[3] Poker and Ponies

>Still day cardgames in Equestria
>You are Celestia, and you're nervously shuffling the four decks of cards you took out
>Tzeentch had given you some advice regarding the game earlier
>Something about trying to remove your tell
>Whirly was sitting to your left, and he was already grinning like a mad-stallion
>The cheeky bastard didn't even bring along a bag of bits, only enough for the first two hooves
>When you remake the guard's armor like you had been planning, the spikes were going on the INSIDE of his suit
>With one going right up his-
>"WARMASTER! WE HAVE ARRIVED!"
>Your attention is brought to the large door leading into the room, and Anon is standing there, massive barrel under one arm
>Twilight is right beside him, a strange look of worry on her face
>And Spike has a massive grin, sitting on one of Anon's pauldrons
>He hopped down, being careful to avoid one of the jutting blades, and ran over to hug your leg
>"Princess! It's so good to see you! How have- What's all this stuff on your fur?"
>He pulls his hand away, some of the red dye on it
"Why, my little dragon, it's part of a new style I'm trying out. I think it looks rather nice, wouldn't you agree?"
>You shoot Anon a glance as you say that, and you could almost say he blushed slightly
>Almost
>Anon nods his head, Twilight just keeps giving you that worried look, and Spike just shrugs
>They each find their own stools, and you settle the cards that you didn't realize you were still shuffling down, bringing one deck to the middle of the table
>Going clockwise, it was you, Whirly, Twilight, Anon, and finally Spike
>And it would have stayed that way, had Luna not burst into the room, making you explode the deck of cards
>Again
>Really, you think after tens of thousands of years, you would have that under control by now
>"Sister! I have secured the treasury, hidden the booze, warned the officials, and closed the banks! You should be safe to play, now! I shall also be joining you!
>You shoot her a glare, and Twi's face scrunches into a slight grimace
>"P-princess, is that look really necessary? And I thought this was going to be a friendly game..."
>You almost immediately snap back to your warm smile, the face you wear every day for your little ponies
>The damage, however, had been done
"If you all would excuse me, I would like to talk with my faithful student for just a moment"
>You get up, and Twilight follows you as Luna makes her way to the table, and she raises an eyebrow at the barrel behind Anon's stool
>Outside the room, you turn to Twilight, and bend down to nuzzle at her neck, trying to comfort her.
>She visibly recoils, something that worries you
"Twilight? What ever is the matter? I haven't seen you this worried since your first test!"
>"W-what's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? You're covered in blood, for your sake! You have bones embedded in the royal regalia! You shot your own sister a hatred filled glare! You even have a weapon strapped to your side!"
>You're taken aback by her outburst, but she continues onwards
>"What has happened to you? The pure, pristine princess that I looked up to..."
>She starts to tear up
>Oh dear, this is going far worse than you thought it would
>Time for damage control
>Kneeling down, you quickly whip magic around yourself to make the dye and bones disappear, as well as the chain axe
>At least for now. You do look rather sexy with all that, if you do say so yourself
>You wrap her in a wing, pulling her close
"Twilight, my faithful student, I'm still the loving pony that you remember. I still care for each and every one of you, especially Luna. And the blood is only a dye"
>A dye made with blood, but you left that detail out
>Blood that was yet another gift from anon
>"W-what about the bones?"
"I thought my day to day outfit would use a bit of sprucing up. It hasn't been changed in over two thousand years, and I thought an update was in order. Besides, the bone is quite intricately carved"
>You return your regalia to its 'new' form, and lower your crown off your head
>Indeed it was intricately carved. Tiny symbols and lines covered the embedded bone, the some carving so small and detailed that it had to have been done with magic
>But it wasn't
>Anon had personally designed and carved it himself, and presented the bones to you during one of your tea 'dates'
>Oh, you're blushing
>"Wow, how long did this take to make? It's beautiful up close"
>Thank you Twilight, back on track and blushing derailed
"Anon made it for me. I still don't know how he did it. I mean, his fingers are nimble, but not that nimble"
>"...Princess? What do you mean? I've only seen him with those massive gauntlets"
>Well, crap. You're blushing again
>Who said you needed the dye? You can turn red all on your own
"N-never mind that. How about we get back to everybody else? I do believe we have a game of poker to play"
>"Okay, princess. Just one more question. What about that axe thing?"
>You only grin and unholster in, and turn it on for a moment.
>A loud 'VRRRRR' sounds out as the chains rev to life, and vibrations pass all along the weapon, making it shake in your magical grip
"It makes such a wonderful sound, doesn't it?"
>And it feels lovely to hold, but you wouldn't tell her that
>Mmm, and more than just hold
>No! Bad Celestia! No thought like that, especially when Twilight is here
>You can rip and tear when only Anon is around
(You dirty minded readers. I know exactly what you were thinking)
>You turn the axe off and return it to your side, and Twilight quickly makes her way back to the room, with you following close behind her
>Only to walk into her when she stops dead in her tracks at the sight of what had happened in the room
>Spike was passed out on the floor, in a pool of whatever drink it was that Anon had brought
>Whirly was on the table, squirming about
>The reason for that was that Luna was rather furiously making out with him
>You turned to Anon, who looked at you with a shrug, his skull mug in hand
>"I thought we could have a drink while we waited for you two. I guess ponies can't handle their ale"
>You stare at him for a moment, then at the scene in front of you
>Then to Twilight, and back at him
>And laugh
>For once, a poker game has ended with everyone EXCEPT you getting completely smashed and doing something stupid
>Well, you, Twilight, and Anon
>...
>Eh, buck it
>You grab Anon's mug with your magic and yank it from him
>Seeing as everyone else was completely smashed, you might as well join in on the fun
>You shoot a devious grin at Anon, and raise the mug
"Down the hatch!"