Tonari no Pinkie-kun! Another Master of Killing Time

by Takarashi282


Second Period - Rubik's Cube

Yesssssss! Gym! My all-time favorite class! The only one that's about as awesome as me.

No, scratch that. This class doesn't even come close.

I ready my running shoes, strap on my shinguards, go outside and warm up. We're playing hoofball today! Beside cross country flying, this has to be my favorite sport. I have many fond memories of playing; memories of winning, memories of extreme knockouts, and... memories of being disqualified. I don't normally think of those.

But, as I am warming up, I see another familiar face among the crowd. Pink coat, hot pink mane that looked just as delectable as cotton candy, and light blue eyes. Pinkie Pie? I think. Yeah, Pinkie Pie! The one who pulled the bucketload of pranks on everypony last year. To be honest, I admire her. Someone who knew pranks on my level. We totally need to become friends!

What's that in her hooves, though? It's colorful, it was a cube. A Rubik's Cube? Man, those are hard! And Pinkie Pie's accepting that challenge? Good luck to he—

All of the sudden, I'm on the ground. My rear legs... darn! They hurt! I look behind me, and another pegasus gets up.

Spitfire? I think. Wait... rear legs. Her position. Don't tell me... I blush and cover my groin. Spitfire turns and gives me such a weird look that I would laugh if I hadn't been so embarrassed.

"Rainbow Dash," she said, with a sort of harsh tone. "Don't try to do that again, without my permission."

My face wants to melt from the heat. "N-no! That's not what I was..."

Too late. She's already heading toward the hoofball field.

"... intending." I mumble. That's totally the most uncool thing I've ever done... now everypony will think I have a crush on her!

"Students!" yells the coach, a ball sitting between his foreleg and barrel, "Gather in the hoofball field! We're gonna have one hell of a game today."

Second Period
Rubik's Cube

Second Quarter. The score's 5-6. I have the ball, and I am going in for the tie.

And what the hay is Pinkie Pie doing?

She's up on her rear legs, keeping up with me quite effectively. She dodges all who try to block her, gracefully even. She shoots a couple looks at me, and I can swear she's using bedroom eyes on me every time she does. Or... is that just me? I look away, blushing again, and I realize that there are three ponies, two girls, one boy, swooping in for the kill. I kick the ball between them as hard as I can. The ball passes through with a near miss, and I work my way around them.

And then Pinkie Pie swoops in, Rubik's Cube in hooves, and takes the opening in the opposing team's defense. She kicks the ball with a resounding pomf! and the ball soars straight through the defenses and catches in the goal net.

I give out a cry for joy. That. Was. Amazing! Even with a Rubik's Cube, she still manages to take a goal. I try to trot over to her to give her a hoofbump, but she's covered in our team, throwing the cube in the air every time she gives a hoofbump.

I manage a smile. Yep, I think, I want her as my friend.

Next play, I am taken out of the game. What. I scowl furiously at Spitfire, who is flicking her mane beeeaaauuu—awesomely! Yeah, that was the word... er... where am I at now.... Oh yeah! I'm angry at Spitfire! Grr!

"We need to let the others play as well, Dash," Spitfire says, shining her hoof. "We don't have all period." And just like that, she walks away.

I snort. "We don't have all period," I mimic, with my awesome voice impression skills. As the ponies in front of me meander to their positions, I rest on the bleachers, ramming my elbow into the metal, despite having that bone broken multiple times. I look to my right, where most of the ponies have cleared out, and I see Pinkie Pie sitting, fumbling with her Rubik's Cube, tongue out, a singular eyebrow raised.

I gulp. Normally, I don't feel this attracted to my own sex. Even Spitfire is just a small gnaw on the back of my mind. But Pinkie! What is so attractive about her? Besides her surprising athletic ability, her slight nerdiness, and upbeat attitude and oh my gosh she needs to marry me!

I take a deep breath. Don't get too excited, Dash, I think. She probably isn't interested in mares. But the way she looked at me on the soccer field... was that only my imagination? I blink. Ah, whatever. At the very least, I need to get to know her.

As the other infidel ponies scramble on the soccer field, I scoot to the end of the bleachers inconspicuously. However, it seems like it is all for naught because Pinkie turns to look at me. "Hiya!" she greets, her voice high and soooooooooo cute! "What brings you here?" In her hooves, she still turns the Rubik's Cube. My jaw drops. How can she do that?

"Oh, heehee!" She raises the puzzle to eye-level, still twisting and turning its multi-colored faces. "I've been practicing a lot. Here, watch this!" She reverses her progress, twisting front to back, side to side. It is all like a blur of motion; either I am not paying much attention, or she's going extremely fast. She stops abruptly and raises the cube again, revolving it in her hooves, showing all checkered sides. "Tada!"

I let my jaw hang for a moment longer. I'd figured every time I see this display, I'd just shrug it off and call it plain nerdiness, even though I own the nerdiest collection of books ever in my library. (Curse you, Twilight, you're ruining my reputation!) But this... this is amazing. I try to echo my thoughts, but all that come out are crackles.

She giggles, somepony yelling in the background as she did. "Your face!" she manages, chuckles turning into machine gun bursts of laughter. She snorts, trying to look back at me, but falls back down laughing, snorts becoming more distinct and cuter! "Staahhp!" she screams. "Staaaahhhp!"

I snap my jaw into place, feeling somewhat insulted but overwhelmingly accomplished. "You're amazing!" Somepony shouts in the background again, followed by groans of defeat.

"I'm amazing?" Pinkie Pie wipes her eyes from tears, sitting up. "You should've seen yourself out there, kicking balls at... well, kicking balls. You scored most of the points today... uh..."

I smile. "Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah! Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash, Rainbow..." She repeats my name over and over and over again, mildly annoying, though sorta cute. "Cool!" She adverts her gaze in front of her. "Oh, and speaking of which, it looks like the game is over! I'm heading back inside. See you later, Rainbow Dash!" She bounces gaily away, beaming.

I put a hoof over my restless heart, smiling down at the earth. Marry, me, master of killing time! I think.