Pinkie stopped shaking the bag, laid it on the table, and spread it open. "Okay everypony," she said. "Draw."
Everypony looked expectantly at Twilight. Twilight frowned. "What?"
"You go first, darling."
"Yeah, since you're a princess an' all."
Twilight glared at her friends. "Seriously?" With a sigh, she reached a hoof into the bag and came out with a tile. She turned it over, looked at it, and let out a loud growl of frustration. "YOU RIGGED THIS STUPID GAME!" she screeched at Pinkie.
"Huh? No I didn't," Pinkie said. "I Pinkie Promise!"
"Whut's got a burr in yer butt, Twi?" Applejack asked.
Twilight slammed her chosen tile on the table for all to see:
FLASH SENTRY
The others blinked. Then, Rainbow snickered. "Heheheh...HAHAHAHA!"
"Oh, come on, darling," Rarity said with a smile. "It can't be that bad. Have you really given this Flash Sentry fellow a fair chance?"
Twilight frowned. "Well...okay, I've only really talked to him once," she admitted.
"Well...maybe if you spend more time talking to him, you'll start to like him," Fluttershy offered.
"Yeah, Twilight! Besides, remember the no-complaining rule!" Pinkie juggled a hoofful of speckled beans, grinning dangerously.
Twilight sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll try to hook up with Not-My-Flash."
"I'm not even gonna touch that one," Rainbow said. "I guess I'll draw next."
Pinkie shook up the bag again, and Rainbow reached in. She drew out a tile, took a look at it, and let out a loud whoop, doing a flip in the air.
"Oh my!" Fluttershy said softly. "Who'd you get?"
Rainbow laid her tile proudly on the table.
SOARIN
"Of the Wonderbolts?" Twilight asked, blinking. "Wow. That's...a good match for you."
"Yeah it is!" Rainbow said, grinning. "Having Soarin as a boyfriend would be awesome!"
"Good luck, Dashie!" Pinkie said. "Who's next?"
"Why don't you go next?" Applejack suggested.
"Hmm...okay!" Pinkie handed Applejack the bag. Applejack shook it up, using her hoof to mix the tiles carefully, then spread it open and offered it to Pinkie.
As Pinkie reached her hoof into the bag, her back started to prickle. "Ooh, my back's itchy," she said.
Twilight tilted her head. "That one's...lucky day, right?"
"Yep!" Pinkie stuck her hoof in the bag and pulled out a tile, laying it on the table.
CHEESE SANDWICH
"I KNEW this game was rigged!" Twilight declared.
"Uhh...how could it be rigged, when Ah shook the bag up mahself?" Applejack pointed out.
"I swear it's not rigged!" Pinkie said, frowning. "There's a couple dozen names in there! It'd be impossible to fix the game!"
"Why don't I draw next?" Rarity suggested, as Applejack shook the bag up again. Rarity reached a hoof in, drew a tile, looked at it, and stared flatly at Pinkie. "This game is rigged," she declared.
"Let me guess, you drew Spike?" Twilight asked.
Rarity laid her tile on the table:
SPIKE
"Why was Spike even IN there?!" Rainbow cried. "He's not even a pony!"
"Dragons need love too," Pinkie said. "I couldn't just leave him out. Besides, I put Discord's name in there too!"
"You did WHAT?!" Twilight cried.
"Oh my goodness," Fluttershy said.
"You'll never convince me this game isn't rigged now," Twilight said.
"Ah'm sorry, Twi...Ah just don't see how it could be rigged, when Ah've got th' bag an' there's no way Pinkie coulda known whut order we'd go in." Applejack handed the bag to Rarity, who shook it up for her. She reached in, and...
THUNDERLANE
"Huh. Don't reckon Ah've said ten words t' Thunderlane afore," Applejack said. "This'll be...interestin'." She looked at Fluttershy. "Your turn, sugarcube."
"I...I don't know if I want to..."
"Eternal farting," Pinkie whispered ominously.
"Eep!" Fluttershy dove into the bag and fished out a tile, nearly dropping it. She looked at it and blinked, then laid it on the table.
BIG MACINTOSH
"And that PROVES the game isn't rigged," Pinkie declared smugly.
"How does that prove anything?" Twilight asked.
"Because I ship Big Macintosh with Cheerilee," Pinkie said simply. "If I'd rigged the game, nopony would've drawn Big Mac!"
"Who...who would mine have been if the game was rigged?" Fluttershy asked.
"Bulk Biceps," Pinkie said without hesitation.
Twilight deflated. "Okay okay, so the game probably isn't rigged." She looked at the tiles on the table, a sour frown on her face. "Are we really doing this? I mean, are we really going through with this? And if you say 'eternal farting' one more time, I'll give you infinite trots."
"Well I'm in," Rainbow said. "I never thought of Soarin that way before, but now I'm kinda excited!"
"I...don't mind," Fluttershy said. "I mean, Big Macintosh is very nice."
Rarity sighed. "If nothing else, I suppose this will resolve the matter of Spike's crush once and for all."
"Ah ain't wussin' out," Applejack said. "Last thing Ah need is somethin' fer Rainbow t' hold over me."
Twilight sighed. "Okay, okay...I'm in too. I guess I'd better make arrangements to go to the Crystal Empire so I can visit Flash Wiener."
"Yay!" Pinkie cheered, clapping. "Okay girls, you've got one month to figure out how to make the stallion you chose your special somepony. Remember the rules, and have fun!"
"Yay," Twilight said in a quiet, flat tone.
"Please don't steal my catchphrase," Fluttershy said. She turned to Applejack. "Um...is this okay with you? Me and your brother?"
Applejack shrugged. "He does need a marefriend," she said. "Ah don't think he'll ever bother t' get one on his own."
"Well...good luck, everypony," Rarity said with a tight smile. "I'm off to...figure out how to proceed..."
"Won't you be the first one to th' finish line here?" Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Ha ha, very funny," Rarity said, tossing her mane.
Twilight sighed. "See you girls later," she said, flying off to her castle.
"I'm gonna head to Cloudsdale, do some research," Rainbow said.
Applejack shifted. "Ah, uh...gotta handle some stuff at home afore Ah start."
"I'll come with you," Fluttershy said.
"And I'm off to find my Cheese!" Pinkie said happily.