Big Mac had left with a satisfied smile. He wanted to know what would happen next.
So did Spike. He softly mumbled to himself as he finished cleaning up their mess. He had time to think about it. Failing that, he would have to wing it, which was something he was surprisingly capable of despite the lack of wings.
He snorted softly at the self-deprecating humor. Everything was clean and put away properly. It was time for sleep. Twilight had not yet returned, but that happened sometimes. It wasn't like he was some little foal that needed to be tucked in at night!
Not that it wasn't nice when it happened...
He curled up for sleep with a little chuff. Besides, he ended up being the one tucking her in at least as often. Their relationship was complicated.
Spike cocked a brow. "Uh... I'm talkin' about a real game."
Discord wistfully sighed. "Oh, you mean like trapping best friend ponies in hedge mazes and turning them against each other. Those were the days."
It would prove to be quite a long evening. As opposed to many new players, Discord proved to be actively disruptive to the game. Still, they stuck it out, and things turned around as the evening went on. In no time at all, he was playing his archer, Captain Wuzz, like a pro.
He even gave Spike a convenient out for the jail, being a roguish type that could stage their great escape and get them back on their feet, or hooves in one of their cases.
This was, of course, ignoring the fact that they weren't seated around a table anymore! They were actually casting spells, slashing at the squizzard's minions, and dodging incoming arrows, for real! They were having such a good time of it, they didn't even notice the arrival of two new players.
Spike turned away from his last defeated foe to be face to face with a rainbow-maned rogue or ranger and a very pink performer. "Oh, uh, hey?"
Pinkie bounced up and down in place, the feather on her foppish hat bouncing around. "We wanna join!"
Rainbow nodded. "You didn't tell us you were doing cool stuff while we were gone." She leaned in close. "So how do I get a sword like that?" She motioned subtly towards the great chopping device Big Mac was currently using.
Discord popped up between them as if he had been there the whole time. "Girls, girls, girls. If you want to be part of 'guy's night', then you have to play the part."
Pinkie tilted her head and spoke with a falsely deepened tone. "I am ready to be part of guy's night!"
Rainbow crossed her hooves. "Anything a guy can do, I can do better. Just sign me up already!"
Big Mac wandered over, his enemies defeated. He peered at the two new mares present, but said nothing. His doubt was clear enough without words to muddle things.
Discord cleared his throat. "I am Captain Wuzz, an archer. I am traveling with..." He looked to Spike expectantly.
"Oh! I'm Garbuncle." He lifted his staff. "I am a wizard of some renown, and I am traveling with Sir McBiggun." He waved his staff at Big Mac. "We are trying to defeat the evil squid wizard--" his voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "We call him the squizzard." He and Big Mac both chuckled at the name even as Discord's eyes rolled free of his skull. "And who might you two be?"
Pinkie put a hoof to her chest. "Hello Garbuncle. I am Pinkamena, of the Pies. I am a traveling minstrel." She pulled a lute out of nowhere and gave it a strum with a hoof. "Your journey has obviously been long and difficult, and I am here to join the party! I will lift your spirits, because that's what I do."
Rainbow snorted through the mask covering her snout. "I'm uh... Commander Easyglider!"
Spike peered at Rainbow. "You're dressed kinda funny for a military commander."
Rainbow thrust a hoof at Big Mac. "Like he looks like a 'sir' to you? Besides, I didn't pick what I'm wearing, it just kinda... happened." She turned to Discord. "Your fault, I'm presuming."
He giggled girlishly. "Guilty as charged. What, you don't like your new outfit? You're the one that charged into our world."
Rainbow waved a hoof over herself. "It's, you know, kinda cool, but what is it? Anypony got a mirror?"
Pinkie produced a small hand mirror from nowhere in particular and held it in her mane in front Rainbow, dangling at the end of her mane. "Here you are, Commander."
Rainbow turned left and right, looking herself over. "Hmmm, nah, this isn't Easyglider material. Call me... Shadow Shade!" She gave a firm nod. "Yeah, a real sneaky type that can get in and get things done before they even knew what hit them." She looked past the mirror to the mare attached to it. "Uh, did that hurt?" She reached forward and tapped at Pinkie's new ear accessories, A set of two studs on either side and a long hoop on her left ear.
Pinkie turned the mirror around to see herself. "Ooo, fancy!" She raised an ear up to examine either ear. "Doesn't hurt at all." She tapped the hoop. "I can feel it though!"
Spike rolled a hand. "Shadow... shade? Aren't you just kinda repeating yourself there?"
Rainbow stuck out her tongue in defiance. "Dark Rainbow then!" She tapped the medallion she wore as part of her shirt and belt. "Rainbows are still part of the theme. How is that 'Garbuncle'?"
Discord threw his arms wide, literally. They spun around like boomerangs and came back to gather everyone up into a group hug. "The party is assembled! Now, shall we continue?"
A soft cough came from what felt like an extreme distance. They all turned to see a faded Twilight, looking at them oddly. "Oh, don't stop on... my account. Just be sure you clean all of this when you're done." She turned and trotted past their game area, never actually entering it. "Goodnight, Spike."
"Goodnight!" Spike waved at her retreating form. "Huh, she coulda joined, not like one more woulda broke anything."
Pinkie shrugged. "Maybe she's all tired from the amazing time we had today. Who knew the yaks had so much to show?!"
"You had to remind me." Rainbow sat on her haunches and crossed her arms over one another. "Are you talking about their piles of snow, or maybe their 'rustic' village, or perhaps you're referring to their many stomps and shouts?"
Pinkie looked around. "So what was up with all those boney ponies you were fighting? Do they work for that squid wizard you were talking about?"
"Ayup." Big Mac nodded his head firmly.
Spike wriggled his fingers ominously. "He raises them from beyond death, torturing their poor souls to do his bidding. They are as much a victim as the rest of us, but the only peace they can know is a return to oblivion."
Rainbow tilted her head at Spike. "That was possibly the most badass thing you have ever said." She hopped up to all four hooves. "Alright, so let's find this squiddard and--"
"Squizzard," corrected Spike.
"Right, that guy. Let's find him and teach him a lesson or three." She clopped her forehooves menacingly.
Spike tapped his staff on the ground, a sparkling strike sounding. "Thank you both for joining our cause. Sir Mcbiggun, what do you think of them?"
Big Mac raised a hoof to tap at his chin which managed to be both furry and stubbly at once. "Ayup."
"Captain Wuzz?" He looked to Discord.
He shrugged. "I'm the o-- oops! I mean..." He cleared his throat. "It would be good to have other stalwart fellows at our side."
Pinkie pointed at herself. "I'm not a fellow. I'm a fell-ah. I mean, a mare." She stuck out her tongue in a raspberry. "You know what I mean."
Discord rolled a hand at Pinkie. "That can be fixed." Without waiting for a yes or a no, both Pinkie and Rainbow were suddenly larger and bulkier.
Rainbow blinked slowly. "Did..." He stopped on hearing his own voice. "Discord! Not cool!"
Pinkie shrugged softly. "If we're playing pretend, I don't see the harm in it." He bounced up and down in place. "Not like I'm not me just 'cause I'm a stallion!" She hopped beside Spike and threw a leg over him, hugging him. "Next town we get to, we're gonna pick up a pair of pretty mares!"
Spike went a dark hue almost instantly. "Um..."
Rainbow didn't stop looking at Discord. "Put us back! I'm a mare, and a fine one at that. You're breaking perfection here." She tapped at the ground with her right forehoof.
"Oh, why can't you loosen up like your friend here." Discord was suddenly at Pinkie's other side, hugging the new stallion. "He looks ready to experience this new world in a new form."
Rainbow pointed at Spike accusingly. "He's basically the same thing and you aren't giving him a hard time!"
Spike pulled at his robes defensively. "What? I'm super mature and refined." He stood as tall as he could manage. "Look at my masculine beard." He stroked the magnificent growth with a cocky smile. "I'm also a wizard!"
"Yeah, you have more hair than normal, I get that." Rainbow shook his head as she approached. "But that's basically all you have. I mean, physically. Your magic doesn't count." He reached out and tapped Spike on the chest. "Why don't you make him into a her? That'd be fair."
Knowing his time was limited, Spike shook his head at Discord. "No no no, wait. Let's just... cool our heels on this. You two are tired after a long and eventful day." He smiled hopefully. "Let's just call this game over, but we can, you know, hash out the details for next time and get right into things."
Suddenly they were all back to normal. Rainbow and Pinkie were given their mare forms back. Spike lost his amazing facial hair, and Big Mac was no longer a unicorn.
Rainbow nudged Big Mac gently. "You do know Applejack saw that, right?"
Big Mac went stiff from top to bottom. "A...yup?" He walked for the door awkwardly, his limbs refusing to work properly. "B-bye..."
Pinkie stuck out her tongue. "AJ needs to get over that. Like, really girl, this is a new age! And if a pony has silly fantasies about being something else, it isn't a crime or anything." She put a hoof on her chest. "I was looking forward to pretending to be a guy for a little while."
"Pass," stated Rainbow with half-lidded eyes.
Discord patted Spike on the head. "Let me know which way they decide and when the next game is." Without waiting for a reply, he folded in on himself in half, then again and again until there was nothing left.
Spike peered at the spot that once held Discord. "I'm not sure I'll get used to that... So, uh... Hey." He wriggled a few fingers at either of the girls left over. "You really wanna join us?"
Pinkie bobbed her head quickly. "It looked super amazing fun! Ooo, do I get song magic? Tell me I get song magic!" She leaned in on Spike, her face only inches from his. "Sign me up and let me at 'em!"
Spike rubbed behind his head. "Uh, yeah, no reason to not have song magic."
Pinkie squealed with joy and began pronking away, singing a song of her future lyrical spells.
Rainbow remained. "So you're going to tell him to keep me a mare, right?" She hiked a brow at him. "I ain't playing if that's a requirement. Sheesh, I expect better of you, Spike."
Spike blinked at that. "What did I do?"
She rolled a hoof. "I'm not blind. You want a 'guy's' night, and I'm just cramping the vibe or whatever. You know I'm plenty cool as I am, right?"
Spike gave an emphatic thumbs up. "Rainbow, you're just fine the way you are, or should I say 'Dark Rainbow', mysterious and discreet operative of the shadows?"
Rainbow's smile returned gently. "We'll see about that discreet part." She rose up and held out a hoof towards him. "Just be sure to tell Discord, and I'll be back for next time, alright?"
Spike met her hoof with a balled fist. "You got it! Goodnight, Rainbow."
"See ya later, Spike." With a powerful flap, she took off into the evening.