“Welcome back every creature!” Pinkie introduced every listener back for another edition of G.M.E., “Today is games day, and I thought we should do it big. Not just tiny and boring, but bigger and more fun! I am talking about Giant Jenga!” The group of hosts were stood up in the middle of the studio, a towering Jenga tower in front of them. It was halfway between the ground and the studio, layered in three.
“This looks unsafe,” Autumn shivered, knowing where this would go.
“Of course silly,” Pinkie brought Autumn’s face to hers, “And we are going to make it even more unsafe.”
“What?” Gabby looked at the tower and gulped.
“The game of Jenga is simple. We are each going to take a block out and place it on the top. The more we take out of it the more unstable it is. The loser of each round is the one who causes the tower to topple over and fall. We shall keep on playing this until the last creature standing, which will be the winner! Every creature got that?! Pinkie turned to look on the troubled faces of the group, “Come on it will be fun!”
“Fun by your standards,” Silverstream continued to stare at the tower of fate.
“Oh, you weren’t there when Rainbow Dash made Spike build a rock tower when Spike decreed some Dragon Code thing. Images knocking down a rock tower?” Pinkie told them. The others glanced at each other before shrugging.
“Let’s do this,” Silverstream sighed. Pinkie clapped her hooves together in excitement.
“Great! Marble, why don’t you go first?” Pinkie turned to her sister. Marble took a careful step towards the tower. She examined the pieces, wiggling a few to see if there were any loose ones to start off easy. Coming near the top, she gently wiggled a loose one out and placed it on the top, breathing a sigh of relief. She stepped back carefully, not wanting to bump into some creature.
Gabby was up next. She chose a block close to the bottom in the middle, which she used a talon to push it out and place it on the top. Pinkie, as usual, manged to get one out in ease. Autumn took a shaky hoof to a block, the tower wobbling slightly as it started losing its balance. Autumn breathed a large sigh as she placed her block on top. Silverstream took a block from the middle with a talon and placed it in the middle.
“Now we do it all over again!” Pinkie cheered quietly. The others looked apprehensive about continuing the game with the tower close to its tipping point. Marble went again, choosing another easy loose one from the bottom and placing it on the top, with some help with Autumn’s magic. Gabby stepped up, but chose a block that was tightly secured to its position. One small pull and the whole thing came crashing down.
“Sorry Gabby, but you lost that round,” Pinkie patted the sad griffon on the back, “Afraid it’s game over for you.” Gabby nodded and went to the main table, sitting on her seat with a sigh. Autumn used her magic to restart the game, stacking the blocks in threes in opposite ways.
“Onto round two! Good luck every creature!” Pinkie whished the others. Silverstream started off first this time, picking an easy loose one. Then it was Marble, Autumn and Pinkie. The game soon picked up an easy going pace. However, every creature knew that the tower would go at any moment, it was just a matter of who will be responsible for it. Unfortunately, it was Silverstream who got unlucky, the tower falling when she tried to place it on top. Sighing in defeat, she joined Gabby at the main seating area. Two down, three still standing.
After Autumn got the tower back together with her magic again, the game began for the third time. a good rhythm and strategy followed with each player, knowing the exact spot where the tower was at it’s most vulnerable. It required focus, technique of the pull and one swift movement. However, a loss of concentration was Marble’s downfall as she misjudged a clean move of a block. Marble became the third casualty of the game. Now it was Autumn against Pinkie.
“The suspense is too much to bear!” Gabby said as she, and the others, were at the edge of their seats, about to topple like an unsteady tower themselves. Pinkie and Autumn battled it out until it came to a precarious brick that was two on either side with the middle one missing. Pinkie’s turn was up.
“Now time for my secret move,” Pinkie rubbed her hooves together. The others stared, then jaws dropped to the floor as Pinkie Pie managed to do one with one block on the far side still holding the other up. When Autumn tried to pick a block away, the whole tower finally came toppling down.
“I win! I win! I win! I win!” Pinkie Pie chanted happily as she jumped around the pile of wooden Jenga blocks.
“And I learned to never play Jenga with Pinkie again,” Autumn sighed, “Well, I recall Spike telling us a moment when Pinkie was picking a scroll about family history and not causing the others to topple over. Anyway, that is all we have time for today and we hope to see you all again soon!”
Silverstream pressed the air button off whilst Pinkie was still chanting her victorious win.