I woke up to the sound of my own heartbeat. The room is cold and coal dust lies apon everything. I stretch my hooves and make a yawning sound. My sister, Rose, turns in her sleep. Light fills the room in our tiny abode as I recall what day it is. Today is the day of the drawing. Every foal will line into the plaza and a filly and colt gets picked to compete inside of the "Hunger Games".

I roll over and stand up as I trot to my coat on the rack and grab it. I place it over myself and begin to wake my family. They begin to get dressed. Rose dresses in a old shirt that my mom used to wear, and a skirt. The back of the shirt is untucked and leans out like a duck flap. I laugh at her and help her tuck it in. I braid my mane inside of a one line braid.

I look over to my mom staring into the mirror with that sad face that she's had since my father died. He was blown up inside of a coal accident. There was bad air in the mine and he was caught inside of the explosion. They never recovered all of his parts.

We head out of our house and head towards the plaza. We line up into our spots. Three sections. One for fillys. One for colts. And one for adult ponies. I stay inside of the filly area and wait for the announcer to announce the years contestants. The speaker trots to the stage and begins to announce the tributes.

"Fillys first!" the announcer blurts out with a smile. She dips her foreleg into a bowl and reaches for a piece of paper with her hoof. She grasps one and pulls it out. She unravels the paper and smiles. "Rose Evergreen."

My mind goes into a breakdown as I begin to have flashbacks. My little Rose. My sister I nursed as my mother never cared for her after the accident with my father. She went into a deep state of depression. I had to care for the family. Gather all of the food. Take care of all family business. When the accident happened I was 10 years old. I couldn't sign up for grain (oil and supplies to make bread for another piece of paper with your name on it into the bowl) so I had to hunt. My father and I used to hunt all of the time with my father. He made me a bow out his own two hooves. I always used the bow for hunting, but it never always worked out.

As I gain a little bit of consiousness, I glance over to my hunting partner, Tail, as my mind slips back into flashbacks. I remember the time that we met. I was 12 and I was wandering through the forest searching for prey. Even though hunting inside of the forest was punishable by death, I realized that it would be better to die by a bullet to the head instead of starving. I was searching for prey as I noticed a snare with a mouse hanging from it. I grasp it with my hooves and study it.

"Hey," I hear a voice, "don't touch that." I turn around and see a pony I always saw during school. He was 14 and strong, He was nice looking, but I never would have a chance.

"I was just checking these nice snares out," I reply. He walks behind me and begins to study me. I stand there awkwardly. He ends infront of me.

"So what's your name?" he asks me.

"It's uh..." I begin. He nods for me to go on. "It's Poniss, Poniss Evergreen."

"Okay Lonelyniss," he begins to laugh. I blush with embarressment.

"It's Poniss!" I exclaim. He chuckles and begins to ask me if I want to hunt with him. I accept and we begin to hunt. I have a great time and we slowly begin to be friends. Over the years, we become friends and begin to support eachothers herd.

I blink back into reality. I didn't notice that I was screaming. She trots by my section as the Civil Keepers keep here from running away. I burst out of the section and begin to yell.

"I volunteer!" I yell. Everybody begins to peer at me. "I volunteer to take her place!" Instant death sentence.

I fade into realization as I understand what I have rested upon myself.

The announcer begins to laugh it off, "Okay, okay, but you need to wait until I ask for a volunteer!" I dash to the stage and stand in place as I wait for the woman to announce any pony's name. "Now time for the colts," she smiles as she announces. She reaches back into the bowl and holds onto another slip of paper. She unfolds it and reads the name out.

"Eata Mallarky!"

I look over to the colt section and see a colt my age look around and begin to cry. I notice him.

Back when my mother was in her depressed stage, I went out to sell some rotting meat that I found. I wasn't old enough to sign up for grain so it was either I go to the community barn, or I stick it out for the winter. At the time, I was dying for food. I finally got to the baker's home and I ran through their slop looking for food.

"Get out of their you pig!" I hear a the baker's wife yell at me from the back entrance. I turn to her and slowly trot away to a nearby tree. I squat down on the edge and begin to sob. Either I die here, or the Civil Keepers arrive and take me away, I think to myself.

I hear the opening of a door from the shop and her the woman yelling at her young pony as he runs out to the the slop can.

"Throw the burnt pieces away!" I hear the "witch" yell at her young colt. I regonised the pony from class. He doesn't even glance at me, but he tosses a piece of bread over my way. I didn't know weither to take it or let him pick it up. He trots back inside of his house. The spark of hope lights inside of me as I trot over to pick up the bread with my snout. I take it to my home and feed it to my family. It should be able to last us until I can sign up for grain! We eat the bread over a long period and then I become old enough to sign up for it.

I glance over to my right flank to see him crying at his side. I hold off of crying to show how strong I am. The announcer announces some information and Civil Keepers head us to a room for goodbyes. Only two ponies have ever won over the course of 74 years. Only one is still alive. Haymich Strawlyer.

That pony was always drunk with apple cider. So, the goodbyes were the only time to see our loved ones for the last time. I sit down inside of an empty room with a table and two chairs. I hop up onto a chair and wait. It takes 15 minutes until my herd trots into the room. My mother bursts into tears as Rose starts to hug me.

I begin to yell at my mom, "You have to stay strong!". She nods. "I don't mean fade away like when father died!"

"I was hurt, Poniss!" she exclaims back.

"It doesn't matter!" I continue, "you can't let Rose starve." She nods and Civil Keepers stroll into the room and carry them off.

"Promise me you will try your best!" Rose yells at me as she is guided out.

"I promise!" I yell back. They all leave and I wait some more. It isn't long until Tail trots into the room. He sits down at the opposite chair.

I break the silence by asking, " You will take care of Rose, right?" He nods. He stands back onto his four hooves and leaves. I begin to cry at the thought of death. The Civil Keepers enter the room and direct me into a train station. I enter the train to see the pony announcer, Haymic, and Eata all looking at me.

"Hi dear," the announcer starts, "I'm Elkie Trinket!"

I place my hoof around my cutie mark, a bow and arrow, and being to twirl it. I glance at the three sitting down. I frown and realize what is to become. I am going to die.

My mind begins to freak out and I start to go crazy. I begin to yell and I run into a room that has the sign of a filly. I slam the door behind myself and jump onto the sleeping pad. It is soft and very comforting. Now is the time to be weak. I begin to weep because I know that I will NEVER get to see my friends or family ever again.

The sound of a knock awakens me. I didn't realize that I had fallen asleep.

"Come on my little pony," I hear the sound of Elkie, "food is ready." He stand up on my hooves and trot to the door. I unlock it with my mouth and push it open with my snout. I walk over to a table where the three other ponies are sitting. There are servant ponies everywhere, but they wear suits that cover their cutie marks. Maybe the Stable doesn't want us to know the strength of any of the servants.

I sit down and wait for everypony to begin a conversation. I begin to eat as the other ponies start a conversation.

I listen in.

"So," Elkie begins, "how do you like the excellent selection of food!" She looks around for our approval. I ignore it and let Eata answer it.

"I-It is nice," Eata replies, "thank you." Elkie smiles and nods.

"Atleast some ponies have manners," Elkie throws in. She is really starting to annoy me. Her Stable accent and positive mood, knowing that we'll both die, makes me frustrated. I begin to nibble on my food like a pig to annoy her. She looks at me and frowns.

I finish my food and head for my room. Half way there, Haymich interupts my path.

"So you two really think that you will survive?" he asks in a drunken tone. I stare at him as Eata walks up.

"No," Eata says, "because of you!" Haymich frowns and raises his hoof. He brings it down on Eata's snout, leaving a black swollen mark. I jump infront of Eata to protect him.

Haymich's eyebrows raise. He suddenly becomes serious, but not sober.

"So what skills do you foals have?" he asks. I grab a knife from the table and throw it at the wall. It lodges into the wall perfectly; making me seem better than I actually am. He laughs and nods in approval. "Any more?" he asks.

I show him my cutie mark and he laughs. "How about you, dough pony?" he jokes.

"Unless you count baking as a skill," Eata replies, "then no." Haymich stares us both down.

"If you two do exactly, and I mean exactly what I say," he starts, "than I will stay sober enough to help you two." His cutie mark seems to be a exclamation mark. It should be a bottle of apple cider.

I put my hoof out for him to shake it. He puts his out and we shake hooves. We nod and I go to my room. I click the door shut and grunt a sound of sadness. I stroll into the bathroom. It has a shower in it. We never had showers or baths in out districts.

I look over the different options. Various ones like: warm, cold, medium, semi-hot, and stuff like that. It took me about 20 minutes to set the right temperature. Finally it was warm enough to stay in. I began to wash all of the coal dust off of me. It felt so great! I wash my hooves and snout. I press another button with my snout. An assortment of different smelling liquids squirt out onto my mane. I begin to wash it off.

I finally finish my shower and turn it off. Suddenly the change of food makes me vomit all over myself and the shower. I hop back in and take another one to clean my mane and fur.

I leave the bathroom with a robe. I dry myself off. I drop the robe to the floor and crawl into bed. I am so tired that I don't even remember falling asleep.

A knock from the door wakes me up. I lunch up and sit down. The knocking continues. I sigh and get up. I open the door to the sight of Eata.

He smiles at me. He begins, "Good morning." I nod. He lets me through as I go into the dining room. Elkie is there with a servant. No Maymich. Probably sleeping off a hangover.

"How did you sleep, dear?" Elkie asks.

"It was okay..." I respond. She smiles and points out of the window.

"We're about to enter the Stable!" she exclaims, "isn't it exciting!" I put my hooves up and swirl them around as though I'm holding flags in each hoof. I sit down on a chair and begin to eat. Pancakes with strawberry topping on it. Only the richest could afford to buy pancakes in our district.

As I finish, the train suddenly becomes really dark. The lights inside of the train brighten as the train gets darker.

"What's happening?" I ask Elkie.

Elkie laughs as she begins, "We're passing through the tunnel to get up the mountain to the Stable." The Stable used to be a city called Canterlot. Supposedly, it was the capitol of Equestria at the time of the rule of Princess Celestial.

A glow inside of the tunnel appears as the train begins to exit the mountain side. The light appears as the sun streams into the room. Suddenly, the sight of a beautiful city appears. Tons of tall buildings and old amazing designs. Ponies begin to fill the area around the train and wave at it.

"You two ready?" Elkie asks. I look over at her and nod my head. This will be where I am for the next six days until my death will come to me. The train comes to an stop as it enters a very populated area.

The streets are filled with various ponies. Weird sense of design. Looks nothing like the ponies in our district.

The servants line all of us at the door. The door slides open as Haymich walks in, looking all serious. We step out as some Civil Keepers quickly direct us into cars. We are put in and then drove us to a large building in the center of the Stable.

We are lined into the building and sent into elevators. I stand there with Elkie and Eata. The elevator rises very quickly. None like I have ever seen. The outside is made out of clear glass. People wave from the outside at our elevator as it rises up.

We end up inside of a floor with about a dozen rooms in it.

"So my little ponies," Elkie begins, "this is your new home, don't you love it?!?!" Eata walks over to the main room. It has a big television that is flat and it lies inside of the wall. Our television inside of the district was a wooden box that grew dust. Elkie points us to our rooms as I enter mine.

The room is filled with a dresser and another television like object, but it has buttons instead. The buttons had pictures of food on them, so if you pressed one; it would appear from some tube. I pressed one with the picture of an orange on it.

An orange popped out and I grabbed it using my mouth. I chomped it whole and sat down on the bed. I look to my right to see a bathroom that looked exactly like the one on the train.

I get up and begin to search through the dressers. I check the various outfits. None of them suit me. I shut the drawer using my hooves and walk to the door.

I open the door and exit the room. I go down the hallway to where the dining table is. All of the ponies are sitting there with food on the table.

"Oh," Elkie begins, "we were about to call for you." I nod silently and sit down on a chair. I put my snout into my plate and begin to eat the food. It tasted so good, but my stomach couldn't handle it. I lean over and puke all over the carpet. A servant comes over and begins to clean it.

I sigh and finish my food. I ask to be excused and Elkie gives me grant. I trot to my room and sit down staring into the ceiling fan.

Soon, I begin to get bored and exit my room. I am inside of the hallway and walk to the opposite side of the hallway. There is a door that leads to some stares. I go up them and see this gorgeous garden. I look to the right side and see Eata lying down and staring at the city below.

I trot over and sit by him. We both sit there in silence.

Finally, Eata breaks the silence, "You know how these forcefields work, right?" I shake my head as he continues, "They keep the tributes from jumping off of the edge to end there life swiftly."

"Hmm..." I reply. "If only there was another way," I add in. Eata looks at me and smiles. His gaze fades away and he looks down.

"Sometimes," he starts, "I wish I could show that they don't own me." "Like I'm not some part of their 'games," he finishes. I nod and sit there in silence. He gets up and walks towards the door. "Oh ya," he says, "nice to meet you." He smiles and leaves me there in the dark night.

I awaken to the sight of strangers with strange make up and clothings standing over me. I scream out and they laugh at the sight of me being startled. I fall out of my bed and they all grab my hooves to help me up. I shake myself off and walk to the bathroom.

"Hi there, dear!" one of the ponies say. These ponies actually have their cutie marks stamped on them. The three ponies' cutie marks are the average style dresser cutie marks.

"Who are you people?" I ask.

"We're your styliests, dearie!" one replies. The three begin to name them off. Cutie, Octaqueen, and Prettisity. The three rush me into my bathroom and begin to pretty me up. They brush my mane, apply make-up on me, and fix up my eyelashes. Once they finish, they leave the room and come back with a different pony.

This pony seemed different. His body was brown with a green mane. His wings are folded back and looks simple. Not to much Stable, and not to little Stable. He looks like a perfect pegasus.

He begins to walk around me examing my body and features. He stops and takes a breath.

"My name is Silver," he begins. I nod. "Now," he goes on, "get dressed, I think that your companions need you." I nod and leave, astounded by the way he is. He seems so nice. So simple. I like him.

I exit my room and head down the hallway to the dining hall. The three usual people that are there are, well, there.

"How did you sleep?" Eata asks me.

"Good," I tell him, "good..." He smiles and begins to clomp down on his food. I sit down and do the same.

"Here's the game plan everypony," Elkie begins, "Poniss, you will be working with me for three hours." She looks towards Eata and continues, "Eata, you will work with Haymich for the next three hours." We all nod as she smiles and checks an item off of her list.

After breakfast, we all head off to our "classes". Elkie guides me into my room and makes me put on a simple yellow dress and tall high heels. The heels feel very strange on my hooves as I strut around. I almost trip multiple times as I trot on. Elkie laughs and makes me sit down. "Now dear, we need to girlie you up some!" she laughs. We begin her lesson to walk in these things and act like a proper girl.

Over the next three hours, Elkie becomes impatient. I have shown her nothing. I still walk like a disaster and smile with a seductive feeling. She sighs and sends me off to Haymich.

At Haymich's station, he teaches me how to talk during my interview with Cashmere Sparkleton. He teaches me how to speak like a woman.

Like the same way that happened with Elkie, I learn nothing. My social skills don't improve and he becomes disappointed.

"You need to act innocent!" he yells at me. I flinch as he raises his hooves in frustration. He puts them back down and I sigh in relief. "Okay,' He says, "we need a new gameplan."

Once I finish his session, the other four ponies guide me to my room and dress me in some black body suit. They call themselves my "prep team". My prep team puts a cape around me and they send me off to the elevator.

Eata is waiting for me there with his prep team. We head down and arrive outside where a big black long car awaits us. We all climb into it and we a driven to some stadium. We enter is and are brought to carts where pegasi are in the front guiding them. We stay docked inside of the area where you step onto stage.

I catch a glimpse of all of the other tributes. They all laugh and talk and then we are called to our carts. I begin to have stage fright when Eata stands right beside me. The music begins to play and the carts are lead off. Our is in the very back. Silver waves at me and Eata and runs to us before our carts depart.

Silver is holding a torch of fire. That's when I begin to freak out.

He places the flame onto our suits and they begin to burst into flames. The only thing I feel now is a strange tingling sensation all over my body. Silver smiles at us and makes some motion where the puts her hooves together. Eata spots this and grabs my right hoof with his left.