//------------------------------//
// 17 - Guys' Night 
// Story: Roll for Initiative 
// by David Silver 
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"Whatcha doin'?" asked Pinkie, leaning in from behind over Spike's shoulder as he stirred some batter in the castle's kitchen.

He jumped with surprise, the whisk falling against the side of the smooth blue bowl. "Ah! Oh, hey Pinkie. I was just making a little special something for later."

Pinkie sniffed softly, leaning in over Spike to examine the batter. "A little cinnamon wouldn't go wrong. So I was just wondering, when are we gonna play that new game?"

Spike looked over his shoulder as he picked up his lost whisk and got back to beating the solution into shape. "The next time the girls leave on one of their many little adventures."

She tilted her head at that. "But, then how do we get to play?"

Spike tensed as the logic struck him. "I didn't even think of that." He set the bowl down and moved for the fridge. "I guess we need a different schedule than we've been using. I mean, we didn't expect this." He pulled the fridge open and retrieved a few glass containers from its chilly interior. His was mildly frowning with thought on the idea.

"We could do it... Once a week?" Pinkie bounced in place. "Or is that too much? If you guys only played when we were all gone, that wasn't that often."

Spike worked the screwed tops of each off with little grunts of effort before adding some of each to his concoction. "I never really thought about it. It was kind of a special occasion."

Pinkie suddenly plopped down on her haunches. "Oh... They were special little parties, and here I am, butting in." She rubbed behind her fluffy head with a hoof. "Now I kinda feel bad."

Spike aborted his cooking a moment to put up his claws, the jars awkwardly balanced between his arms and his chest. "No no no! I mean, it's great that you two want to play. You're both friends, and now we have a more 'classic' number of players, so that's good." He turned to set the jars down on the counter. "I just have to think about it, ya know?"

"I know." She bobbed her head quickly as she sprang to her hooves. "I'll let you do that. You know where I live," she sang as she began to pronk away in the merry bounces that defined her.

Spike tapped his chin twice before he resumed mixing. The batter complete, he poured it out into a small baking tray, lining the bottom evenly. "Huh, maybe I should ask Big Mac..." He nodded with growing conviction and brought the tray over to the oven to begin baking. "Yeah, we should agree, together. I mean, it was our game first."





Big Mac sat behind a counter in Ponyville's small and familiar marketplace. He smiled at each pony that passed, occasionally loading one  up with nice red apples from his collection of barrels and collecting bits for the farm. It was a duty that passed between Applejack and himself. Like most chores, he took it seriously. "Mornin'"

Bon Bon nodded at him as she walked towards him. "Nice day today, the pegasi are really doing a great job. I'm going to need some apples for a batch of candies I'm making, assuming you have some left."

Big Mac softly chuckled at the idea. "Ayup." He brought down a hoof on the barrel beside him with a dull thud and the lid popped off. He caught it as it bounced up and set it gently beside the barrel. The wood had the scent of the apples it was often close to.

"I'll take a baker's dozen." Bon Bon turned to present her saddlebag. "Say, did you ever try getting Apple Bloom to sell apples, now that she isn't so desperate?"

Big Mac raised an ear as he collected apples. He had heard the tale of Apple Bloom's overeager attempt to force the apples of their farm onto the ponies of the town. "Maybe." She had grown since then, considerably. Perhaps it was time to give her another try at the family business. She was an Apple, after all. "Here ya go." He filled Bon Bon's bags with the bounty. "Six bits."

Bon Bon produced a coin purse and set a five bit and a single bit coin in Big Mac's waiting hoof. "Thank you. I'll be sure to bring one of the candies by when they're ready." She trotted past, another satisfied customer.

The rapid pitter-patter of clawed feet drew Big Mac's attention to an approaching Spike, weaving around stalls towards him.

Spike waved eagerly as he vaulted over Davenport. "Heya Mac! You're just the stallion I wanted to talk to."

"Yup?" He pulled a large apple free of the still open barrel. "Apple?"

Spike waved a hand. "Nah, thanks, but I meant for the game."

Big Mac tensed a moment, his sister's words clear in his head. He shook it off before nodding just as quickly. "Ayup?"

"Well, uh, first..." Spike rocked on his feet, looking over his friend. "Are you alright with, you know, the girls joining in? There wasn't a lot of time to talk about it before. This is our game, I didn't forget." He gestured quickly between himself and Big Mac.

Big Mac was still a moment before a little smile spread on his lips. Spike cared about his opinions, that was nice. "Ayup." He glanced left and right, eyeing the other ponies in the market. They seemed to be mostly clear at the moment from prying ears. "Ah'm not used t'playin' with mares, but ah don't see no harm."

Spike thrust up his thumb claw powerfully. "Great! So, uh, about that. If they're in, we can't play when they aren't here, so, you know, we kinda need a new schedule." He rolled a hand in the air vaguely. "Pinkie suggested weekly, but that would be a lot more often than we had been doing."

Big Mac considered quietly, as was his nature. "How 'bout twice a moon?"

Spike quickly nodded in reply. "Sure, at the start and the middle, that could work. Let me check with the girls and Discord and see what they think about it." He thrust out a balled fist and was met with a hoof, the two in clear agreement. With that settled, he dashed off to find his other players.





Rainbow kicked an errant cloud from the otherwise clear day. "Thought you could sneak by me, huh?" The weather report said a clear day, and she wasn't the sort of pony to disappoint! Usually.

"Hey!" came a voice from far below.

Rainbow looked downward to see Spike waving up at her. She zipped down towards him in a sudden plummet, coming to a screeching halt right in front of his surprised face. That never got old. "Hey, Spike. What's up?"

Spike recovered from his powerful flinch. "Hey, Rainbow. We were just getting a new schedule for the game. We can't play with you girls if we only play when you're not here, right?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you guys would wait until we specifically weren't here."

Spike shrugged emphatically. "It was guys' night, whattaya want?"

"A big sword, mostly." Rainbow landed lightly with a big grin on her face. "So, what's the plan, oh 'Master of Oubliettes'?"

Spike's cheeks warmed a little. "We were thinking, you know, twice a moon? Start and middle."

Rainbow nodded quickly. "At night, right? That should be fine.  I mean, unless there's a storm I gotta handle, we don't do a lot of work, or practice, at night, so I should be fine." She put a hoof on his smaller chest. "I'll be there. Hay, that means we play in a few days, right? Our first real game."

Spike turned to hunt the last two players he had to talk to. "Your first game at least. Me and Big Mac have been going a while."

"A game isn't real without me there," countered Rainbow before she darted back up into the sky with a trail of rainbow colors.





Pinkie was enjoying a cup of chocolate in loud and happy slurps as she laid out on a long chair, taking in the sun. She was, as Rainbow would describe, chillaxing.

"There you are!" Spike sprang from chair to chair, bouncing off a few other ponies that had been peacefully sleeping. 

Pinkie's eyes and ears followed Spike as he came closer. "Heya, Spike. It feels like we were just talking."

Spike stopped a moment. "That's, uh, because we were. We have a schedule worked out, I mean, if it works for you and Discord."

Pinkie sat up quickly. "You have my attention! When do we start?" She swung around the cup of cocoa towards Spike. "Want some?"

Spike was about to refuse when its scent wafted past him. "Mmm, that actually smells pretty good."

"I know!" She thrust it against him until he took hold of it. "Try it!"

Spike took a small sip and let out an appreciative mmm. "Not bad at all. So, twice a moon." He held the cup back towards her. "Start and middle, at sundown."

Pinkie took the glass back and set it on the small table beside herself. "That should be okay dokey! I mean, unless I have to host a party or something like that, but if that happens--" She suddenly draped over Spike. "--you'll just have to go on... without me." She sniffed dramatically, tears glistening in her eyes.

Spike gently shoved the pink pony back into her sunbathing chair. "I bet you have them all planned out, so if you can tell us ahead of time, that'd be great. You know, so we're not waiting around hoping you'll show up suddenly."

"Roger dodger." Pinkie bobbed her head quickly. "Now that that's all taken care of..." She waved a hoof at a free chair adjacent to her own. "Wanna join me? The sun's all bright and shiny and perfect for enjoying."

While the sun on his scales was always a nice thing, Spike put up a hand. "I have to find Discord... however you do that. I don't suppose you know a good way to do that?"

Pinkie pointed off towards the Everfree. "Ask Fluttershy? They're closer than two peas in a pod. If she can't find him, nopony can!"

Spike bobbed his head. "Right, good idea. See you later!" He dashed away from the line of sunbathing ponies. He had a chaos god to find.





Fluttershy set the squirrel down gently on the sun-warmed grass. "All better."

The squirrel chittered appreciatively up at the larger pony that had cared for it.

"Oh, it's no problem at all." She smiled gently as she pat the small creature on the head. "Just be more careful in the future. You don't want to be hurt."

It bobbed its little head and darted off, its bushy tail the last thing Fluttershy saw as it vanished into the underbrush. She sighed with satisfaction, knowing another animal was helped at her hooves. 

"Fluttershy!" came a sudden and loud cry, making her jump with surprise.

She came down facing Spike and put a hoof to her chest. "Hello Spike, oh my, you startled me. What can I do for you?"

Spike hurried across Fluttershy's lawn. "I'm glad you're here. Say, if someone wanted to find Discord, what's the best way to, you know, do that?"

"Oh? Is this about that little game you two play?" She smiled like a mother amused by the antics of her children. "That looked a little too, um, violent for me, but you sure seemed to be having a good time."

Spike fought against the blush that her words summoned. "Uh, yeah, it's great. We just have to reshedule a little and I have to tell Discord about it."

"Well, that's just the thing..." Fluttershy ran a hoof demurely over the grass in front of her. "He is usually the one that comes to me. I know how to get to his house though, but it's extra tricky if you don't fly."

A paw came down on Spike's shoulder from behind. He barely had time for a yelp of surprise when he was drawn out of reality.