//------------------------------// // Bonus: It's just a game // Story: Where did you come from? // by Jeweled Pen //------------------------------// Val grinned as he looked across at his opponent. The little pony, Button. He would crush him like all the others. Well, okay, he rarely actually crushed anypony. Or won, for that matter. But he completely ignored that minor fact. This time Sweetie was watching, that meant he had to win! For reasons! Also, Flash was there and watching over the game(namely because Val had yet to get his own cards and Flash had caught him each time he tried to steal the deck.) He blinked a few times and cocked his head to the side as the other colt nudged over a long white box filled with dozens of little decks of sleeved cards. “Okay, ummm... which of the games did you want to play?” “How many of those card games do you have?” Val asked, staring at them. “Oh, well this one is Awesome!” the colt said before pulling out a big stack of cards. “To play this we just randomly deal out a deck to each other. This one is Cyborg.” He pulled out two decks. “I could play the runner or the company, mom made both these decks. I have the six starter decks for Embers,” he said before pulling out another six decks. Finally, he pulled out one last deck wrapped in red sleeves. “And this is my Armies of Equestria deck.” He put it down and then tapped it. The cards proceeded to shuffle themselves. Val stared. “How are you... doing... that?” he asked in awe. “Self-shuffling sleeves. Guaranteed randomization every time,” the colt said proudly, before grinning. “So, did you want to play this first?” “Ha, sure!” Val said with a grin before glancing to Sweetie and giving her a confident grin. He'd crush this small child and then be honored and revered by her. She'd see him as her champion! Already he could see the praise as he vanquished this supposedly good general. He'd soon understand the futility in going against the greatest pony general to ever live. “Are you using any custom cards?” The colt blinked. “Custom cards?” “Yeah, you know. The blanks? The ones you build using the rules in the book?” Val cocked his head to the side. “Err, what?” Flash sighed and shook his head. “He hasn't tried building any of his own cards yet. Val, I wouldn't worry about it, it's a bit... difficult to grasp and the pre-built cards tend to be just as good unless you want a specific theme.” “Wait, so I could make MORE giant monsters?” Val asked, his eyes widening. Flash groaned and face hoofed. “Ohhhh, yeah, it's really cool!” Button said before turning his deck over. Val's eyes lit up. Most of the cards were shiny and had special images on them. One even had a picture of Button on it. “H-how did you... wow...” “You can buy the blanks in packs, some of shiny and non-shiny. You can order special custom cards too, if you have an image,” Button said with a big grin. “Mom got me a bunch of shiny cards custom made for my birthday!” “For your what?” Val asked, before staring at them and frowning. “W-well, anyway. I'll beat you even if your cards are all shiny and sparkly!” he said confidently, before shuffling his deck. Cheerilee barely managed to keep her sqwee of delight silent as she watched Val shuffle the deck with ease, holding the cards firmly. He was getting so much better at using his hooves. Val grinned and drew his cards before nodding. “Prepare to get thrashed!” ------ Val let out a whine as Button's last attack hit him, without any shields it meant he lost. “N-no fairrrr! That's... that's cheap!” Button stared and cocked his head to the side. “Well, they are cheap monsters. That's why I use them, to overwhelm.” “But... but but...” Cheerilee sighed and looked up from her book. “Val, maybe you two should try one of the other games?” He'd already lost eight games in a row. Then again, Button didn't seem to be holding back at all, unlike Flash. “FINE!” Val snapped angrily, pointing a hoof at Button. “I WILL CRUSH YOU!” ------ “HOW?!” Val shrieked as he stared down at his deck of Awesome! cards. “I played a bunch of really strong monsters!” “Well, this game is about--” “THE NEXT ONE!” Val roared. “Um, honey, maybe you should take a break,” Cheerilee said nervously. “No. I will win,” Val said with a growl. “Let's play... the Ember one.” Button nodded. “Cool! I haven't really been able to play this one before.” Val nodded. “Really? Well, I'll try not to beat you too bad.” ------ “And that's game,” Button said with a nod. “Your Dragonborn falls.” “W-what? Noooo! Impossible! I did... I... I...” The colt stared at his cards, his hooves shaking. Cheerilee cringed and watched him. Any moment the explosion was going to happen. She hoped those cards weren't that expensive, she'd have to replace all of them when Val burned them. “Let's play the next one. The... leyline one.” “Cyborg? Okay,” Button said, before putting the cards away. Cheerilee blinked and stared. Val seemed so calm. She was so certain he was going to explode in a raging fit, or start shooting fireballs. Instead he was just sitting there, his hooves were quivering a bit but he seemed fine. She smiled. It seemed he really was maturing. ------ Val groaned and buried his head into his hooves. “Let's... let's just play the other one. Battles. I know that one.” Button nodded. “Well... okay,” he said, sounding a little dejected before putting them up. “You did pretty good! For your first times and--” “Don't talk down to me,” Val snapped as he shuffled his deck. “I'm going to beat you. I'm going to crush you. I'm going to—” “Val!” Cheerilee said with a sigh. “It's a game, calm down. You're just supposed to be having fun. Remember?” He blinked, and then slowly nodded. “VAL!” a voice said and Val tried to flee, but it was too late. Claw was already on him. He let out a yelp as the other colt glomped and licked his face. “Off! Off off off off! I will light you on fire!” Val shrieked. “Okay!” the part-dragon pony said. “P-please don't light up my cards,” Flash said nervously, his hooves coming up to his face in fright. “Claw, we're playing—” Val's eyes went wide as Claw licked him again. He hacked and coughed. “Gahhhh! My mouth was open and everything!” “Your mouth tastes funny,” Claw said happily with another nuzzle. “Get off meeeeee!” Val whined, finally managing to shove the colt off. “Can't you see I'm in the middle of an epic game to defeat my rival?” he asked, glowering at the other colt. “Rival?” Button asked with a grin. “Ohhhh, what's that?” Claw asked, still grinning but, for the moment, not pouncing. “I'm going to crush him with these cards and show him I'm the best general in front of Sweetie and... and...” He paused and looked around, before cocking his head to the side. “Where's Sweetie?” “I think she walked off about an hour ago,” Cheerilee said with a sigh. “I think she got tired of watching you two play.” Button cringed. “Maybe we should go get--” “NO! Not until I beat you!” Val snapped, glowering at the colt. Button gulped and gave a nod ------ “Why doesn't he just let Val win already?” Scootaloo grumbled as she chewed on a bit of her popcorn. She and the rest of the CMC had arrived midway through yet another round and, unfortunately, Val had yet to have made any real progress in defeating Button. Out of the six hits needed to win, his best game had been three. Button truly seemed un-defeatable. “Ah don't know,” Applebloom said with a shrug. “A pride thing, ah guess? Ah'm just curious how long it'll take 'fore he notices Claw's been nibblin' his tail again.” “It's not so bad, he's getting better,” Silverbelle said softly. “He almost got four hits in last time.” “Yeah, almost,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “Button plays these kinds of games all the time, Val needs to just give it up, he's not going to win.” “I will win!” Val yelled, stomping his hoof down. “Just wait and-- Claw, stop eating my tail!” “But it tastes like licorice...” “My tail does not taste like licorice!” Val snapped, before looking down at it. “Wait, does it?” He then shook his head. “No, game, focus. I... play a griffon scout!” “He is doing a lot better now,” Flash said with a nod. “He's been practically remaking his deck after every game and he has been doing a much better job at balancing out his low and high cost cards. I wouldn't say victory is impossible. Albeit, difficult.” “Why are you still here? I thought you were supposed to go home now that his mom was dealt with and stuff?” Scootaloo asked. The stallion looked down. “What? No. I'm here because of the thief, not because of his mother. We're still guarding the place.” “Ohhhhh,” the filly said, before looking to Val again. “Is anyone else finding this really boring?” “Eeyup,” Sweetie said with a nod. “Mmmm hmm,” Applebloom added. “I-I don't mind,” Silverbelle said gently. “Om nom nom nom,” Claw said happily. “STOP EATING MY TAIL! Ack!” Val shrieked. “That doesn't mean nibble my ears! Giddoff! Giddoff! Stooooop! Moooooom!” Cheerilee looked up from her book. “Hmm? Oh, that's very nice dear. You're doing wonderfully.” At least he was having fun and not threatening to murder anypony, at this point that was the best she hoped for. “Make Claw stooooop!” She sighed. “Claw, please leave Val alone.” She then looked down to the girls. “You don't have to keep watching if you don't want to. You can go play. Why did you all come here, anyway?” “I was here with my mom,” Silverbelle said softly. “She's helping the princess with her...” The child struggled for a moment as she tried to think of the proper Equestrian term. “Stuff?” Close enough. “This is much funner.” Cheerilee nodded and glanced to the other girls. “And you?” “Sweetie said Button and Val were fighting. I wanted to see,” Scootaloo said with a grin. “She left out the part they were fighting with cards. I would have bet on Button either way though. Val looks like he'd bruise easily.” “ARGGGGGH!” Val yelled as once again he was defeated. “No no no no! Stupid cards! Why do you keep failing me? I am your general! I decide which of you live and--” He stopped and took a slow, deep breath, putting the deck down calmly as he slowly breathed in and out. “One minute. I'm going to go make some more changes.” “Mmmmm hmm,” Button said as he took out his gamecolt and started playing on it. “Take your time.” “You wanna try the deck I made?” Sweetie offered. “No! I will crus-- I will beat him with my own deck,” Val said firmly, digging a hoof into the ground. “I can figure this out.” Cheerilee sighed as she went back to her book. He was keeping his competitiveness in check at least. To a small extent. No threats or the like. She glanced up as the other girls quickly left, all except for Silverbelle. Not that she could blame the child. As boring as watching them play the same card game over and over was, it still probably beat listening to Twilight talk about... time things. She wondered how the mare managed to fit all those thoughts into one little head. ------ Cheerilee sighed as she looked out the window to her room. It had been many hours since they'd left the castle and finally come home. She couldn't believe Val hadn't figured this out by now. She could see the light flickering out from his window below hers, so she knew he was up. He was supposed to be in bed hours ago. She'd been so proud of him, too. He hadn't tried to cause any wars or pick any fights all day. He was getting a bit obsessed with beating Button, but it wasn't too bad, yet. Flash had let him borrow his cards and Val had spent most the night going through them, but she supposed that was fine. He wasn't getting violent about it. But she was tired and had work in the morning. He had school. There was absolutely no reason he needed to be up this late. Slowly she snuck out of her bed and started gingerly trotting out of her room and down the stairs. She could see the light coming from under his door, so she guessed he didn't hear her. She inched closer and leaned against it, listening in. She couldn't hear anything. Probably reading a comic or something. She shoved the door open. Val was sitting on the floor, his little deck of cards spread out before him, looking at every card over and over. Her mouth fell open. Why in Equestria would he be playing with those at this hour? Worse, she'd shoved the door open and he hadn't even noticed. He was just too absorbed. "VAL!" she snapped, making him jump. He yelped and looked back, before looking to the cards, then back to her. "I-I was just, I couldn't sleep, I just--" "Val, what in Equestria are you doing? You were supposed to be in bed hours ago." She walked forward and looked at the cards, shaking her head. "I-I know, b-but Button just keeps--" "Yes, beating you, I know. But you need to let it go. You were doing so well, too. I thought you were finally getting it right." She glared down at him. "It's time for bed. Put these cards away." "B-but I just--" "Now!" she snapped, feeling quite a bit miffed. "You need to let this go. This isn't normal. You're not acting like a pony at all. It's just a game, you can't focus on it so much." He went deathly still and began to shake. She started to worry. Was she too rough? She hadn't meant to be too hard on him, she was just tired. He chewed on his lip for a moment before seeming to calm down. Then finally, he hurtled his deck across the room, smacking the cards against the wall. "I KNOW!" he screamed, before letting out a little sob. She recoiled in shock. "I-I know. I-I've been trying. I-I really have. I-I want to j-just enjoy the game, but... but I can't. I-I have to win, I-I just have to. I-I know it's not very... very pony to care, a-and I've tried not to b-but I just... I just can't..." Tears started going down his face. "I-I'm not... I'm just not a pony... I'm just... I'm just a stupid, useless, weak, idiotic d-drow. A-a male, j-just a useless male like my father. I just... I-I want to enjoy it... I want to, so bad. I-I want to be like the other ponies... I just... I just can't... I just... I just need... I need to win... I-I tried to enjoy it. I tried. I just wanted to... I kept playing and... and I thought I'd... I thought if I kept doing it, if I kept trying it, I'd be like other ponies. I could be like... I could..." Cheerilee blinked and then slowly moved in closer, wrapping her hooves around him. "It's... it's okay. Val, it's okay. You're not any of those things. You're a smart kid. You're not useless. You're not idiotic." "T-then why can't I win? H-he's a pony, he's just.... he's just a child..." "So are you. he's had a lot more time to learn these games. To practice them. You'll get there, dear. You'll learn." She then paused. "You... didn't play many games growing up, did you?" He shook his head. She smiled. "Come on, then. Let's go play a little go fish, okay honey? It's...something you'll like." “I... I don't wanna go swimming...” “It's not swimming. It's just a simple game, dear. Once I think you'll like.” She sighed and slowly brought him with her. She knew it was a school night, she knew he should get some sleep. But... right now he needed this. He needed her. Besides, missing one day of class wouldn't be so bad. Ugh, and she used to have such perfect attendance before she had him. Still, she couldn't help feeling it was worth it. She made a mental note to send a letter to Luna, he needed therapy as soon as possible. She smiled back to him. “I'm sorry today has been a tough day for you, dear. But trust me. You're a very good pony and you're only getting better.” He nodded slowly, giving her a weak, small smile.