Playing games

> Just another day in Sugar cube corner.
> The Cakes were out of town attending a baking convention, leaving one Anon and Pinkie Pie to mind the bakery while they were gone.
> Most of the baking had been taken care of during the morning, leaving both Anon and Pinkie to watch over the store.
> Much to their disdain, it seems today wasn’t going to as busy as they hoped it would be.
> “Nonny?” says Pinkie Pie while toying with her hair.
> She was sitting behind the counter, ready to serve the next customer that would walk in.
> Not that there was going to be a customer anytime soon, but it paid to be prepared.
> Anon was sitting at one of the stalls, re-enacting WW2 with cutlery and a bottle of maple syrup.
“KABOOOOM! Ratatatatata! ARGHHHHHH the pain!” as of right now, Anon was in his own little world.
> “Nonny?  NONNY? Hello? ANONONONY?!” chatters Pinkie Pie, trying to pull Anon out of his daydream.
“Huh? Oh Ponks…”
> This was an affectionate nickname that Anon had given Pinkie after he first started working at the bakery.
> The first time he talked to the pink pony, he had misheard her name for “Ponka Pey”.
> He wasn’t that familiar with Equestrian naming sense back then, so he decided to role with it.
> After calling her ‘Ponks’ the entire day, Pinkie decided to correct him.
> Of course this goes without saying that she got most of Ponyville laughing at him.
> Not really scornful, more like understanding laughter.
> Anon was embarrassed at first, but he could take a joke and one certain party mare loved to tell ‘em.
> After that, those two became inseparable.
“What’s up Ponks” say Anon.
> His hands come to rest. The knife and spoon soldiers live to see another day.
> He looks up at Pinkie as she giggles at his silliness.
> “Oh nothing, I was just wondering if you wanted to play a game with me?” A slight twinkle, of what can be assumed mischief, flickers through her eyes.
“What kind of game” replies Anon, genuinely curious as to what the mare had in mind.
> Anon has become accustomed to Pinkie’s eccentricities.
> He was always a tad bit eccentric. This is probably what made them ‘click’ together in the first place.
> “A pony game” short and succinct is her reply.
“Hmmm… Does it involve any criminal activity? Because you know my position when it comes to criminal activities.” Anon replies with a stern look on his face.
> To which Pinkie Pie giggles.
> “Yep! Nonny loves himself some criminal activities.” the mare continues to giggles.
> Anon joins in on her giggle fit.
“Okay sure, why not? I do love playing games and if they involve some mischief then all the better”
> Anon cracks a grin a Pinkie Pie, to which she responds with a shy smile.
“Ahahaha silly Nonny! Wait right here! I’ll go get the board!” and with that she leapt off of the counter and scurried off towards the stairs.
> Anon sat there thinking about what she said.
“Board huh? I don’t really like playing those kinds of games” thought Anon.
> Anon wasn’t really fond of board games but knowing Pinkie, anything she thought was fun most probably is.
> It was like a rule of nature to Anon.
> Being with Pinkie Pie made life more fun.
> Why would playing a board game be any different?
> Anon was now much more excited about the prospect of playing with Pinkie Pie.
> He sat in his chair, waiting for the pink pony to bounce her way down the stairs, all the while balancing a couple of board games and their respective pieces on her head.
> He imagined her hopping towards him, the excitement and joy radiating off of her face.
> This made him smile.
> Pinkie Pie soon returned with a board upon her head and a smile upon her face, just like how Anon had imagined it.
> She bounced towards the table he was sitting at and sat across him with a ‘plonk’.
> She giggled at the sound she had just made.
> Anon was all but present, still in the daydream about him and Pinkie Pie playing an assortment of board games.
> His mind flits from Monopoly to Tic Tac Toe, from Battleship to Snakes and Ladders.
> Right now he is lost in a scenario in which he had created his own board game.
> It involved a lot of math and some dressing and undressing.
“The square root of 36 isn’t ‘sprinkles’ Pinkie… Time to put on them socks!” He mumbles to himself, a small chuckle follows suite.
> Pinkie Pie watches him as he wonders through his thoughts, amused at how creative he can be whilst in them and how absent minded he was during one of his trips.
> “Nonny?” she calls to him, gently pulling him out of his dream world, yet again.
“I was daydreaming again, wasn’t I?” questions Anonymous.
> “Yep, and you were pretty noisy about it too! Why was I wearing socks in your daydream Nonny?”
> As she says this she tilts her head cutely to the side, part curious, part mischievous.
> Anon blushes at her words.
“It’s nothing Ponks, just one of those weird ideas I have.” He mumbles these words while wearing a red tinge across his face.
> He knows full well that socks and other foot wear are considered as ‘lingerie’ here in Equestria. So why was he imagining Pinkie in them?
> Anon shakes the thoughts from his head.
‘Best not to delve into such things right now.’ He thinks. He has a game to win.
> Pinkie smirks at Anon, sending a shiver down his spine.
> She will be using this against him, he knows it.
> “Whatever you say Nonny. Now, let’s start the game.” She says this while setting up the board.
> On it are two pieces; one green and the other pink, both of which resemble Earth ponies.
> They sit on opposite edges of the board. The board itself is made of wood and is divided into numerous squares. It resembles a chessboard, except for the rainbow colored box in the middle of it.
> Anon observes the board. He tries to make out what kind of game it might be? What he comes up with is absolutely nothing.
“Ponks? What kind of game is this?” he questions her.
> “It’s a pony game silly. Didn’t I tell you before?” She giggles back to him.
> She says this sweetly, teasing Anon and goading him into pressing on further.
> His curiosity peaked, he pushes on.
“How do you play?” he says this hoping to get some sort of answer from her.
“Oh Nonny , it’s super duper simple. You are the green pony and I am the pink one! We take turns asking questions and if the other pony answers it ‘truthfully’ then they get to move one space. First pony to the middle wins!”
> Anon thinks to himself, “A board game version of truth or dare?”.
> As Anon mulls over the rules, Pinkie speaks up.
> “And don’t even try to cheat. This board is magic and it won’t let you move if you lie, so you can only tell the truth!” as she says this, the mischievous twinkle she had in her eyes returns.
> An odd feeling washes over Anon. He questions whether this is really just a game or not.
> Perhaps Pinkie Pie has something planned?
> “Ready to start Nonny?” says Pinkie Pie, beaming a smile towards Anonymous.
“Ready as I’ll ever be” is his reply.
> That mares smile wiped away all the worry and suspicion he had towards the game.
> Anon acknowledged that Pinkie had a weird effect on him and that perhaps playing this ‘questionable’ game wasn’t going to be as bad as he thought it was.
> “Okay! I’ll start!” said the enthusiastic mare.
> To which Anon replied with a nervous chuckle.
> “What… is your favourite color?” said pinkie, smiling.
> This threw Anon off and for a few moments he was dumbstruck.
> He did not expect such a simple, straightforward question from Pinkie Pie.
“Umm…” was his only reply.
>  Pinkie giggled at Anon’s lack of thought, finding it funny that such a simple question had stumped the normally witty, albeit absentminded Anon.
> “Anon, I was only asking what your favourite color was, not how to make it rain chocolate milk.”
> Anon’s face contorted into one of pure concentration, his mind was focused on answering her question.
> Pinkie Pie laughed at this, she didn’t actually think that he was trying to figure out the formula to chocolate rain, but going by the face he was making, he could have been.
“It’s blue Pinkie, my favourite color is blue.”
> A small grainy sound was heard as the green piece slid its way towards the next space.
> “Yay!” chirped Pinkie. “You told the truth Nonny!”
> Anon slowly began to understand the meaning of the game. It was a game to deepen bonds, a game to strengthen friendship, a game in which you get to know your friends better.
> Having realized the purpose of this game, a wave of happiness and relief washed over him.
> No punch line or gag here, just a friendly game with his best friend.
> He smiled at Pinkie and she returned it.
> Anon sat there for a few seconds thinking of a question to ask Ponks.
> Pinkie was patiently waiting her turn, having noticed that Anon was thinking of a question to ask her.
> This patience however was short lived, seeing as it was the nature of Pinkie Pie to be hyper.
> “Anonony ~! Hurry up!” droned Pinkie, having finally run out of her short supply of patience.
“Alright alright, hold your horses, I’m thinking”
> In reply, Pinkie started hugging herself and giggling.
> Anon gave a sigh of resignation and spoke up.
“Alright Pinkie, what is your favourite song?”
> This wasn’t the most awe-inspiring of questions but it was enough to please Pinkie.
> Pinkie scratched her chin in thought.
> “Hmmm, I like a lot of songs but if I had to choose a favourite then it would be…” pinkie paused for dramatic effect.
> “THE SMILE SONG!”
> As she said this, she leapt on the table and started to sing.
> Anon chuckled at her antics and joined in on the impromptu karaoke session.
> After the third iteration they finally settled down and went on with playing the game.
> During the little show, her piece had slid closer to the center of the board.
“Your turn Ponks.”
> Pinkie sat up.
> “Have you ever kissed a mare?” said Pinkie Pie, a tinge of red lighting her face.
> Anon was a little taken back by Pinkies question. Sure, he knew that she would get to asking the embarrassing stuff sooner or later, but he didn’t expect it THIS soon in the game.
> He looked into Pinkie’s eyes and replied.
“No, not yet.”
> The green piece moved one space closer to the middle of the board.
> Pinkie perked up at this and shot Anon a smile. The tinge on her face deepening slightly.
> “So only stallions right?” she said while giving a laugh.
> Anon’s reply was only a dead pan stare and a shake of his head.
“I don’t like stallions that way Ponks… actually I’ve never tried so I don’t really know. Maybe I should try kissing a stallion, it might be my cup of tea.” A smirk runs across Anons face as he says this.
> The green piece slid its way towards the middle of the board yet again.
> And like that, a shocked Pinkie stopped laughing and looked towards Anon, then at the board, before finally back at Anon.
> When she realized it was a joke she slid back into her chair and gave off a small chuckle.
> “Good one Nonny. It’s your turn now” said the now calm Pinkie.
> Anon gave her a sly grin and spoke up.
“Pinkie, is there anyone who you want to be your special somepony?”
> Pinkie Pie froze in her seat, the smile she had just seconds before was plastered on her face as if she was wearing a mask.
> Anon’s grin grew wider, knowing full well that he had got her.
> The pink mare began to fidget in her seat. Her pink face now dyed red. Her stare was fixated on the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
> Anon was now indulging himself in a hearty laugh. Never before has her seen Pinkie Pie this flustered.
> “… do” she mumbled.
> Anon stopped laughing.
“What?”
> “I do have somepony that I like.” Said Pinkie under her breath.
> As soft as it was, Anon was still able to catch what Pinkie had said.
> Anon didn’t expect Pinkie to have somepony that she liked. He had asked her that question, fully expecting that she would reply with a flustered “no”, but for her to actually say yes…
> And with that Anon returned to the world of his imagination. In it was Pinkie Pie and some nameless stallion; they were out on a date.
> Anon imagined Pinkie and the stallion sharing a meal together then going on a walk at the park.
> He imagined them sitting on a bench, talking.
> He saw her give the stallion a soft smile while he droned on and on about his job, giving a small laugh at whatever lame joke the pony had to offer.
> And then finally he saw Pinkie leaning into the stallion, eyes focused on his, her face a breath away from the smirk pony.
> Slowly her mouth moved towards his…
“Oh…” was Anon’s reply to Pinkies answer.
> He woke himself up from his daydream, not really feeling up to finishing it.
> “Oh…” was Pinkies reply.
> The atmosphere became stale and awkward.
> Both Anon and Pinkie were fidgeting in their seat, avoiding eye contact with each other.
> The only sound present was the little pink figure scraping its way along the wooden board as it slid towards the next space.
> Anon decided that it was best just to continue with the game, after all it was something Pinkie had started in order to deepen THEIR relationship.
> She was playing with him and not that ‘nameless’ stallion.
> “Ahem…” coughed Anon, “I think it’s your turn Pinkie.”
> With this the mare sat up a little. She was still avoiding eye contact with Anon, something he took note of.
> “Do you have somepony that you want to be your special somepony?” mumbled the timid Pinkie Pie.
> ‘Fair enough’ Anon thought.
> He had asked her something personal, so she was allowed to ask the same from him.
“No I don’t have anyone that I want to be my special somepony.” Replied Anon.
> After hearing this Pinkie deflated a little and shrunk back in her seat.
> She stared at the board waiting for Anons piece to move.
> After a minute or so of staring, she realized something.
> Anons piece wasn’t moving and that meant only one thing.
> He was lying.
> “You’re lying Anon! You do have somepony you like! Who is it?” pinkie all but screams this at Anon, tears threatening to run down her face.
> Anon is shocked by the development, he did not expect her to react like this.
> Frankly speaking, he told her the truth. He doesn’t have ‘somepony’ that he likes, well at least he believes he doesn’t. But now looking down at the magical board game he begins to doubt himself.
> Pinkies face is scrunched up in anger; her eyes are locked unto his.
> “It’s Fluttershy isn’t it! You said that you loved spending time with her and her animals. Or maybe it’s Rarity, she’s really beautiful and classy, there’s no way you wouldn’t want her to be your special somepony.” She is now crying, her eyes tightly shut, tears streaming down her face. She isn’t even paying attention to Anon, she is focusing all her energy onto her words.
>”It’s Trixie isn’t it? *hic* y-you always thought she was g-great and *hic* p-powerful…” at this point she had completely broken down and was nothing more than a sobbing pile of pink sadness.
> Anon just sat there in silence. He watched Pinkie as she poured her heart out.
> He sat there and watched her cry her heart out, completely dumbstruck but what had transpired.
> He began to think upon what had happened.
> Why the board thought he was lying.
> Why Pinkie was so distraught at the thought of him and somebody else.
> Why it hurt him so much seeing her likes this.
> He thought upon what she had said.
> ‘Who do I want as my special somepony?’
> He knew for sure it wasn’t Fluttershy, nor was it Rarity or Trixie.
> No, he knew it was none of them.
> He knew that there was only one pony that had such an effect on his heart.
> Only one pony who could be his special ‘somepony’.
“It’s Pinkie.”
> Pinkie looked up at Anon.
> Her eyes were red and her mane stuck to her face.
> She looked up questioningly at Anon, no quite believing what he had said?
> “Wh-what did you…” she choked out.
“ I like you Ponks.” He spoke softly.
> Her breath got caught in her throat.
> Silence permeated the room.
> Anon was staring into Pinkies eyes, his face stern and serious.
> Pinkie just sat there watching him.
> For her time had stopped. There was nothing more than him and her at that moment.
> She was waiting for a sign, a sign to tell her it was all true.
> And it came.
> A small sound was heard from the table they were sitting at.
> The little green pony was moving closer to the center of the board.
> She was shocked.
> It was true. Everything was true.
> Anon had just told her that he likes her. He had just told pinkie that he feels the same way as her. That he loves her.
> Pinkie’s mouth was agape, staring at the little piece settling on the board.
> She was at a loss for words.
“I guess it’s my turn” said Anon, completely ignoring Pinkies struck expression.
Anon leaned forward and spoke, “Pinkie…”
> The stunned mare shut her mouth and looked up at him.
> Her eyes searching his.
“Pinkie… would you be my special somepony?”
> Her heart stopped.
> ‘Did he just ask me to be his special somepony?’
> This thought circled through Pinkies mind.
> Her tears returned and were now running down her face.
> A small smile crept up from her lips.
> “I don’t know Nonny… There are a lot of other stallions out there that would love to be my special somepony.” She said as she hid her eyes under her mane.
> Anon froze, panic was spreading over his face.
“Pinkie-“ he tried to speak but he was instantly silenced by a pair of soft pink lips.
> Pinkie pie had sprung up from her seat and unto his lap. She had completely disregarded the board game and went straight for her ‘prize’.
> Anon was stunned by her actions but upon coming to his sense he quickly returned the gesture.
> What was only a few brief seconds to the outside world, was eternity for the two.
> That moment was bliss.
> They broke apart soon after to catch their breaths.
> Anon turned to Pinkie.
“So do I take that as a yes?” a grin spreading across his face.
> “Hihihihi of course Nonny. I will be your special somepony and you will be mine.” A small blush ran across her face. She buried herself into Anon.
> They sat there in each other’s embrace, content with the way things were.
> Anon thought back to the start of the game and had come to realize something.
> This was what Pinkie wanted, to know him better.
> He looked down at the devious little mare, a soft smile crept across his face.
> ‘Well whatever” he thought, “I got what I wanted too, I’ll let her slide… this time”.
>  And with that he returned to hugging his special somepony. Her happy purrs warmed his heart.
> On the ground lay the board and in the middle stood a single pink Earth pony.
> A sign that Pinkie had won the game.