The Long and Short of It: Grandmaster Battle · 11:18pm Dec 16th, 2021

>You are Cut N. Paste with a heart full of fear.
>As you and your herdmates step past the curtain, you’re met with a disconcerting sight.
>An honest to Celestia throne room.
>Whatever this room used to be used for before, it has been totally converted toward its new purpose.
>The lights that were once built into the ceiling have been straight-up torn out, leaving novelty crystal torches lining the wall as the room’s only source of light.
>This gives the place a dim, dungeon-like ambiance that would be really cool if not for the fact it belonged to a mad mare.
>The center of the room itself is taken up by a massive game table that you’re almost positive no mare in the building could move, even if they were working together.
>It's thick, wooden, and covered in ornate carvings of unicorns playing cards.
>How rich is this mare?
>That thing must have cost a fortune!
>Speaking of fortunes, the grandmaster, no, the Grandmaster herself is seated on a beautiful throne that’s been given its own raised platform.
>Like the table, it's made of solid wood, inlaid with gold trimming that makes a beautiful pattern which reminds you of the pattern that was printed along the edges of old Cyber cards.
>Dang, you wish you had that kind of money!
>”Welcome! Welcome, Cut N. Paste!” the Grandmaster’s voice suddenly rings out.
>Stepping off her throne, she struts down the steps to the floor and begins approaching the three of you.
>”I had hoped you’d be the one to take my challenge tonight.”
>A white hoof juts out from under her flowing robe, gesturing to the game table.
>”I hope you’re prepared. For tonight you shall face a master in the game my ancestors have been dominating since—”
>Suddenly, the Grandmaster’s monologue is cut off by the sound of the curtain fluttering and a familiar voice.
>>”Honey? Sorry I’m late, but I picked up some of those cookies you really like as an apology.”
>Almost as one, you, Pike, and Anon all turn to look at the newcomer.
>Awkwardly standing halfway through the curtain with a tupperware on her back is none other than the most recent addition to Pike’s squad, Rook.
>>”Oh! Uh, hi, Sarge! Didn’t expect to see you here.”
>Pike stands there confused for a moment, before something seems to click.
>>>”Wait a second,” Pike says, “If you’re calling this grandmaster ‘honey’ that means...”
>She suddenly whips around, pointing an accusatory hoof at the cloaked mare.
>>>”YOU’RE PRINCE BLUEBLOOD!?” she shouts in surprise.
“WHAT!?”

“YOU!?”
>You are Anonymous the unicorn and you can scarcely believe what you just heard.
>No, in fact, you don’t believe it.
>The “mare” who’s been running everyone who comes to this tournament ragged, is actually Blueblood!?
>That’s—
>Actually, that would be completely on-brand for him.
>Also completely on-brand for Blueblood, is the reaction the grandmaster gives toward Rook’s intrusion.
>”Baaaaaaaaaaabe!” a familiarly whiny voice rings out.
>Lighting what you're now certain is HIS horn, the grandmaster tosses aside his cloak in one swift motion.
>Revealing himself to truly be none other than the nephew of Princess Celestia, Prince Blueblood.
>”You ruined my dramatic reveaaaaaaaal!”
>Wow, talk about a blast from the past.
>Before you could even blink, Rook’s crossed the room to be by his side.
>>”Aw, geez, I’m sorry dear. I just didn’t expect somepony else to actually be back here this time.”
>His horn is surrounded by a golden glow, one that rapidly spreads to the tupperware’s lid.
>”It's fine, it's fine,” he says, “Just let me have one of those cookies.”
>A similarly glowing cookie shoots out of the tupperware towards him and stops just close enough to his face that he easily takes a bite.
>”But only let me have one!” he mumbles through a mouthful, “I don’t want to ruin my princely figure!”
>The living cliche makes you roll your eyes.
>Jesus, no wonder you never wanted to hang out with him.
“Long time no see.”
>He holds up a hoof, probably intending to indicate for you to wait until he’s done with his treat.
>Upon scarfing the final bite down, he pulls out an honest-to-God embroidered silk handkerchief to wipe any errant crumbs off his mouth.
>Pompous doesn’t even cut it, fuckin’ hell.
>As soon as that handkerchief is put away, however, he does a complete 180.
>”/I’ll/ say!” he shouts, “You only came to Marg Monday ONCE!”
>The accusation in his tone catches you off guard.
>You hadn’t even expected him to remember inviting you, period, much less routinely.
“Well the one time I went, you all wouldn’t stop giving me that freaky ‘advice’!”
>Hm, your voice sounded a little more defensive than you had meant it to.
>Blueblood, meanwhile, looks downright aghast.
>”Freaky!?”
>God, it's all coming back to you now.
>Probably makes the top ten most uncomfortable times in your life.
>Without even realizing it, you slip back into your mocking noble impression as you recount some of the highlights for the gathered ponies.
”‘Oh why don’t you put on a little eyeliner!’ ‘Oh, here’s the crash dieting plan I use, mares would pay a lot more attention to you if you lost some of that muscle mass.’ ‘You really ought to let my stylist put some highlights in your flank fur, it would make your cutie mark pop!’”
>By the time you’re done Pike is in hysterics, with Cut looking like she’s not far behind.
>Rook’s admittedly not far behind either, but she’s trying a /lot/ harder to hide it than Cut is.
>Smart move, considering Blueblood does not look like he appreciated that.
>”*Hurrumph* Well, everything we said was true.”
>Ha! /Obviously/ not!
>Last you checked, you’re going just fine without dyeing your flank!
>Before you can point that out though, Blueblood softens his face and he beats you to the punch.
>”But, you /do/ seem to be getting along just fine without our tips.”
>>>”I don’t know, hun,” Pike coyly cuts in, “/I/ certainly wouldn’t mind some highlights on that flank of yours. Maybe some purple stripes to match those socks?”
>”See!” Blueblood shouts, “Even your /mare/ agrees!”
>You roll your eyes.
“Gee honey, thanks for encouraging him.”
>Suddenly, Cut’s voice cuts through the room, bringing all conversation to a half.
>>>>”PRINCE BLUEBLOOD PLAYS CYBER!?” she shouts, the shock of the revelation apparently having kept her from hearing the entire rest of the conversation.
>Galloping up to him she jabs her hoof right in his face.
>>>>”/YOU/ PLAY CYBER!?”
>He glances at her hoof and grimaces.
>”By my Aunt, you had such nicely pedicured hooves and you CHEWED on them!?”
>With surprising force, he bats her hoof away.
>”I-I’ve been doing better,” she weakly protests while self-consciously tucking the hoof against her chest.
>But he ignores her, and indignantly cries, ”Of course I play Cyber! Before it was a card game for loser /mares/, it was an ancient means for noble stallions to hold battles of wits! While the mares performed magic duels and other boorish things of course.”
>Wait, so Cyber was originally a colt’s game!?
>You’d pay anything to see the reactions of those mares out in the main room if they heard that.
>”While you were still learning to spell your name, I was being trained to concur tournaments! As is the duty of a stallion born of my noble house! ”
>Cut’s eyebrows knit together.
>>>>”Cyber was only released a few years ago...”
>”To the /common/ pony perhaps!” he spits.
>Despite Cut, and everypony else for that matter, still very obviously having questions, Blueblood clearly views the matter as settled.
>Without another word he turns away from Cut and prances his way over to the fancy table.

>You are Cut N. Paste, and you’re left a little stunned.
>Cyber was a game for unicorn nobles!?
>Unicorn noble STALLIONS!?
>HOW HAD YOU NEVER HEARD THIS BEFORE!?
>To think your favorite card game was originally a powerful means for noblestallions to settle claims without violence...
>...Nah, that’s probably just a whimsical exaggeration.
>What’s much more likely is that it was something the mares gave to their husbands to keep them distracted while the real work was done, if anything.
>Which, considering it is still your favorite game, sure makes you feel a /little/ emaresculated.
>But, really, who cares?
>Knowing that doesn’t really change anything about the game or how much you enjoy it.
>...wow, Pike’s right! This is making you more confident!
>That would /not/ have been your reaction a few months ago!
>Blueblood, meanwhile, has stopped his prancing by the table’s side.
>The Prince begins gingerly, almost lovingly, tracing his hoof around one of the ornate carvings of a unicorn.
>”This table has served my family in those battles for generations. Ah, the victories it has seen...”
>He sighs wistfully, a dreamy look in his eyes.
>”The Conquest of Dream Valley, the Recapturing of Phillydelphia, even the Blitzkrieg of the Rhineland—”
>>”Hold up,” Anon’s alarmed voice interjects, “What the FUCK was that last one?”
>”—all of these great victories were won on this very table,” Blueblood continues.
>He stops running his hoof along the carving, only to throw himself onto it like he’s diving into the hooves of his lover.
>”And I’ve been letting it LANGUISH in here without a single duel to be conducted on it!”
>Well, that doesn’t make any sense!
>This tournament’s been running for what, a couple years now?
>If he’s the noble financing this whole thing, wouldn’t he have oodles of opponents to face?
>Oh well, best not to question it.
>You know all too well how stallions get when you interrupt them while they’re trying to be all dramatic.
“Hasn’t this tournament been running for years?”
>...
>Mouth, buck you.
>Thankfully, Blueblood does not fly a rage that you questioned him, instead he moans in pain and covers his eyes.
>”It’s true!” he cries, “I created this tournament to find the brightest Cyber strategists in Canterlot! Free of the /“rules”/ and /“regulations”/ those PHILISTINES put in place when they /localized/ my beloved game!”
>Letting his hooves fall away, you see the most exasperated pony you’ve ever laid eyes on.
>”And all I got were a bunch of yearlings too afraid to even be at the same table as me.”
>As he lets his head fall against the table, all of the gathered mares are wise enough not to speak up.
>But Anon on the other hoof...
>>”So what was with the stupid get up then if you weren’t trying to psych ponies out?”
>Blueblood lazily rolls his head so that he can make eye contact with Anon.
>”Come now, Anonymous, could you imagine the scandal if /I/ was seen amongst the ponies outside that curtain?”
>Blueblood violently shudders.
>” Eeeeeug, awful.”
>You just barely out of the corner of your eye, you catch Pike rolling her’s.
>She says nothing out loud, but you can tell exactly what she’s thinking.
>>>’Stallions.’
>Blueblood, meanwhile, is in total ignorance of Pike’s silent mocking as he climbs off the table.
>”But enough about my disappointment.”
>He practically canters over to one of the two ornate seats at the table, letting his fillyfriend pull it out before he sits down.
>”Let’s start the game shall we?”

>”The game will be a 40 card draft.”
>You are Nocturnal Pike, and you are completely lost.
>>”Woah! Is this the new expansion!? It doesn’t even come out for a few more months!”
>”Yes, and I wouldn’t hold your breath for it. I’m not a fan.”
>Just when you thought you had a handle on how these nerds operated, they go and completely change the game on you.
>Instead of sitting down and pulling out their decks, like they’ve done every other time, Blueblood just pulled out a few sealed packs.
>They look like the ones you’d buy at a store.
>Guess they need to make their decks on the spot or something?
>Ah, who knows, and more importantly who cares?
>There’s a much more pressing issue on your mind right now.
>That being, how is Cut not freaking out!?
>Prince Blueblood, the most colty colt for probably a thousand miles and Prince of Equestria, just told her that one of her favorite pastimes was made for colts to play while the mares were out doing the real work!
>If he told you that, you’d be freaking out!
>Stars above, no wonder this whole night has felt so jam-packed with whimsy.
>This game was designed with whimsy in mind!
>...should you stop this? Pull Cut out?
>Sure this seems to be accomplishing the short-term goal of helping her confidence, but will it end up damaging the long-term goal of helping her mareliness?
>You know what your Mom would say at least.
>She’d be slapping the cards out of Cut’s hooves.
>Heck, she’d probably have done that even before Blueblood’s bombshell!
>But you’ve been trying so hard to coax out that fire you saw when you first met her, and tonight’s been bringing it out in spades!
>How can that be?
>Shouldn’t /marely/ things be what brings out her fire, her confidence?
>It's not like you haven’t been having fun yourself, either.
>So what should you do?
>>”Alright,” Cut’s voice cuts through your thoughts, “We take one card and then pass the pack right?”

>You are Cut N. Paste, and this is more intense than you were expecting.
>The Prince must really want a test of your skills if he’s insisting on a draft game.
>Nothing shows Cyber mastery like being able to build a winning deck on the spot!
>”Yes,” the Prince replies, “On the count of three, we open our packs and get started.”
>Looking down at the booster pack in your hooves, you feel a little sweat on your brow.
>This expansion isn’t even on the market yet, you’ve got no idea what to expect when you open this pack.
>”One, two, three!”
>Without a moment’s hesitation you tear into the booster pack and gaze at the cards within.
>Your eyes are immediately drawn to a green card with an /extremely/well-muscled colt on it.
>Kinda reminds you of Anon...
>Quickly fanning through the rest of the cards, it seems this set’s theme is “genetic modification”.
>Which means there are a LOT of hunky, buff, stallions.
>G-Gee is it hot in here or is it just you?
>Lost in indecision, you notice a stack of cards drifting in from the corner of your eye.
>It's Blueblood putting his pack next to you, he must have picked his card already.
>Oooooh, better hurry up Cut!
>You begin rapidly glancing over the cards, realizing you were so caught up in the art you forgot to check any of their stats!
>Aw jeez, and Blueblood’s waiting on you too!
>Better just pick the card that looks like Anon.
>It's only the first draw of the first pack, if it turns out not to be good it's no big deal.
>You can make up for it, easy!
>Passing the rest of the cards on to Blueblood, you take hold of the stack he passed to you.
>Hmmm, what to pick...

>”And thus ends the draft!”
>What Blueblood said is true.
>The two of you passed your first packs back and forth until not a single card was left, and then did the same for your second packs.
>You were kind of worried at first, but once you got a feel for the set and a good rhythm going, you felt more confident in your choices.
>Now the two of you just have to make your decks and the battle can begin.
>Blueblood’s already started pouring over his cards, so no reason for you not to do the same!
>Neatly laying your cards out in front of you in several rows, and knowing Blueblood’s too honorable to look at them, you begin assessing your options.
>...
>Uh oh.
>It appears in your zen-like state you unwittingly allowed something a bit more /primal/ in your brain to take over.
>Because all these cards seem to have uh, really good art.
>Really, really, REALLY good art.
>I-Is it getting hot in here?
>>”Woah, look, it's me!” comes Anon’s voice.
>Shifting your eyes to the right, it seems that while you were taking in your cards, Anon and Pike came to stand by your side.
>>>”Wow, they are you,” Pike says, grabbing a card off the table.
>Definitely not embarrassed, and certainly not in a panic, you immediately throw your hooves onto the table and sloppily drag all your once neatly laid out cards into a pile.
>You’re definitely not embarrassed by the deck you’ve built, no ma’am.
“P-Pretty crazy coincidence, huh?” you stammer unconvincingly.
>>”I’m not sure about that,” Anon’s honeyed voice chimes in. “I saw those other cards, babe, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say you have a type.”
>You hunch further over your pile of cards at Anon’s slanderous accusation.
“I just uh... I just like the art on these cards is all!”
>Pike’s positively devious fanged grin slides into your view.
>>>”Oh sis, I am /right/ there with you.”
>Pike lets the card she was holding fall onto your pile, and you get an eyeful of exactly what she was talking about.
>Front and center on the card is no less than a wild stallion, perched in a jungle tree and garbed in a combat harness you’d call nothing less than ‘slutty’.
>’Dripping Commando’ indeed...
>>>”Such good taste! Check the fetlocks on him.”
>At that, she switches targets to Anon and adds, “You should grow ‘em out like that, hun.”
>Despite yourself, your mind immediately jumps into the gutter.
>Mmm, they are /quite/ unshorn, aren’t they?
>>”Really? Think I’d look good with the shaggy look?”
>Do not imagine it Cut!
>Stop fantasizing right now!
>If you wink on the Prince’s chair you might actually get sent to the dungeon!
>>>”Cut certainly seems to think s—”
>”Are you two done?”
>Like the Princess herself coming down from the sky, Blueblood’s voice saves you from certain embarrassment.
>He’s a metaphorical bucket of ice water, instantly killing the mood your herdmates had been building.
>You wouldn’t even call it unjustified, seeing that from the outside was probably extremely uncomfortable.
>Gesturing to his own, seemingly completed deck, he shouts, ”You’re delaying our mighty battle!”
>>”Great,” you hear Anon mutter under his breath, “Of course the aryan pony is a fun nazi.”
>Looking down to your haphazard stack, you consider your options.
>Either pick through them to separate a few out or just play with all of them.
>Well, seeing as the Prince has already made his deck, no reason to keep him waiting.
>Sliding your haphazard pile of cards around until it’s finally formed into a deck, you take a deep breath.
“Alright, I’m ready.”

>You are Prince Blueblood, Cyber Grandmaster!
>For the first time in so long, you’re finally being presented with a title match!
>A match that so far isn’t quite going like you’d expected.
>”I summon... a-another Enhanced Mercenary!”
>That makes her fifth consecutive construct, representing four out of the five colors too.
>It's quite the eclectic style, but you suppose a skilled pony could make a multi-colored deck work.
>Sure, you’ve never actually seen it happen, but you wanted this tournament to surprise you.
>And if nothing else, her construct choice has certainly surprised you.
>She was taking more than one Enhanced Mercenary, but left you the Ape Sidekicks?
>Those cards were practically made to go together!
>But despite that you ended up with all of them.
>Not because you particularly wanted them, but because she left them in rotation so long you ended up taking them just to take cards.
>And one of the other constructs on her field goes great with a program she practically /let/ you have!
>Mmm, maybe springing this never-before-seen expansion on her was a bad idea...

>You are Cut N. Paste, and you are in deep.
>So far you’ve been playing this game far faster and far looser than you would have liked.
>You just haven’t found the synergy in these cards yet!
>You know it has to be there, there’s no way you’d build a deck just based on cards you thought were ho—
>Based on cards you thought had such good art, you mean.
>It seems for now your only available strategy is to vomit out constructs.
>Which is becoming increasingly hard, considering it seems that you lacked the mental faculties to at least /stick to one color/!
>Or even TWO!
>You nearly slam your head into the table in frustration.
>This freaking deck is all over the place!
>Dimly you become aware of the fact that Blueblood just ended his turn.
>Another great setup for a damage combo, no doubt, while you’re just stuck throwing creatures at him.
>Reaching out to draw your next card, you send up a silent prayer that it’ll be something you can actually use.
>With bated breath, you turn it to face you...
>Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand it’s another useless, but good looking, construct.
>You play it, of course, no reason not to when you’ve got the production.
>As you lay the card on the board, however, Blueblood scrunches his face so deeply that you can’t help but feel like you’ve made a horrible mistake.
>”Ms. Paste,” he says with no small amount of disgust, “did you /hornybuild/ this deck?”
>Wha—
>No you—
>You just—
>Oh who are you kidding?
>It's time to be honest with yourself.
>You let your clit do the thinking, and now you’ve not only thrown this game, but you’re also about to make an absolute flank of yourself in front of the /Prince/ too.
>THE PRINCE!
>Oooooh this is terrible!
>This is the WORST!
>How could you do this to yourself?
>First he’s gonna call you a creep, then he’s gonna tell EVERY stallion in Canterlot!
>Everypony knows he’s the biggest gossip on the mountain!
>Then your reputation will be ruined!
>No stallion will ever even SPEAK to you!
>AND—!
>...and?
>For once, nothing interrupts your spiraling to bring it to a halt, it simply stops on its own.
>Which leaves with that simple question.
>And?
>So what if he goes and tells every stallion he knows?
>Even if you didn’t have Anon, this is still Blueblood you’re talking about.
>Would you /really/ want to talk to a stallion that takes what Blueblood says at face value?
>Buck no!
>So for that matter... Why do you even care what he thinks about you, to begin with?

>You are the deeply disappointed Prince Blueblood.
>It seems you overestimated your opponent, and by extension Anonymous’ taste in mares.
>Her silence in the face of your question all but confirmed your worst fears.
>To think she’d throw away the tournament by doing something as /base/ as thinking with her clit!
>THIS is why Cyber was always meant to be a stallion’s game!
>Maybe it's time to admit this fiasco of a tournament was a failure, and go back to bugging the other noblestallions to play.
>Your attention had already started to wander, so you only barely catch sight of your opponent putting down her cards.
>It seems she’s putting them down... face up?
>Once again giving the mare your full attention, you find that you were not seeing things.
>The cards she once held are now lying on the table, face up.
>This is typically a sign of surrender, but the determined look on her face tells you that you might be in for something quite different.
>”You’re right, Blueblood,” she says, “I do want to buck these cards.”
>Well, that was unexpected.
>You didn’t think she’d just up and admit to it like that.
>You suppose you can at least give her credit for owning up to it.
“Would you like to do a redra—”
>”But that’s okay!”
>HEY! She can’t cut you off!
>Doesn’t she know who she’s talking to!
>But before you can properly get yourself fussy over it, she slams her forehooves on the table, rising to stand in her chair.
>A Earth pony mare of her size doing that is more than a little intimidating, you’ll admit.
>”In fact, I want to buck most of my cards!”
>With wild abandon she throws open the saddlebags she set by the chair and pulls a deck out.
>Whipping it onto the table, the box breaks open, scattering the cards all around the left side of the table.
>The sight of them makes you roll your eyes.
>Ugh, /submariners/.
>”Could you imagine how good Anon would look in a skintight wetsuit? How about with unshorn fetlocks spilling out of the cuffs?! Can you even comprehend how hot that’d be!?”
“Not particularly.”
>”So, yeah. If wanting to buck these stallions drawn to be hot makes me a creep in your eyes, so what? I’ve got a coltfriend! I’ve got a great job! I don’t need the validation of somepony I’ll never see again!”
>You’ve got a bad feeling about this.
>”But most of all, I...”
>Oh no, she’s started building up to something!
>”I’m...”
>Should you run!? Take cover!?
>”I’M...!”
“Oh Auntie, please protect me!”
>”I’M going to attack with the Slutty Commando, and since he has reach that deals an immediate three damage. Then the ability of the Coochie Killing Clone allows me to flash and flicker him which lets him deal another three damage for the cost of one production. Since, technically, two of the same kind unit dealt damage this turn I can activate the Vat Grown Horror Husbando’s genomorph ability which lets me search through my deck and add five constructs of my choice to my hoof.”
>Wait, what? Hold on here!
>Before you can even process what her move was, she’s already pulled five more cards out of her deck.
>”Because this construct is late for work, I can play him even though I’m in attack phase...”

>You are the deeply, /deeply/ impressed Nocturnal Pike.
>It seems your lessons got through to her after all.
>In one fell swoop, Cut not only shook off embarrassing herself so bad that most mares would have run for the hills, she’s also completely turned the game around!
>You were worried she’d wuss out there for a bit, but in the end she owned it like a true trixie.
>”Both these soldiers can attack even though I’ve just played them, so that’s another six damage.”
>She’s been going for fifteen minutes!
>Blueblood put up some paltry resistance at first, but now he looks well and truly defeated.
>It seems a major part of this strategy is repeatedly bringing your opponent to the edge of defeat, only to heal them back up.
>Well, either that or Cut’s just feeling sadistic.
>Either way, it’s knocked the resistance out of the poor prince.
>”Oh and the lifesteal they’ve got brings my health total up to 79. Next, I’ll—”
>>”THAT’S IT!” cries Blueblood in desperation, “I SURRENDER! NO MORE!”
>Cut looks almost disappointed.
>”Aw, but I still had to play my Spandex—”
>>”NO MORE SPANDEX! NO MORE SKIMPY OUTFITS!”
>>Throwing his cards into the air, he shouts, “I YIELD!”
>Rookie is next to him in a moment, and throws himself onto her, babbling hysterically into her fur about how he never wants to see lingerie ever again.
>Cut, meanwhile, seems to have been stunned.
>”Wait, that means... I won?”

>”I WON!”
>You are Anonymous, and you are HYPE!
>She actually won!
>Your big titted babe actually won!
“Way to go!” you cheer.
>Cut immediately turns to you, and with a beaming smile on her face... jumps off the the fucking chair!
>OH SHIT!
>Bracing your hooves for impact and summoning your hands, you’re able to cushion her collision with you just enough that you don’t lose your balance.
>That’s not the most surprising thing, however.
>No, that comes when just as you feel her impact on your chest, she smoothly throws her forehooves around you and goes in for a passionate kiss.
>Feeling her lips on yours, you let out an involuntary grunt of surprise.
>You didn’t know she had moves like that in her!
>But of course, you’re not complaining.

>You are Nocturnal Pike, and you’re starting to feel pretty left out.
>It was fine while Blueblood was still whimpering, but he stopped doing that several minutes ago.
>So as it stands, you really wish there was something else in the room to focus on than the sound of Anon and Cut sloppily making out.
>Maybe you could motorboat his balls while he does?
>The kiss has gone on pretty long and has been pretty heavy, it's not like you’d be making it /that/ much more obscene.
>Plus doing that in front of the Prince would make for one heck of a story.
>Ah, but alas, just as you’d make up your mind, Cut pulls away.
>”W-was that too much tongue? I don’t want to gross you out or anything.”
>Anon chuckles, using his hands to gently guide her hooves back to solid ground.
>>”No no, it was fine. I was NOT the one grossed out in that situation.”
>As if on cue, you hear Blueblood clear his throat.
>>>The three of you turn towards him just in time to witness Rook ask, “Should we start making out too? You know, to get back at them?”
>Blueblood just scoffs.
>>>>”Not in public!” he quietly whines before addressing Cut, “Well, Miss Paste, I seem to have been utterly defeated. I’d say well done, but I feel like this was a hollow victory.”
>What!?
>He has the AUDACITY to say that after she beat him fair and square!
>What an absolute dick!
>You ought to give him a piece of your mind!
>”Yeah, it kind of was.”
>Any sort of diatribe you were about to release is immediately smothered by Cut’s statement.
>Anon looks to you for confirmation on what you just heard, clearly as surprised as you are.
>All you can do is shrug back, guess it's a pro-gamer thing.
>”Once I got over the shame of playing those cards I realized how completely broken they were. I mean, did you see some of those ‘genomorph’ abilities? There’s no way half the cards will ever make it into a professional tournament.”
>Blueblood, for the first time you’ve ever heard, laughs in a way that isn’t condescending.
>>>>”Ha! Maybe. But I doubt many ponies will bother building the five-color decks that can truly take advantage of it. Oh, speaking of.”
>Lighting his horn, several small boxes fly out from beside his throne in the back of the room.
>>>>”These boxes are supposed to be the prizes for the next five months of tournament winners. But, I don’t foresee anypony else winning these and frankly, I never want to look at this expansion ever again.”
>His magic abruptly cuts out, roughly dropping the boxes on the game table in front of Cut.
>Now that the three of you can get a better look, you see they’re ‘booster boxes’.
>Cut pops the closest one open, and it's filled with /dozens/ of those little packs that she opened at the start of the match.
>Holy cow, that’s over two hundred cards she’s being offered!
>Once again surprising you though, Cut’s face scrunches.
>”Ehhhhh I dunno.”
>But Anon, devilish as ever, takes the opportunity to lean in and whisper dark temptations into her ear.
>>”Do you think Silken will take those as payment for all those outfits you want me to wear?”
>In an instant, Cut’s mind is clearly made up.
>”I'd be MORE than happy to take these off your hooves!”
>No sooner has she said it than she’s started trying to greedily shove all the boxes into her saddlebags.
>Considering the size of the boxes, it doesn’t work, for obvious reasons.
>Ever the drama king, Blueblood sighs like a great burden has been lifted.
>>>>”Then all’s well that ends well.”
>Hopping off his seat, he deftly throws the disguising cloak back over his body.
>>>>”Now let’s get out of here,” he says to Rook in the magically altered voice. “As much as I hate to admit it, she gave me some pretty good ideas to do with you tonight.”
>Rook quirks her brow.
>>>”Wait really? Like what.”
>Now you're hearing something else you’ve never heard in your life: Blueblood being sheepish.
>>>>”Well, I’ve got some fur growth tonics I could use on my fetlocks if you wanted—”
>Before he can even finish the thought, Rook’s tossed him into her back in a groomal carry.
>>>”AlrightSargeseeyousoonwe’vegottogobye!”
>>>>”Wait wait wait not in front of the tournament goers!” Blueblood futilely cries in doppler as she runs off with him.
>And just like that, they’re gone.
>Cut couldn’t care less though, she’s still desperately trying to make all those boxes fit into her saddlebags.
>You can see the seams stretching to their limit as she forces in another box where another box was never meant to go.
>”Come on, come on!”
>>”Babe, just give it a rest, we’ll get a bag from the front.”

>The three of you are back home now, and you’d call tonight a major success.
>Cut was practically floating through the store as the three of you departed, soaking in all the awe thrown her way like a sponge.
>It seems to have had a lasting effect on her too.
>She’s been standing just a little straighter and smiling just a bit brighter.
>It truly was a total victory for her, Anon, and you.
>Now the three of you are piled on top of each other on the couch, sharing your favorite parts of this night that’ll be remembered for weeks to come.
>”My favorite was still the first,” says Anon. “I mean, when she collapsed? Priceless.”
>>”I still can’t believe I beat /him/!” Cut adds with awe. “By luck! Wow, I’ve got to stay far away from Cyber once this expansion drops, it is really awful.”
>Seeing Cut like this though, you can’t help but feel... odd.
>Tonight has seemed to go out of its way to recontextualize what you think of ‘mareliness’.
>You set out on this journey with the intention of making her more confident, and then in the long term, more marely.
>So there’s been that part of you that’s been saying all night, ‘When are you going to stop stalling and tell Cut that a true marely mare would drop the card game?’
>A part that got especially loud once Blueblood broke the news it was originally for colts.
>But if you look at her for even a second, you can plainly see how tonight’s victory has made her happier, more confident.
>She’s found a new way to truly find her own worth, to stand on her own hooves.
>Through that undeniably unmarely card game!
>How?!
>Cut lets a deep yawn from her pinned position between Anon and the back of the couch.
>>”Ooh, sorry to make you two get up, but can we move to bed? I-I’m feeling pretty beat.”
>Anon chuckles, you can feel the reverberations against your back as he does.
>”I can’t imagine why. It's not like you’ve spent most of the night screaming at weirdos or anything.”
>You spend a moment more staring off at the ceiling, before finally deciding.
“Yeah,” you add, “I think it's time we all hit the hay.”
>Especially since you’ve got something to sleep on, now.
>”Speaking of hay, I’ve been wondering, do you still use it in your mattresses?”
>You smirk, unable to even think about resisting.
“Why? Do you want a bedtime snack or something?”