not see Mousha, but I figured that she was with them.

Terrain Tactical was nowhere in sight. I wondered where he was - if he was hiding in the forest or if he was roaming the hills searching for someone to attack. Scale as well was nowhere to be seen. Was he scared to show his face after everything that had happened? Still, I really hoped that they would show up soon. I didn't want to wait too long for them to show up; I just so we could all get whatever Discord wants to give us.

We approached the cornucopia, walking into the mouth with both confidence and fear. How that was possible, I wasn't sure. I had a feeling in my chest that this event would be the last one of this arena. I didn't know if all but one would die here by fighting or if Discord was planning something. I could just feel that something was up.

Candor noticed us first, and she looked at us with a wide, happy smile. She ran towards us and threw her forelegs around me in a welcoming hug. "I'm so glad to see that you're all okay!" She let go of me and proceeded to give everyone else next to me a hug.

As she was hugging the other ponies, I looked at her appearance. Her silver mane was surprisingly well kept and wasn't at all messy. She clearly knew how to take care of herself, or maybe she was just lucky. Her blue-green eyes still burned with a passionate fire that was there when I first met her, and it was proof that she would surely fight to her last breath.

I looked past her at Gaelan, who was now standing. He still had a bandage wrapped around his torso, but he had no signs of pain on his face. Instead, there was a wide, almost cheesy smile. His expression was almost begging me to hug him, so of course, I couldn't resist. I trotted towards him and wrapped my forelegs around his neck in a welcoming hug. He returned the action, hugging me so tightly I thought my eyes might just pop out of my head for a few seconds. I wheezed a little painfully, and he loosened the hug but didn't release the embrace. Instead, he began to speak.

"I wanted to thank you, Terra, for saving my life," He whispered loudly. His warm breath hit my cheek in a comforting way.

"I-I just did what felt right," I responded.

"You could have just let me fall, let me die and there would be one less pony in this arena. But you saved me. And I will always be grateful for that. Even if it was just prolonging the inevitable by a few days. Thank you." His voice sounded tight, almost as if he was trying not to cry.

"You're welcome..." We pulled away from each other, and he winced. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, No, It's fine. I'm still recovering from losing my wing. It just hurts every now and then. I'm sure it will go away," He explained, "I just can't move around too much."

"Yes, I wanted to apologize to you, Gaelan," came Cherry's voice from behind me. The pale-blue griffon' ears moved up and down and twisted in different directions as if he wasn't sure how to feel about her being there. I didn't blame him for his mixed emotions.

"Well, um, okay..." He mumbled.

"No, truly, I'm sorry. Because of me, you probably won't fly again, even if you win the games. I almost killed you and I feel really bad about that, even if these are the Hunger games," She confessed, "If there was a way to make it up to you I would-"

"No, it's fine. Even if you injured me, at least you didn't kill me," He said.

"But you still could have died from what I did!" She added, her voice rising in volume.

He gave her a smile. "Just so long as you don't try to kill me again, I think you and I could get along."

I smiled as Cherry spoke, "So, are we good then?"

He thought for a moment before giving his answer. "Yeah."

She smiled thankfully at him.

My ears turned towards the sound behind me of Candor's voice calling up to Moon Breeze sitting atop the Cornucopia. There was a faint clinging above us and shortly afterward Moon Breeze was seen walking into the mouth of the cornucopia, her head raised up proudly, but it felt a little like she was trying to intimidate us. She stood tall and proudly, almost like she was the one who had won these game already. Why?

She nodded at all of us, and then her eyes fell upon me. She let out a barely audible exhale from her nose, and without blinking, spoke my name. "Terra."

She made her way over to me quickly and raised up her hoof. I knew it was coming. Whether it was a punch or a slap, She was going to probably hurt me for taking part of the group away a few days ago. I tried to brace myself.

Her hoof swept across my face in one fluid motion, causing me to turn my face away from her. I cringed for a few seconds as my cheek began to sting. I shifted my jaw around, partially out of anger but also to check if there was any damage. Candor ran to Moon Breeze's side and Cherry ran to mine. Everypony else circled around us protectively, as if they were ready to prevent any fighting. My ears turned backward, away from the yelling unicorn, trying to lower the volume of Moon's shouting.

"How DARE you leave us! You take some of our things and then just disappear with half of our team in the night! We had an alliance and you practically left us to die!" She yelled.

I sighed and turned my head back to face her, my eyes fluttering. "You do realize what would have happened if we stayed together, right?"

Her mouthed opened and closed as she stuttered, trying to come up with something to say. Nothing came out except for a few odd vocal noises.

"If our group managed to be the last one standing - if us eight were the only ones left, we would have eventually had to turn on each other." I paused and glared at her. "And I don't know about you, but I don't want to be the first pony to strike down a friend."

She lowered her ears, but the expression on her face was still very stern. She glanced around at the other ponies in the cornucopia. "We might be friends, and no matter how much we don't want to turn on each other, we may not have a choice. Other ponies have been put in the same position before and they had no choice but to turn on their friends. Why would this time be any different?"

"Well surely if we resist that temptation for long enough, the game makers would be in a bit of a dilemma," Code Red added, taking my side. I glanced at him briefly, thankful for him doing so.

"Discord is a master of Games. He can drive us all mad if we don't do anything for long enough, and it will only drive us to our own death!" The blue unicorn countered.

"Well, then we would just have to prove that our bond of friendship is stronger than his mind games!" I shouted at her.

"He can change this arena, force us to die from the environment, or lack of supplies!" She was determined to keep her point of view. However, I was equally determined to keep my own: if we do not wish to kill, then we will not.

"Then we will survive together! Teamwork has allowed us to get through many things! Heat and cold, hunger and fatigue, injuries and death, surely it can get us through any other challenge that is thrown at us!" Cherry threw in, holding up her head proudly.

The dark blue unicorn rolled her eyes and moaned in anger. "Fine! Go ahead and die together then! Last I checked you were no Twilight Sparkle!"

Her mouth slammed shut after she spoke the old alicorn's name. We all looked around as if we were ashamed, but I don't think we all really knew why. Her name had not been spoken aloud in many years, and yet her name had just been spoken aloud for the entire nation to hear on live television.

We were silent for quite a few moments, and I quickly noticed that the sun was now set and the only light came from the moon and the few lanterns that were bolted to the walls inside of the cornucopia.

Candor was the first to break the silence. "You are right. Not a single one of us is Twilight Sparkle." Code Red, Gaelan, and Cherry gave the blonde colored pony a startled look as she spoke her name. "I am not afraid to speak her name. She is a part of history that the nation deserves to know about. Everything in history teaches us a lesson." She looked up at me, then at Moon Breeze. "We are not the bearer of the element of magic, nor are we any of her friends. We are ourselves. We don't have to do what they did, we can do what we want. We can-"

She gasped and gave a strange look of confusion. She looked straight in front of her, which happened to be Code Red. Her back was facing the exit of the cornucopia so I wondered if she had been startled by a sudden cold breeze or something. She coughed and blood came to her lips.

"C-Candor?" Gaelan asked, his voice shaking.

She looked over at him, and her eyelids fluttered. She then proceeded to fall onto the ground with a thud. We all tried to rush forward to catch her or see if she was alright, but just after we moved, something stopped us from moving any further. A slender, black arrow was lodged just at the nape of her neck. Blood was staining her fur, and how she didn't die instantly, I wasn't sure.

"Candor! No!" Was all I heard.

Gaelan pushed his way through the group and sat down next to the silver-maned pony. A cannon echoed in the distance, telling us that her death was certain. He moved her body so that her face was facing up, and he cradled her in his forelegs as best as he could. He sobbed, grieving over his best friend in this arena. He held his face over hers protectively and small tears began to roll over his cheeks and onto her face.

He was whispering to her, but I couldn't hear what. I tuned out his cries and looked towards the opening of the cornucopia, where one particular dark green stallion stood. He was holding a bow at his side with a devious smirk on his face.

"That is what happens when you take my dearest Cherry Cloud away from me..." Terrain Tactical said with a chilling voice as his eye twitched.

I growled and leaped for him in anger. Moon Breeze and Cherry did the same.

I was knocked down by their movements and rolled to the side. The wind was knocked out of my lungs, making me take a large gasp for breath. I lifted my head up to watch the fight that the two mares were creating.

Cherry swung her hooves at his face. He attempted to dodge, but he was met with a good punch from Moon Breeze's. The green pegasus elbowed him in the stomach after Moon pulled her hoof away. The unicorn pulled on his mane, yanking as hard as she could. He tried to let out a yell, but he was only silenced by another blow to his stomach by the green pegasus. The stallion tried desperately to use his bow as some form of defense against the raging mares, but it was of little use. He could not defend himself against both of them.

I got to my feet as the ponies continued to wrestle just beyond the entrance to the cornucopia. Jockey walked up next to me, making sure that I was alright.

"You okay?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yeah...I don't think he will be though."

The green unicorn shrugged. "Well, I guess I have learned to never make a mare angry."

I gave a tiny smile at his little joke. I don't know if it was as the best time for it, but it was a little funny.

A sudden rumble of thunder made me pull my gaze up to the sky. The moon was only barely visible anymore, and instead all I could see were clouds. No stars were viewable in the night sky and there were visible clouds that drifted over the moon. I sighed as another rumble came from somewhere among the sky, and knew that a storm was near.

I was so caught up by the thunder that I just missed the cannon that sounded. It sounded so much like the thunder that for a moment I thought it was actually thunder. However, I looked down at the angry mares and saw them pulling away from the limp stallion. Their hooves were slightly bloodied, but they didn't really care.

They looked at me with angry eyes, but I knew that they were mad at him and not me. They were still terrifying in the dim light of the moon, despite the fact that I knew this.

"That...felt weird," Cherry muttered. I figured that it did. She killed someone whom she once trusted, someone who would do almost anything to protect her. Even if her act was assisted, she still killed someone she once knew.

The green pegasus shuddered and walked back towards the cornucopia as the first few raindrops began to fall. Moon Breeze shot me a stern look, then followed her. Jockey turned to face me.

"Well, now that he's dead, we put our words to the test." He blinked at me. "If what you said is true and that our friendship can truly prevail over Discord's challenges, then we are in for one hell of a crazy ride."

I smiled at him. "Well, we cannot lose hope. The minute we lose hope in our words is the very minute where we seal our fate to our death in this arena."

"But how can you be so sure that we will prevail?" he asked.

Raindrops began to collide with our pelts and mane, and bounced off of the grass at our hooves. I blinked at him. "Sometimes we don't know why we believe in something, Jockey. But sometimes we just believe in something because it feels right." I sighed as a raindrop bounced off my nose. "I can't explain to you why I believe what I said, I just do."

He took a step closer to me, leaving his face inches from mine. "Well in that case then I admire your passion."

I lowered my eyebrows, confused by what he meant. "What do you mean?"

"Ever since the beginning you knew exactly who you were and it seemed like you knew exactly what your purpose was going to be in this games." He smiled at me. "From the first moment I saw you when you bumped into me in our district, I saw a flame in you that I had never seen out of the thousands of ponies I had met. At first, I wasn't very sure about it, but as we were thrown into these games and have experienced so much here, I have noticed it so much more."

I sighed, the rain now quite heavy and drowsing our manes.

"I have wanted to tell you this for a while now, but I just didn't know when or how. But know that we might be soon meeting our death by the blade of a friend, I see no better time to tell you what I have been wanting to say."

I looked up at him, searching for what he might say. I honestly hoped that it wasn't a love confession or something like that. I didn't know how I would have responded if it was. I watched anxiously as he told me what he had been meaning to tell me for so long.

"You are the fire, Terra."

"What?" I asked.

"You are the fire. The fire that burns inside all of us and keeps us fighting. The fire that inspires us to do what we do and to push us to our limits." I smiled at his words. "You have affected all of us with your flames. Without you, we would surely all be nothing..."

I sighed happily and reached forwards to wrap my forelegs around him in a hug. We were soaking wet now, but I really didn't care and I don't think he did either "The flames wouldn't be so large if you all didn't supply some fuel to make it grow, you know."

He chuckled. "Thank you, Terra. For everything."

"I was just doing what felt natural," I said as we pulled away from the hug.

"Well, then you must have very good natural instincts then," He laughed, and then we began to make our way towards the cornucopia in the rain.

Once we were inside and protected from the rain, I shook myself to try and remove as much of the moisture as I could. It didn't help too much, but it was better than nothing. Jockey did the same.

"It's about time you came in," Code Red started as he gave us a towel. "I swear I thought you two were going to start kissing or something."

I blushed and looked away from Jockey, and I had a feeling he was doing the same. He and I were close, yes, but I hardly thought of him in a romantic way. He was almost like another brother to me, after what we had been through. I sort of hoped that he felt the same. And even if he didn't, well unfortunately I didn't have a desire to be in a relationship for a while. Not with Circuit still looming on my mind as well.

Taking the towel I ran it over my mane, trying to extract as much liquid as I could. Water droplets flew as I did so, scattering around and landing on the others around me. Cherry let out an innocent and playful giggle. I let the towel release from my levitation spell and allowed it to fall down around my neck.

Jockey began to speak. "By the way, whatever happened to the other mare that was with you before? Wasn't her name Mousha or something?"

Moon Breeze turned to look at him. "Oh, um... She got sick. She's alive but she is sleeping in the back." She flicked her ear, and sighed. "I don't even know what it is either. It's worse than the flu and it is something I have never even seen or heard of."

I looked at her. "Well, now that we are all here and we aren't fighting, maybe we can get the gifts that Discord promised us. And if we are lucky, Mousha's gift will be medicine."

She shrugged. "You can never tell. For all, we know he could give us a can of peas that explodes into confetti. Besides, aren't we still missing Scale?"

I blushed violently. Everyone one of the group was avoiding his name. Not only did he kill Silver Streak, but he left after having kissed me. Er; I also let him go. I still didn't know if the others knew about everything that had happened, but I didn't want to ask if they saw it. I personally wanted to forget that it had happened. I hadn't seen him since he left. What would happen when he saw me?

Code Red spoke, thankfully. "He's missing, yeah, but for all, we know he could be standing just outside, hiding from us. We aren't exactly on the best terms with him."

"Still, Discord asked for all of us, not most of us. He needs Scale to be here," Gaelan responded.

"Well, he hasn't been following the rules word for word though. He might start without him," Cherry added.

"Well, you certainly know me well then, eh Cherry Cloud?" Discord's voice was suddenly all around us. "Well, you all have caught me by surprise with your strong words about friendship. Really touching, you know, and it brings me back memories from years ago. Memories I never thought I would see again." His tone was somewhere between cheerful and angry. It was quite intimidating. "Because you have inspired me so and seem very certain that your friendship will prevail over any challenge, I have decided to put your words to the test. That means I won't be giving any of you your gifts!" He chuckled.

"Hey! We deserve what you were were going to give us! Cherry called out to Discord. I agreed with her, for the most part. I guess it depended on what he was planning to give us.

"And I am sure that you do! But if you want your gifts that badly then I will do this: The prize for whoever wins will be doubled this year! Twice as many bits, twice as much food, twice as nice of a victor house. It will all be better in the end." There was a faint clamor in the distance, and I figured that it was something from where Discord was. "Well, that will be all for now. Enjoy your final moments." He sounded annoyed with his last phrase. It led me to wonder what had happened.

After his voice faded away, Code Red was the one to speak. "Well, that's just wonderful. He's trying to bribe us to motivate us to fight each other."

"You think so?" Cherry asked.

"It's a typical trick. He thinks our desire to win will be stronger than our friendship," the grey pegasus explained, "The villain in movies and books do it all the time."

"So what should we do now?" Jockey wondered.

"Well, someone is going to have to wake up Mousha and try to explain to her what happened. She doesn't know a lot of equestrian, so whoever talks to her will have a hard time," said Moon Breeze.

"I guess I can try," Gaelan threw in, his voice still tight. "I don't really want to look at Candor anymore..." He let go of the blonde colored earth pony and placed her gently on the ground. He sighed and stood up. He wiped his talons across his face, trying to hide his tears. He made his way farther back into the cornucopia silently.

"Well, I think we should try to sleep. I think we can trust each other that no one has to keep watch. And I think that if Scale hasn't shown up by now, he won't show up at all. We might just get the best sleep we've had in a while," Jockey said as he began to go through a bag to find a sleeping bag.

"Yeah, I agree with you," Cherry replied, yawning. She copied his actions and began to search through her bag for something to sleep on.

"Yeah, let's just get some sleep. It's the least we can do right now," I agreed.

I got out my sleeping bag and lay it down next to Cherry's. The rain was pounding against the cornucopia, creating a noise that echoed around the black cave. It was bearable, but it would surely take some time to fall asleep with it. Though I knew that my desire to sleep was probably stronger than my annoyance over the noise.

We all lay down and closed our eyes, trying our best to sleep with the banging of the rain against the sides of the cornucopia.

XVI - It's All Come Down to This

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I wish I could say that I was sleeping soundly in my sleeping bag, but that wasn't entirely true. I was asleep, yes, but as I walked in my dreams vivid memories kept flashing through my mind. Memories from the games; watching Silver Streak get killed, watching the one stallion get struck by lightning, seeing Gaelan falling from the sky, and the scenario with Scale.

Scale's encounter in particular haunted me; his face full of fear and sadness, and his story. He was just hurting and struggling emotionally. He felt like so much depended on him doing well within the games. It made me sad. But what made me even sadder was the image I had of holding a knife against his throat. I was so ready to kill him. But I couldn't. It all just made my heart ache. I let him go and he just. . .kissed me. The kiss was constantly running through my mind. Why? Did he have feelings for me? Or worse, did I have feelings for him?

Mixed with all of these more recent memories were other painful ones from my past. I recalled breaking up with Circuit, and the moment of being reaped. I remembered my parents fighting, and I remembered my father leaving my family for another mare.

With all of these negative thoughts in my head, I awoke from my sleep suddenly, gasping for breath. My heart pounded inside of my chest, almost as if it wanted to escape. I sat up a little awkwardly and sighed. Even though the memories were just images in my head, I could still feel the anger, the sadness, the fear and the confusion that came with them.

I sighed a second time and looked around the dark room. There was still the pattering of the rain against the cornucopia, but it did not bother me anymore after I had listened to it for so long. My eyes fell on Moon Breeze's empty sleeping bag, only for my ears to catch her barely audible voice over the sound of the rain.

"You having nightmares?" She asked.

I looked around the room again and spotted her shadowed figure sitting by the entrance, outlined by the light cast by the moon.

"Yeah," I responded, "But they aren't exactly nightmares. More like . . . tragic flashbacks?"

I rose to my feet and started to make my way over to her just in time to hear her scoff.

"I get them too, and that is probably the best way to describe it," she explained. "I have this feeling that they are probably only going to get worse though."

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Nopony ever leaves the arena as the same pony who came in. There is always something follows everypony - be it an injury or a disease or even just a few horrific memories."

I blinked at her and looked out at the rain that was pouring just a few inches in front of me. "Yeah, you are probably right. Some things just can't be unseen, I guess. . ."

Moon Breeze sighed.

We sat there for a few moments, just watching the rain fall through the rays of the moon.

Finally, the blue unicorn broke the silence. "How do you do it?"

I pushed my eyebrows together and looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"How do you have so much faith that your friendship can withstand so much? You haven't known these ponies longer than a month and yet you have so much trust in them. And even those you don't know -- ponies that you have just met -- you're still so kind and honest to them. Why?"

I looked away and thought about it. I closed my eyes and just sat there for a moment, breathing, trying to collect my thoughts. I eventually began to let my mouth speak the words that popped into my head.

"I put so much trust in them because I want them to trust in me, I guess. True trust only works if it's both ways. One-sided trust can lead to manipulation, to broken friendships, to misery."

"But is that the only reason why?"

I flicked my ear, and thought for another moment. "I don't think so. It just feels natural, I suppose, to treat them like that. But still, I think I am also trying to convince myself that a strong trust like that is possible. There have been so few ponies that have kept my trust for a long time. . . I guess I just want somepony I know will die with the trust that we have for each other."

"Who hurt you?" She asked softly.

I gave a weak smile. "Well, the most recent one is my coltfriend, but I guess you have heard of that."

She chuckled. "Yes, and how you slapped him? That tale has been going around actually."

"But a long time ago, my father left me. he promised me that he never would. . . but then he did."

"I'm sorry, I guess..."

"Heh, he ran off with some pretty white mare and didn't even say goodbye to me and my brothers." I slouched my shoulders. "Well, he said goodbye to my mom but that was it. And all she told us was that he was leaving for a better life," I added, scoffing, "Whatever that means."

Moon Breeze sighed. "Maybe he wanted a better life for you?"

"I highly doubt it. He would have taken me with him, or at least tried to," I added, my ears lowering.

Moon Breeze had taken a breath as if she was going to say something else, but the sound of faint, painful coughing came from the back of the cornucopia. My ears perked up and turned to face the noise, and Moon Breeze did the same. She got to her hooves and turned to face the back of the cornucopia.

"She isn't going to last much longer if that cough keeps up..." Moon Breeze murmured.

The coughing gradually blended into the sounds of choking. I held my breath almost as if I was trying to save air that could be used for Mousha. Suddenly, the coughing came to a sudden stop. Thinking that she had just fallen back to sleep, I released my breath.

The sudden cannon got my attention and made me jump. Out of the corner of my eyes I watched as Moon Breeze jumped significantly more than I did, in fact, I think her hooves even left the ground. She then bowed her head, her ears folded limply back.

I looked back at Moon Breeze and shuddered."How did she even get sick like that anyway?" I asked.

The shrug she gave in response was so small I barely even noticed it. "I honestly don't know. It could have been almost anything. An allergy, poor drinking water, food poisoning, maybe even just the change in climate. All I know is that the day after you left was when her coughing picked up."

"Oh," was all I could say.

She thought for a moment and turned her body to face the rain again. We sat there in silence for a few more moments before she spoke again.

"You didn't happen to have any connection to her being sick, did you?" She asked, flicking her ear in my direction. Her gaze never left the rain though.

I shook my head side to side as I gave her my answer. "No, of course not."

Her ears turned back forwards towards the rain again, and I could hear her deep, frustrated breathing through her nostrils. I didn't really know why she was mad though.

"I honestly think you did," She added sharply.

Caught off guard I awkwardly got to my feet. I turned to face her, trying to fight the urge to flatten my ears against my head in anger. "What?"

"You heard what I said."

"Yeah, I did, but why would you think that?" I whisper-yelled.

"I don't know, maybe because you took half of the supplies with you when you left!?" She whisper-yelled back.

"Well, what did you want us to do, starve?"

"If it would have put me closer to first place, then yes!" It was getting harder for us to whisper-yell, and our voices were gradually getting louder. Someone snorted loudly in their sleep, but I could tell that Moon Breeze didn't really care.

"Well too bad! You're gonna have to live with it!" I replied.

"I don't want to live with It! I still want this to be like the other games - and I want to win!" Her voice was gradually crescendo-ing.

"Winning isn't always everything," I growled.

"It is if it means your life is the reward," She growled back.

"Sometimes others will give up their life for a greater cause. Other ponies have given their lives in this very arena just so the right pony will be the one to survive!"

"There is no such thing as the right pony. Only those who fight for what they want, and those who don't!"

"Well last time I checked, you haven't been doing too much of the fighting yourself!"

"Oh, Yeah!?" She growled as she flung herself at me.

Taken by surprise, I rolled backward over my shoulder with a thud. She leaped over me, but I could feel her hooves brush against the hairs on my back as I rolled. Taking a sharp breath I turned and twisted towards her, only to be met with hooves against my chest. I wheezed as my back collided against the dirt, feeling most of the air in my lungs pressed out. She lifted one hoof up to punch me, and I rolled my head to the side and I heard her hoof pound against the ground. My heart was pounding in my chest, but I knew that I couldn't panic. That didn't mean that my body listened to my thoughts though.

I felt like a turtle stuck on it's back, and my front limbs were literally all flailing in whatever pattern they decided. Sometimes my forelegs collided with Moon Breeze's, and other times I would hit her neck or her face. In one fluid motion, however, my forelegs hit the sides of her head next her ears with such force that she was stunned. She shook her head and was looking around her like the didn't know what had happened. I saw this as my chance and took control of my hind legs long enough to use them to kick her up and over me. I rolled onto my stomach and carefully stood myself up.

I sighed, hoping that she might stop.

But she didn't.

She flew at me again, this time with more rage than before. Her head collided against my own, our horns banging against each other. I looked straight at her brown eyes and only saw hatred in them. She back away and reared up on her hind legs, swinging her forehooves furiously in front of her. Her teeth flashed in the dim light of the moon, and then the tilted her head forwards, trying to pierce me with her horn. I did the only thing I could think to do and jumped out of the way.

She was fighting so furiously - her style was similar to that of our long forgotten ancestors. And it was terrifying.

She landed on the ground, her hooves in the exact spot were I was standing before. She was rearing up again, and this time I was prepared for her actions. I copied her motions, just seconds after she did, and swung my hooves in her general direction. She rolled to her side after one hoof collided with the base of her neck, and my hooves were quickly brought down into the dirt.

After watching her roll, she leaped forwards, striking low, and I found that her forelegs were wrapped around my stomach and she was pushing me into the rain. We somersaulted over each other until her hooves let go of me and I crashed into a tree behind me. I spotted her as she hit the mixture of mud grass beneath her with a definite 'splat.'

I got to my hooves again only to see her charging towards me, her head tilted downwards and her horn pointed straight at my head. I ducked out of the way and head a loud CRACK.

I looked up at the dark blue unicorn to see her horn stuck about halfway into the tree. I giggled with relief and humor. She lifted her hooves to try and push her way out, but it served her no use. I watched her for a few moments, large raindrops crashing into our pelts and manes after rolling over the thousands of leaves above us. We were covered in watery mud and some blades of grass. I thought for a split moment about finishing her off there, but I couldn't. It would go against what I had said before - that I would only kill in self-defense.

She finally began to wiggle her head up and down and as she continued to push against the tree. With a loud grunt, she flew backward into a thin mud puddle. She yelled with anger in response.

She got to her feet yet another time and had taken only a few running steps towards me when the ground shook violently around us. I was brought down by the force, and so was she. The rain stopped falling around us suddenly, but the ground kept shaking, and the moon in the sky . . . flickered? It was there and then it wasn't for a few seconds.

The ground stopped shaking, and I contemplated rising to my feet. Moon Breeze didn't, of course. She quickly rose and was charging towards me again as soon as the ground had stopped.

She reared up a third time and prepared to pummel her horn into my side. I took in a sharp breath and dove towards her, lifting myself up as I was underneath her. Her armpit was at the back of my neck and my back was on her chest. I rose just quick enough and with enough strength to stop her momentum and to fling her over me. I heard her squish into the mud, and I turned my head in time to watch her slide a few feet.

She got to her feet one more time and charged towards me for another time. I realized at this moment that if one of us didn't die, then the other would. Maybe I should have taken the chance when I had it. Her horn flashed and was alight in a bright orange-colored glow. Watching her new move gave me an idea.

I readied myself for her collision, and just a few steps before she would have struck me, I teleported myself. I appeared close to where she had started her running, and quickly cleared my head of the dizziness that followed. I twisted to face her and raised my front hooves, my horn aglow. Quickly and strongly, I brought my hooves straight down into the ground. With a loud crack that rumbled underneath my hooves, I found my front legs engulfed in a bright glow that prevented me from seeing what was happening right in front of them. However, I knew exactly what had happened as I heard the deep cracking noise continue and gradually grow farther away from me. I had managed to split the earth beneath me and was sending the newly formed fissure towards Moon Breeze. I didn't entirely have the desire to kill her, but I mainly just wanted to put an end to her actions. Just prevent her from making a move for a while.

I repeated my actions, attempting to make the crack wider and longer.

I did it a third time, and the force was so great that I collapsed onto the ground and the arena shook again violently. The light around my hooves and legs faded, and in its place I found an intense dizziness in my head. The rumbling continued around me and I couldn't get to my feet. What was going on?

All of a sudden, the moon disappeared and everything went dark. It was like someone had just turned off the television in the living room of my house. There wasn't even any wind left, nor were there visible stars in the sky. The rumbling faded away into nothing, and the arena was so dark that I didn't even dare to move. I didn't need to fall down into the fissure I had just created.

"M-Moon Breeze?" I called out. "A-Are you there?"

"Yes. But I can't move after what you did," She responded bitterly.

"Well, that was my intention, but I didn't think that the power was going to go out."

"Yeah, right."

"No, honestly! I don't know what's going on!" I yelled.

The next thing I knew, there was a large, bright and colorful explosion in the sky. Or at least I thought it was the sky. I looked towards the explosion and spotted a trail. What was it? It was glowing faintly and it was leaving a trail of light and dark blue. A few other streaks emerged from the explosion a few seconds later, though these ones were not quite as fast. How many were there? I counted five.

The explosion had left a large hole in the side of the arena, and I could see metal curling around it. I watched at the streaks slowed and gathered together and gradually took a more solid shape. In fact, they looked more like pegasai, and it looked as if they were looking around them.

Was it a rescue team? I wondered if I could be of help or something, even though the very sight of them stirred some degree of fear inside of me. Taking as strong of breath as I could while still caught in the dizziness, I raised my head and lit my horn. I launched a single ray of light straight up towards the ceiling leaving a spot on the panels far above me. I could feel my eyelids growing heavy and the lightness of my head expanding, and I feared that I would pass out again. My chest was tight and I wanted to just collapse and sleep. But something in the back of my head told me not to. I saw my light flickering, and I knew that I was close to being done. Panting and shaking I struggled to even keep my head upright.

I couldn't do it anymore. Slowly the light cast from my horn faded away and the only light was a tiny spark on the tip of my horn. However, it was just enough to light to see a pair of purple, masculine, friendly looking eyes that I had never seen before. I blinked lazily at them, and then the world that I could see faded into darkness.

I awoke slowly on a cold hard, flatbed - or was it a bed? I think it was a table. I rolled my head to the side slowly, feeling the muscles in my neck stretching a little painfully. I groaned and spotted a familiar figure through my slightly blurry vision. It looked like Cherry Cloud, but there was a dark teal pony standing next to her on the other side of the table she was laying on. The pony had a red mane and was doing something to Cherry's foreleg. What was she doing? I watched her as she walked away from the sixteen-year-old mare and made her way towards another table, one that I couldn't really see.

I glanced around the room more, and then slowly began to notice the little vibrations that were sent up the legs of the table and through my back. Based off of the vibrations I could tell that we were in some kind of aircraft. They were a lot softer than those of a train and more consistent.

Sighing, I awkwardly attempted to roll over, but I just ended up rolling on to the floor with a metallic sounding thud. I shakily got to a standing position, and glanced around the room again. I saw bright lights as well as medical equipment. Code Red, Jockey, and Cherry were all laying on tables, and Gaelan was laying on the ground, his wingless-side being checked out by the teal and red pony. I didn't see Moon Breeze or Scale though, and I briefly wondered if they had been left behind and if so, if it was intentional or not.

I spotted a door and shakily made my way towards it, trying to be as quiet as possible and not attract the other mare's attention. I had just reached the door and was about to press the button to open the door when the mare called out to me.

"Hey, w-wait! What are you doing!?"

I opened the door and quickly slid inside, only to see four ponies staring at me intently. I glanced at each of them, trying to see if I knew any of them. I didn't.

The first pony who caught my attention was a dark, beautiful blue mare who had a stary, flowing mane. She had both wings and a horn, and I wondered if she was one of those legendary ponies who seemed to live for almost forever. A large black necklace was around her neck, and in the center was a pure white, moon shaped jewel. I would have guessed an opal. A similarly designed crown rested on top of her head. Her eyes shown a bright blue-teal, and despite the fact that her expression was filled with confusion, her eyes remained friendly and strong.

I then spotted two ponies standing next to each other, one who looked to be about twice the age of the other. The elder of the two ponies was a pale grey with a thunder-cloud-grey mane that had the slightest curl to it. His eyes were a deep purple, but they didn't match the eyes that I remembered seeing before. The younger pony next to him looked to be about my age, maybe a little older. His pelt was a pale pastel grey, and his mane was a dark blue and was streaked with a pinkish-purple. His eyes too were purple, and it sent off signs that the two ponies were related, most likely father and son.

The final pony I spotted was an older, golden yellow colored mare. Her mane was the color of a freshly picked apple in the springtime or at least the color I had seen in photographs. A pink bandanna was over the top of her head and pulled her hair away from her face, allowing me to view her caramel-hued eyes. She looked to be about as old as the first grey stallion.

"Well, it appears that the spark has awoken," the dark blue mare said, sounding quite proper as she did so.

"W-what?" I stuttered, blinking at them. "Where am I? And who are you?"

"We'll tell ya, don't you worry, but ya really should go an' get some rest before we arrive at our destination," The red-maned pony answered, her country accent think.

"But where is our destination?" I asked. "Where are we going?"

The teal pony who was in the other room had opened the door and walked next to me.

"It doesn't matter. All that does is that you're safe here," said the yellow mare. "We ain't gonna hurt you."

I glanced back at the teal pony who was giving me a desperate look to come back towards the medical room.

"I don't know if you knew this, but I don't rest well on most modes of transportation, so it's a little pointless to try and rest when I already know I won't be able to," I explained sharply. The younger stallion perked his ears towards the end of my sentence, and the corners of his mouth twitched in just a way that little dimples were forming on his cheeks. It was kind of cute, but I didn't know why he was doing it. "So, can you answer my questions or what?"

The four ponies looked among themselves, as if they were all thinking. The dark blue pony began to speak first.

"I am Princess Luna, the raiser of the sun and moon and one of the three rightful princesses. This pony," She gestured to the yellow mare, "is Apple Bloom, sister to the former bearer of the Element of Honesty, Apple Jack, and the martial arts teacher at the Academy. The nurse who had tended to your wounds while you were unconscious goes by the name of Tender Blaze Beats. And finally, the two stallions you see are father and son; the father is named Rumble and his son is named Thunder Runner. They are members of the Flight Fleet; a group of highly trained pegasai who fight for the Crystal Empire."

"The Crystal Empire? As in. . ." I trailed off in thought. I thought that the Crystal Empire and all of its habitations were destroyed, annihilated, killed. Weren't the buried underneath a deadly snowstorm that Discord had cast?.

"Yes," She continued. "You are on a Crystal Empire Aircraft, currently guarded by the generals Flash Sentry and Soarin', as well and their two squadrons, which whom are monitoring the craft by air. I also cast a spell so we can remain undetected by those whom we do not wish to see us."

"And?" I added, almost a little rudely.

"And we are on our way to District Thirteen."

I let out a short, sharp breath and sat down on the ground. "So. . . I. . ?"

I couldn't think of what to say, but my mind was buzzing with a dozen questions. I thought all of the princesses died? How did the district remain unseen? Protected? Why didn't they help us? Defend us? What happened to my family? My friends? Would I ever see them again? Was I going to go back home eventually? What did the teal pony do to us? To me? Are my friends okay? Are any of them dead? What happened to Moon Breeze? What happened to Scale? What happened to the Arena? What happened after I passed out? My heart was pounding so rapidly It felt as if it was about to leap out of my chest, sprout feet and run away.

"We are getting your family, don't worry, your father made sure that we would. We are also getting-"

"My FATHER!?" I repeated loudly as I cut the princess off.

"Yes, didn't he tell ya where he was goin' all those years ago?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No, not really! All we were told was that he fell in love with some white mare and ran off to go and live with her in a different district!"

The group of ponies looked among themselves awkwardly. Apple Bloom looked the most uncomfortable.

"All the same, we are getting your family and you will meet them there. We are also attempting to get the other tribute's families as well, in case you were interested, though so far, finding them has become a little bit of a challenge. But you are all going to be fine. . . for now," Luna explained.

"For now? What do you mean?" I asked.

The group looked around at each other again, filling the room with another silence.

This time, Thunder Runner spoke. "I know it feels like you have just come out of a war, but with your help, we would like to start a real one. We need you to help us take town Discord."

"Wh-what? Why me?"

"Because," Luna's horn began to glow, and she pulled out many pictures of other districts. And all of the ponies in the districts, or at least in the pictures, were fighting against the peacekeepers. They were revolting. "What you said in that arena; the thoughts that went through your head, your actions, inspired others to rise up. A war is only a true war when there is civilian support on both sides. And after what you have done, we have all of the support that we need. All we need is somepony to help lead them; to keep that inspiration going."

"And you think that somepony is me?" I ask quietly. "I don't think I'm exactly qualified to lead an army..."

Luna chuckled. "Well, you won't be doing it entirely alone. Others will be there to lend assistance. No nation was created only by the actions of a single individual."

"Meaning...?"

"Tacticians, officers, politicians, soldiers, princesses; all of it will be at your side."

I scoffed in disbelief. "I can't lead. . . why do you think that I - I of all ponies can lead you?"

"We have seen you do it before; lead groups. It's natural for you. You do it without thinking," Luna explained.

"But I. . ."

"You don't have to make up your mind now, it's okay. Just go and try to get some rest, please."

"But do you really think I can. . ?"

"We don't think it, Terra," Thunder stated. "We know it."

XVII - Epilogue

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I was sitting on a couch in the back room of the aircraft, staring at the floor. My mind couldn't quite comprehend the idea of leading so many. How many would it be? Hundreds? thousands? A million? So many ponies looking to me to lead them, to be their light. I don't think I can do it.

I reached for a nearby pillow and, rolling to my side, held the thing close to my chest, pressing my muzzle into the fabric. Footsteps walking into the room caught my attention as I closed my eyes, and I waited for a voice to talk to me.

It was Thunder.

"Hey," he greeted. "You doing okay?"

I moved my muzzle away from the pillow to talk. "I don't know," I mumbled.

I heard him sit down. "I know it's a lot to take in, especially since you just woke up from being unconscious. But we really do need you."

I sat up right, leaving the pillow still resting against my torso. "What happened?"

"Pardon?"

"When you rescued us? What happened?"

"Well..." He chuckled. "It's sort of a long story. Are you willing to listen to it all?"

I didn't answer, mainly because I didn't want to.

"I'll take that as a yes then..." He cleared his throat. "Every year during the games, the capitol sends us the televised show even though we are not a part of the nation. People of our nation have the option to watch it, but most do not. However, our leaders always watch it. And that was then they spotted you. I don't know how, but as soon as they saw you, they knew you were who they needed. From that moment on they made plans to free you during the games.

"We tried three times, and only on the third try did the attempt work. Discord knew about our second attempt, and after it he heightened security. We had to double our troops for the third attempt, which was a challenge, especially when we were trying to be discrete. But, we got lucky and you provided both the perfect distraction as well as the perfect opportunity. We were close to turning off the arena, but not close enough. Your 'earthquake' or whatever you want to call it was just enough to get the job done.

"After that, Blitz worked his abilities and blasted a hole in the arena. Tough stallion he is - I don't know how he does it. So fast and yet so strong. I think he might even better than his mom but, she would never admit it-" He paused. "Oh, sorry, You'll meet Blitz soon enough, I'm sure. You'll like him."

"Anyways, We were planning on finding you, but with the power out, we realized that we had no way of telling where you were. If it hadn't been for your beam of light, we probably would have wound up searching for hours, and by the time we would have found you, we probably would have been captured and killed. We quickly flew towards you and your light, and almost as soon as we got there you passed out. We got you and your friends, and it was a good thing that two of them could fly. It made carrying that light-blue pegasus a lot easier. He might be average size for a stallion, but he is literally all muscle and actually quite heavy. It didn't really make a lot of sense.

"We tried to get The dark blue unicorn, but she didn't exactly want to cooperate with us. She tried to attack us, and I reckon that once she saw just how many of us there was she ran off. She was yelling at us that she would be the one to win, or something like that. The capitol probably found her and will declare her the victor, if they don't try to interrogate her about us first.

"We then brought you and your friends to the ship where we- er, TBB treated all of your wounds and safely removed all of your trackers and disposed of them off of the ship. Your friends weren't unconcious at the time, but we had to make them so for the procedure of removal. Right now they are just asleep. They might be for a while, after everything they had been through. In fact we were supprised you woke up as early as you did. After using so much magic, Luna was guessing that you were going to passed out for a long while. few ponies can handle such strong magic like that.
"Anyways, after we got rid of the trackers, we left and well, you know the rest I guess."

I sighed shakily. "That answers most of my questions, but I want to know about my dad..." I mumbled.

"What do you want to know?" Thunder asked shyly.

"Why he left us - left me - and didn't tell us why. He could have tried to take us with him. . . He. . ." tears started to fall down my face and quickly following them were sobs.

I brought the pillow up to my face and buried my face into it, attempting to hide my crying from this near-stranger. I wasn't sad, I was just mad and upset. "I just don't understand . . . why . . . "

I hugged the pillow even tighter with no avail to muffle the sounds of my crying. Thunder reached out towards me, wrapping his forelegs gently around me. I didn't want to cry to a stranger, but at the moment, a stranger was all I had. I leaned into him, and rested my temple against his shoulder. We sat there for a long while and he just let me cry. And I was grateful.

He let me cry until the ship began to slow and it was getting time for us to land. He had to leave and stand guard among the other soldiers as we exited the ship. As he trotted off, I sat on that ship until the landing gear made contact with the ground, thinking about what exactly was in store for me and my friends. For all we knew, we could meet our end or set the nation on a path to a better future. And in that moment, I could not tell which was going to happen, and I almost wished that I could just vanish from the world and live on my own, away from this fighting.

But that was not the case. That was not the case at all.

The 34th Equestrian Hunger Games

by Sketch-Pad

I - Just an Ordinary Day

II - The Reaping

III - The Train Ride

IV - Welcome to the Capitol

V - Costumes and Chariots

VI - Training

VII - Assessments and That Crazy Host

VIII - With the Sound of the Siren

IX - Good Morning ... Allies?

X - Isn't the Beach Just Lovely?

XI -Well that Happened

XII - In the Shadow of the Moon

XIII - Scale

XIV - All for Discord

XV - What a Glorious Feast

XVI - It's All Come Down to This

XVII - Epilogue