Clear Flask's house is as 'strategically' placed as it can get. It's not far from school, and it rests just at an intersection that leads to places that most students live. Because of this, it becomes a favorite spot for his friends to chill together, or a place to learn together. Her parents are also known to be nice, only adding to the hospitality.
Right now, Blue, Ace, and Clear is having their best moments in life. They're accompanied by a unicorn called Note Books, also one of the smartest colts in school, but a bit difficult to socialize with. Besides him, there's Camp Trail and Rocky Path, a pair of male earth pony cousins that has been Blue's friend since childhood. Currently, the ponies are playing a card game of Uno, but Ace decided that the rules should be modified. Instead of using points, the first player to run out of cards will win everything, and he also decided to use two decks instead of one. It sounds like a good idea at first to keep the game going longer, but it's turning up to be too long.
So far, Ace is close to winning, followed by Rocky. But this only causes everypony to gang up on him, throwing skips, draw two cards, or reverse to halt his progress if they can. Until, finally, a red eight made it pass Ace's hand.
"Uno!" He called out loud, just in time before somepony caught him.
"Nopony let him win!" Camp Trail looks at Blue, the pony that goes before Ace. "You got any draw two, Blue?"
"Umm..." Blue looks at his hooves. There's at least ten cards, but none of them can stop Ace. He didn't say anything, however. Meanwhile, Note Books sent out a red two.
"Crud..." Clear Flask reaches for the deck, as she didn't have any cards she can play. She draws three cards, until she stumbles on a wild card. "Yellow." She says.
"Oh, thank Celestia." Camp Trail throws out a yellow nine. Suddenly, his cousin who's next to him exclaimed.
"YES! Finally!" He throws down a card in excitement. "UNO!"
"...Wait, that's a six, Rocky." Note Books said, causing Rocky to freeze. What he played was a green six.
"A... What? Isn't that a yellow six he just threw!?" Rocky took the card he and Camp threw in disbelief.
"No! That's a yellow nine, you dumb!" Ace laughed, and so did everyone, even Rocky.
"Ha! Now we know that he got a green six! Don't give him a chance!" Camp Trail told everypony. Rocky went silent as he returns his card back to his hooves. But then, he chuckled.
"You all think I'm done?" Rocky grabs his other card and slams it to the pile. "BAM! A yellow five! It doesn't matter! I'm still going to win!" Everypony looked in surprise and amazement that Rocky can still play a card even after the mistaken identity of six and nine. However, Clear Flask suddenly laughed out loud.
"What's so funny?" Rocky asked the mare. In return, Clear uttered a word. One simple word that filled Rocky with dread and horror.
"Uno."
A burst of laughter erupted from the group like a violent chemical reaction. In his excitement, Rocky had forgotten to say 'Uno' a second time as he played his other card. Now he has to draw two cards as a punishment.
"You're such a goddamn dork!" Camp rolled onto his back, laughing.
"He looked so cool playing that card too!" Blue added. "That's just amazing!"
Rocky did an over dramatic slump to the floor, but one can hear him laughing as well. Although, there's no mistaking the little pain coming from his voice.
"This... game. I swear I'll never play this again." Rocky chuckled. "Blue, hurry up."
"Oh, yeah." Blue looked at the yellow five card on top on the pile, but he just realized that he doesn't have a valid normal card to play. His only option is to play his wild card. Uneasily looking at Ace and the green colt's one remaining card next to him. As soon as he drops his card, the entire group focuses on him.
"Don't mess this up, Blue! Choose a color that he don't have!" Camp pointed to Ace.
"I don't know his last card!" Blue argued. The four colors are swirling in his head. If he picked the wrong one, Ace would win.
"Come on, Blue. Choose one!" Clear Flask pressed.
"Umm... Uhh... Red!" Blue blurted out, and the group went silent. All eyes are on Ace, who, worryingly, smiled.
"Y... Don't tell me..." Rocky waited with bated breath as Ace slowly flipped his card to the pile.
A red Skip.
"THANK YOU, buddy! You saved me from this deadlock!" Ace hugged Blue, causing everypony to laugh again.
"Hey, it's YOUR idea to keep reshuffling the deck! We ended up spending twenty minutes for one game!" Clear reminded the pegasus.
"Blue literally have a seventy five percent chance of not choosing the right color too." Note Books noted. "But he fails anyway."
"My luck sucks, that must be it." Blue drops the cards on his hooves to the floor. "Anyway... Who's up for something else other then this?"
There was no competition.
The evening felt like a breeze when you're having fun. The group of six friends played a lot of board games together, including Battleships, Monopoly, and Ludo. Blue still remembers all the best moments with his friends as he's walking towards the door, like how Camp Trail put all his ships in one corner of the board (and lost because of it), how Ace stepped on the "Go to jail' square four times in a row, or how Rocky Roads literally rolls on the floor in happiness when he finally got a six and able to move a piece out. Unfortunately, all good times must come to an end. The sun is nearing the horizon, and everypony have to go home. The group is gathering one last time just outside Clear Flask's front door.
"That was a real blast! Thanks for inviting me." Blue grinned.
"We should do this again sometimes." Rocky Path noted.
"Definitely." Clear Flask smiled. "Take care everypony, see you tomorrow!"
With one last wave of goodbye, everypony went their way as Clear Flask returns into her house. Ace and Note Books went their seperate ways, while Blue, Camp, and Rocky went down the same road together. They had to follow the same path home.
"So Blue, how's school today?" Rocky asked. "Did anything happen?"
Blue's head went to replay most of the events that happened today at school in a flash. There's nothing worth mentioning it seems other then the test results. Unless Rocky is actually asking about...
"...Are you asking about what I think you're asking?" Blue showed a rather serious expression to confirm his suspicion.
"....I mean, if it's okay with you." Rocky said. That confirms it. Rocky is asking about Blue's well being, whether or not he's bullied today. Rocky and Camp is probably the most protective of Blue compared to the rest of his friends. Since they're cousins, they almost always appear together, making their presence a bit of a 'threat' to the bullies.
"No, nothing serious happened today, really." Blue replied.
"Well, just letting you know that if you need us, we'll be there for you, ya hear?" Camp Trail said.
What do they exactly mean by that? Blue knows that these cousins had a history of violence long ago against bullies. He is rather torn, would he let these two ponies protect him physically? He would pay a million bits to watch someone like Lily Dew got her mane ripped off, but on the other hand, he doubts resorting to violence will accomplish anything other then guilt.
"I hope you don't mean... physically." Blue blurted out, as he noticed an intersection up ahead. He must separate with Rocky and Camp soon.
"No no, knowing you, that'll be our last resort." Rocky said. "We don't want to get into trouble too, you know."
"Well, there's the stealthy way to do it, but we're too clumsy and lazy to do that." Camp laughed. Blue chuckled a bit.
"Remember Blue, we all got your back. Keep your head high." Rocky said, just as they reached the intersection.
Bidding each other goodbye, Rocky and Camp turned right down the road, while Blue continued onward. Knowing that there are ponies still willing to support him feels nice. Being bullied sometimes made you feel that the world is against you, but Rocky and Camp reminded him that he still have his friends, and they're all good ponies.
Blue arrived at home rather late, but he did ask permission to his mother before, and she was okay with it. Currently, they're the only two in the house, with Blue's father still at work, usually until the sun has set. Blue's mother notices that her son had just arrived home, since he would have to walk through the kitchen where she is right now.
"Hey, Blue. How was it?" The mare asked. Blue walks into the kitchen to grab something quick to eat.
"It was really great." He smiled, grabbing a carrot and taking a bite.
"By the way, did you get the test results today?" Blue stopped mid movement as soon as his mother asked. A bit of uneasiness stalks in. He didn't fail, but he still felt he could do better in that test. In the end, Blue decided to get his test paper from his saddlebags and shows it to his mother.
"...I tried my best." Blue hung his head low. He really hates bringing any kind of bad news to his parents, no matter how minor the bad part is.
"Now, seventy seven isn't a fail, is it? I think that's all it matters." The pegasus's mother said, returning the paper to her son.
"I should be able to do better... It's been a while since I got good marks in a test. I want to get at least eighty five, but..."
"Don't beat yourself up like that, Blue." His mother said. "You will do better next time. You will get that good mark you want if you try, because I know my son is not a quitter."
A quick rub on the mane from his mother already comforts Blue. Their mother and son relationship is very close ever since Blue is just a kid. Blue nodded lightly, and a small smile curled up on his lips.
"...You're right, mom." Blue finishes his carrot with one last bite. "I... got to do something real quick in my room before dinner, is it okay?"
"Don't take too long. You know you don't like cold soup." His mother reminded.
Well, that's true. Carrying his saddlebags, Blue zips past the kitchen towards the small corridor that leads into his room. He need to do some book managing for school tomorrow. He opens the door and stepped into his small room, which only have a rather big desk and bed. Emptying the contents of his saddlebags onto his desk, Blue consulted his school's time table pasted on the nearby wall and puts everything needed for the next day, plus some extra things for precaution. Sometimes, the pegasus prides on his future planning capabilities.
Suddenly, a random thought streaks past his mind. It's something really, completely random, but it caught his attention. Is he always looking forward for a day at school? School isn't really a save place for him, not with the likes of Lily and Rose walking around. At the same time, school gives him the chance to meet Clear and Ace, perhaps the next two most important ponies in his life next to his parents. It's such a complicated thought that Blue shook his head to dispel it.
But he had a feeling that something different will happen tomorrow, especially since it's a special day for him...