Flurry and Anonpone

>"There's nothing to worry about, you look fine." Cadance says, trying her best to reassure you
>"Trust me dude, there's nothing wrong." Shining Armor puts a hoof on your shoulder
>They show you the mirror once more and you shout, a strange face looking back at you
>"Come on, we know exactly who you're for." Shining Armor and Cadance give you a push
"Sh-shouldn't there be a class or something? I'm not ready for this!"
>"The best way to learn is to go right into something!" Cadance says
>You stumble and the two shove you through a doorway into a strange room
>It was cluttered, bordering on messy, with posters all across the crystal walls
>You stumble over your hooves and fall to the patterned carpet tiles on the ground, drawing the attention of a pony sitting at an arcade machine in the corner
>She looks over at you for a moment before the machine chimes angrily, ypu could hear the sound of Pac-Man dying
>"Flurry!" Cadance sings loudly, "This is Anon, why don't you stop with the games and maybe spend some time with him?" her magic stands you back up and drags Flurry closer
>She had on a thick sweater, glasses, and her braces flashed when she smiled
>"Mom, I... I really don't." she says, "I'm fine."
>"Well, Anon is different. I picked him out myself, so you know he's a keeper."
>Flurry seemed more flustered than upset by all of this
>She looks at you a bit too closely, "If they're forcing you to be here, you can go."
>Cadance's wing smack against your flank, pushing you towards Flurry, "No really, he's perfect for you, he's just got some trouble expressing it!"
>Shining Armor nods in agreement, "Trust your mother on this, she's literally never wrong."
>"It's just kind of weird, I wasn't expecting any of this. At all." Flurry says
>"We'll leave you two alone!" Shining says, the two of the sliding back out the door and shutting you in with Flurry
"H-hi. I'm Anon." you try to break the mile-thick ice
>"If you don't want to be here, you can go, really."
"No no no, I-I do want to be here I just have no idea what to do. I'm pretty bad at... Basically meeting new people, er, ponies."
>Flurry leans to one side, looking past you to check the door, "Mom's kind of, really invested, I guess. I didn't expect her to do something like this though."
>Flurry's room felt a little smaller now that it was shut, just the two of you in here
>"So, if you really want to be here and talk to me and all that. Maybe we should do, some of that talking stuff."
"... Yes. That's a great idea."
>Flurry looks around the room for something, "I... Uh, I really like boardgames. Do you... Play any?"
"Yes. Yes I do. Do you like, like space and scifi stuff?"
>"Kinda, I have Hyperspace Hyperwars and I play with dad a lot."
"What's that?"
>Flurry's nose scrunches up, "Oh, uh, i-it's a tabletop game. It's less like a board game and more roleplaying."
"Can I see?"
>Flurry Heart retreats a bit, heading to a corner of the room to grab a wooden chest
>She brings it back and sets it on the table, opening the top
>Flurry unrolls a large enchanted cloth mat showing off some scrolling scenery for the board
>She pulls out some dice, a couple scenery items that looked like trees and buildings, and finally she sets out some figurines of insectoid alien creatures
>"I don't have a lot of them, but this is my sludgenoid army so far." Flurry says, floating one over to you
>You look at it carefully, the figurine suspended in a faint green glow
>It looked like Chrysalis fucked a xenomorph and it was painted pink
"Hey this is pretty cool looking. How do you play?"
>Flurry's original nervous demeanor faded slightly, her ears perking up
>"Oh! U-uh, I don't really know all the rules too well but dad does. Do you wanna play right now?" She's excited, or at least not in her shell
>It took a bit, but you managed to get her out
"I... Uh, yeah. Yeah I wanna play."
>"Okay, uh, wait here I'll go get dad!"
>The alicorn hurries out of the room, disappearing for a few minutes while you sit down at the table and examine the figurines
>Suddenly the great crystal doors creak open again as Flurry Heart leads Shining Armor in with her
>He's also holding a chest, taking out a group of figurines that look like ponies, but only kind of
>"So you saw Flurry's sludgenoids, well that's one faction you can play as. These are my Cyberguards." Shining says, sitting down next to you with Flurry on your other side
>It felt like... Being a part of a family.
>Shiny shows you a figurine of a guard, only it was built like some kind of monstrously swole gymlord decked in shiny armor
"So how do you decide who plays what side?"
>"You can play any of the factions, you just have to get the figures for it." Flurry chimes in
"Oh okay. I see."
>"And since you're new to the game, and Flurry is too. We can just play the book's beginner scenario." Shining says, pulling out a huge tome and flipping through it, "Let's see here... Perfect, the Conflict of Keter 7, featuring the sludgenoids' home planet."
>Using magic, Shining rearranges the board and a few of the figurines with surprising speed
>Flurry's cloth mat shifts, changing to show an dark, alien landscape with colorful plants that glowed a light orange
>Shining set down a wrecked ship and a few of the cyberguards. "And here... Our adventure begins with a wrongful exit from hyperspace bringing down Cyberguard unit 44 onto Keter 7. The uncharted sludgenoid homeworld."
>4 hours crawl by during an exciting campaign narrated by Shining Armor
>It was fun, more fun than you'd ever had
>Flurry Heart was merciless, but her attack formations were a bit unskilled
>You tried to catch on, but by the time you'd figured out anything, you were down to your last two Cyberguards
>"Finally, after a nightmarish day on Keter 7, the dropship arrives! Anon, your Cyberguard squad is saved. If they can fight their way to the ship." he says with a trollish grin
>Flurry stops her attacks, shifting her pieces towards the ship
>You try to figure out what she's doing sending her berserkers that way
>They moved faster than your Cyberguard heavy units, quickly surrounding the ship in a few turns
>"The emergency dropship receives fatal damage to the portside engine and flips over with a massive explosion." Shining says with a roll of the dice, "Splash damage to everything within 2 hooves of it."
>The resulting explosion wiped out most of Flurry's sludgenoids and your last two cyberguards
>Shining closes the book
"Did I lose?"
>"Well technically, yes. But it's a story, and anything can happen next. As long as you had fun there's no losers."
"It was so fun, can we do another one?"
>Shining shakes his head, "Maybe later, would you like to join us for dinner, Anon?" he says
>You nod while Flurry packs up the game pieces
>She leaves the room, briefly leaving you with Shining Armor
>He stops you on the way out, "How are you adjusting? Do you like her?"
"I... Yeah, she's... You're sure she's real and I'm not dreaming right now?"
>Shining's hoof pats on your back, "Your heart's in the right place. She's a good girl and I hated seeing her sit alone in her room everyday."
>He gives you a strong hug, "You be good to her. Okay?"
>You nod and head to dinner with him, "I will."
>You and Shining walk a good ways across the castle
>There was a faint clacking on the shiny crystal floors, everything in the castle was just beautiful, you couldn't stop yourself from looking up the vaulted ceiling at the ornate pillars and floral designs etched into it all
>Your mouth agape, Shining takes notice, "You'll love it here, Cadance really took to redesigning *everything* after she got the throne from Sombra. You wouldn't believe how gloomy he made crystals look."
"I've heard about him."
>"So I know you and Flurry are really hitting it off so far, I bet she'd like a stallion in armor. I could get you a spot on the guard if you want something to do around here."
"Well... I really like cooking."
>Shining nudges your side with an elbow, somehow keeping a perfect stride, "Mares love a guy who can cook." he says, a bit of bravado in his voice, "Caddy loves it when I make breakfast. I'll talk to the head chef about it."
"Hey Shining... We were really hitting it off? I mean, maybe I'm not so good at reading signals, I just want to hear your opinion."
>"Definitely, she doesn't usually come out of her shell that much around anypony. I think she likes you a lot already."
"Sorry, I was just worried she might not have been into me."
>"You're fine, it's only the first day Anon. Give her some time if you need something to ease your worries." he replies, opening the door into the dining hall
>At the far end, Flurry and Cadance were having a conversation that hushed itself as you two entered
>"Hey you two!" Shining smiles
>Flurry Heart settles back in her seat, looking at you happily
>"Hey dad, hey Anon. I was just telling mom about our game."
>Cadance smiles, looking around in confusion, "I have no idea. Those table games are your thing."
>Shining sits down by Cadance, leaving you a seat next to Flurry Heart
>You sit down by her, getting a sideways grin around the frame of her glasses
>"So... What'd dad say to you?" Flurry asks quietly while Shining and Cadance talked
"Oh, just the castle and all the designing." you reply
>"She did all that herself. It's crazy good."
>One of the cooking staff came out, setting a pizza on the table
>You inspect it carefully, it's not just any pizza
>It's a Chicago deep dish pizza, Cadance thanks the staff and they pardon themselves
>The slices stick together beautifully, cheese refusing to break as Cadance pulls a slice from the circle
"So the legends are true..." you whisper
>Flurry looks over, being the only one to hear you, "Yeah, mom loves pizza. I don't blame her, it's the best."
>In a matter of minutes, the pizza has disappeared as the small family chats among eachother
>Suddenly, while you and Shining Armor were talking about Hyperspace Hyperwars, Cadance drops one monstrous question
>"How do you like him so far?"
>You and Shiny stop talking
>All eyes on Flurry, she freezes up, mentally bluescreening
>"Uh... He's right here, mom." she huffs, then she looks at you, really trying to think
>If she said she liked you, what if you thought she was being too clingy and if she said nothing you might think she didn't like you
>"I... Uh." Flurry breathes heavily and quickly
>With a flash of her horn, the alicorn disappears in a flash of magic
>Cadance's face droops a few inches, "O-oh. She just needed a bit to herself." she says, noticing your worry
>Shining nods, "We... Probably shouldn't have asked that in the way we did."
>"I was just excited, she's all grown up now and I just want her to be happy."
>"Just give her some time, and I'll go see where she's hiding." Shining Armor says, addressing you
>Cadance stares at the table, a solemn worry on her brow
>With Shining gone, it just left you and her
>"Do you like her, Anon?" she says
"Yeah, she's fun to be around."
>"That's good. I just want her to be happy, you know?" Cadance sighs
"It's only been a day, but I think she's awesome. I just don't want to push things too fast and scare her off."
>"I was just excited, you'll be her first coltfriend and she's so shy around stallions."
>You nod, "I understan-"
>Cadance perks her ears up, "You can be honest with me Anon, do you... Can you see you and Flurry. Together?"
"It feels a little early to tell... But I really want to say yes, I hope she likes me too!" you say giddily
>"You've probably heard it before, but just be yourself." Cadance smiles
"Y-yeah..."
>A short while later, Shining Armor comes back to the table, he didn't look upset or worried
>"Hey you two, Flurry's just back in her room. She needed some time to think." he says, before turning to you, "Anon, how about we get you met up with the chefs if you want something to do around here?"
"Like, the chefs here? I'm not really in the same league as the ponies who cook for royalty. I'm more of a local restaurant cook."
>Shining's hoof pats on your back, "Flurry will need some time to herself, I'll introduce you to Potluck, you'll get along just fine."
>The unicorn's magic drags you a bit before you follow him to the kitchen
>The doors open up into a very large kitchen
>Crystal floors, a real wood stove done in brick, you could see the garden outside, there were so many stoves and actual crystal cutlery
>Shining noticed your staring around at the literal dream kitchen, when he points out the chef
>"Hey Potluck!" he says to a stocky mahogany stallion in a white coat, "This is Anon, my future son-in-law!"
>"Hey! There he is!" Potluck says in a thick New York accent, "So this is the guy you were goin' on about last week?"
>Shining Armor puts a foreleg around you, "Yep, he just met Flurry today."
>"So how can I help you two?" Potluck asks
>"Anon here is a cook, he wants to know if can help out around the kitchen."
>Potluck nods, "I don't see why not. You want the tour of the place?"
"Yes please."
>Shining Armor tags along while Potluck shows you around the kitchen
>It was like someone crossed a Dominoe's and the White House
>"This here's the brick oven. Princess Cadance got tired of oven-baked, and she's absolutely right when she says the wood fire makes it better."
>Potluck continues a slow walk around the kitchen, "Fridges, some traditional ovens, typical appliances. We just have a lot of space in case the princess ever has company over."
"And the garden outside?"
>"Everything we eat here has been grown right outside." Potluck grins, "I do the gardening myself too!"
>Shining Armor chimes in, "Yeah, he's got some real talent."
"I wasn't a pro chef or anything, I just ran the cooking at an Olive Garden, nothing special."
>"Don't worry, I ran a pizza joint Cadance and Shiny ate at all the time before they got married. When they moved into the castle, I get an offer, bing bang boom, I'm cookin' for royalty now." he laughs, "Best job I ever had."
>The door to the kitchen opens up with a quiet squeak, but one can still notice
>You turn to look, Flurry has poked her head in, "Hey Anon? Do you have a minute?"
>Before you can answer, Shining gives you a push, "Go on, me and Potluck are gonna go get something to drink."
>Feeling a little weak in the knees, you walk over through the kitchen doors
>You and Flurry are standing in the little alcove between the dining hall and the kitchen
>What if this is bad?
>Shit, what if this is really bad?!
>Dozens of possibilities run through your head all at once until she starts talking
>"Anon... Today was really fun. I'm sorry if it seemed rude when I left dinner so suddenly."
"No, no, it was okay I get it. Shining said you needed time to think."
>"No, it wasn't okay. It probably made you think I didn't like you."
>There's a brief silence
>"But, I do like you. A lot. I don't wanna sound too forward about it but you're fun, and I really wanted today to never end." she says
"I really liked today too. A-and you. A lot."