Graham's Bed and Breakfast

by Golden Graham

Let The Games Begin

Creme de Menthe woke up with a hangover the next morning. This was not unusual for her, but the manner in which she had acquired it was. Her usual evening routine consisted of either tracking down Berry Bunch or Pinkie Pie and seeing if there were any parties going down that night and trying to get into one, and if not, simply going home and vegging out in front of the TV. Either way, alcohol was usually involved. Last night, however, there had been no TV, and no parties - at least, not the type of parties she was normally acquainted with. No, this party was a complete and total nerd-fest of board games and card games, and weirdest of all, it had gone down in the common room of her own workplace.

Golden Graham's high school friend, Higgs Boson, had stayed until the wee hours of the morning, before finally leaving for home - but not before leaving a select number of his games with Graham. He had actually needed to call his mom to let her know that he would be staying out so late, as well as the fact that he would be getting dinner with his friends. Graham had ordered a pizza and Creme had mixed some drinks for the entire group. Lemon Meringue had enjoyed herself at least, but rather than staying up in one another's bedroom's to gossip, they had both been sucked into a long game of Oranges to Oranges that had lasted most of the evening. Then Graham and Higgs had started up a game called Mustangs of Catan, which she and Lemon Meringue had tried their hand in with mixed success. The two boys had to explain most of it to them, but it was easy enough to pick up once the game got going.

She was just pleased that Lemon Merginue at least seemed to be enjoying herself. She had been worried that she would be bored by the two nerds geeking out over their games, but to her surprise, her friend from Manehattan had been delighted to join in, which made it all the more fun for Creme herself. It was an odd thing, that a game could take such a simple concept - pieces of plastic and cardboard and dice - and make it seem challenging, as if to offer a distraction from that complexity of the real world in a way that was still engaging, if pointless. Still, it had managed to keep them occupied for the duration of the evening, and seeing the two boys having so much fun with it was really something to see.

Even that strange foreign diplomat and her guard had stayed and watched, though neither had participated. After some polite small talk, Creme had learned that she had apparently been stationed in Ponyville as an overseer to the Elements of Harmony, and would be staying at the Bed and Breakfast for the foreseeable future, which Graham was more than willing to accommodate. It just meant more money for him, and the funds were coming directly from Canterlot, so he was only too happy to accept her. The bed and breakfast charged roughly the same as the inn, for while their service was marginally lower, the inn served only drip coffee - Creme gagged - and store bought hay bagels for their guests.

The pegasus knight was apparently staying with the local guard station, and had not reserved a room for himself at the bed and breakfast. As an appointee from Canterlot, he was under no-pony's jurisdiction but the diplomat's, and was at her disposal until she dismissed him for the night. Every so often, she would ask him something in a hushed tone, which he responded to in an equally quiet voice. The snippets that she could catch indicated that she needed clarification on a joke that had resulted from one of their games. Creme got the feeling that she was curious about the games they were playing, but did not yet feel comfortable approaching any-pony to ask - that, or she did not yet feel familiar enough with the group just yet. She hoped that one day, she would become more sociable. If she was to be a permanent fixture at the bed and breakfast, it would be rather boring otherwise.

After the games had ended, and the pizza and mixed drinks began slowly dwindling, the small group had simply sat around the coffee table and chatted. It was mostly Graham and Higgs discussing their high school days when the two of them would game together with other friends. Creme didn't have many fond memories from high school - in fact, aside from Berry Punch and Lemon Meringue, Graham was about the only other friend she still spoke to from those days. Still, it was fun to listen to them carry on about their games, particularly when they started discussing something called Myths and Mayhem. That game in particular seemed to be the source of the two boys' most amusing stories that evening.

It was not the first time she'd heard of it, but she had never quite understood what it was. After listening, it did not seem to involve the strict board-game setup that she was familiar with. While there was a grid-lined mat that was used to establish a setting, the details of the game seemed mostly free-form, and could be arranged to exhibit whatever setting was needed. What she did not appreciate, however, was that one of the players had to take on the role of Game Master, and essentially run the game as its ruler and decision maker. That seemed weirdly unfair to her, but after hearing Graham describe one of the campaigns that he had run in high school, she began to see that the Game Master was still ultimately responsible for making the game fun for the other players. The other thing that seemed strange to Creme de Menthe was the fact that the game was usually composed of a long-standing campaign divided into multiple sessions and could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, depending on how much the players enjoyed it. That seemed like a rather unrealistic commitment to her.

The best part about it, though, was that the players could come up with their own unique character, and give it whatever personality they desired. There were some terms she was not accustomed to, such as paladins and bards, but ultimately, she got a pretty good idea of what type of characters they were talking about when describing their builds. There were a lot of numbers involved, which didn't really mean anything to her, and Higgs Boson seemed obsessed with eking out as many extra points as he could, but she still got the gist of it from Graham's descriptions, as he always took an extra moment to elaborate on something for the rest of the group.

As entertaining as it was to sit and listen, asking the occasional question and being amused by the answer, there were still the odd guest to take care of. Some customers came in late and needed to be directed to specific amenities, and they could not raise their voices above a certain level for fear of disturbing those trying to sleep. Still, it had been a fun, if low key way to spend the evening, and once the hour became late enough, it was time to wrap things up and turn in for the night. Higgs and the pegasus knight - she thought she'd heard his name was Stainless Steel? - left for their respective sleeping quarters, and the rest of them filed upstairs to their bedrooms, and Creme still went to bed with content buzz in her system.

She stumbled downstairs the next morning, as per usual, and perked right up with a shot of espresso. Such a glorious thing was caffeine, she thought, as she cleared her vision to gauge her boss' mood.

To her surprised, Golden Graham was actually whistling while he worked this morning, casually flipping pancakes and walking with a little spring in his step as he wandered back and forth between tasks in the kitchen.

"Well, aren't you chipper this morning?" she asked with a smirk.

He blushed at little at her comment, and cleared his throat as he turned to focus on his work. "Oh, just...you know...in a good mood."

She giggled. He could be kind of cute when he was flustered like that.

"So, what did you think of Lemon Meringue?" she joked playfully. "Pretty cute, right?"

His disposition did not seem to change.

"Yeah, I suppose so," he admitted, sprinkling some cinnamon over some Prench toast. "She seemed more interested in that other pegasus though."

Creme was disappointed at first that her jibe wasn't able to get a further rise out of him, but her smile widened when she heard his reasoning.

"Jealous much?" she smirked.

He threw an unreadable glance in her direction.

"No," he said slowly. "Just making an observation."

Creme shrugged. She suppose she had noticed her friend casting the odd wayward glance in the guard's direction last night. Lemon Meringue had always had a weakness for stallions in uniform, she supposed, and it seemed that was still the case.

"So what's got you in such a good mood this morning then?" Creme asked, as she started readying the place settings for their guests when they arrived.

Graham poured some more pancake mix on the griddle, making six perfectly sized silver dollar hotcakes.

"Just been a while since I've been able to sit down with friends and enjoy myself," he said, somberly. "I haven't had that much fun in a while."

"I'll say..." Creme agreed, sipping at her coffee. "I don't think I've ever seen you cut loose like that before."

He ignored the jibe. "I just wish it could be like that more often, you know? Get a group together, play some board games, maybe get a campaign started. I miss doing that stuff."

She shrugged as she retrieved a jug of milk from the refrigerator. "Well, what's stopping you?"

Graham seemed confused by that. "What?"

"Well, you pulled it off easily enough last night," she said simply, frothing some milk and brewing a cappuccino. "Why can't we do it again? Like, maybe get together once a week, play some games, have some pizza and some drinks and just live it up for the night?"

Graham paused his work for a moment as he pondered that.

"Yeah..." he said slowly, as if coming to realization himself. "Yeah...why can't we? It's not like Higgs will have any trouble getting here, with his mom constantly on his case about getting out more. And if you're down for it, that makes three of us."

"Yeah!" Creme said, excitedly. "And now that Lemon Meringue has free room and board here, I wonder if she'd be available..."

"Available for what?" came a voice, as the yellow mare stepped downstairs, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Speak of the devil," Creme smirked, stepping up to her friend and placing the freshly made cup of cappuccino into her hooves. "That was pretty fun last night, huh?"

Lemon Meringue took a sip of her beverage and hummed in satisfaction. "I certainly enjoyed myself. Didn't think a simple delivery trip could be this interesting."

"I know, right?" Creme grinned. "Anyway, my boss was thinking of doing something like this on a more regular basis. And since you've managed to score yourself a room here whenever you like, we were wondering..."

"Oh honey, that's so thoughtful of you!" Meringue smiled widely. "I would love to join in!"

"You sure?" Graham asked skeptically. "It's not too much trouble coming down here each week?"

"Oh, not at all," she smiled, waving him off as she found herself a seat at one of the tables. "I have to send deliveries here every week anyway. Usually I have one of my employees to do it, so I could just take on that role for myself. Write it off as a business expense. And it will be much cheaper, now that I don't need to worry about staying at a hotel."

Graham smiled, uneasily. "Well, as long as you're sure..."

Creme wrapped her arm around Meringue's shoulder. "Perfect! Now if only we could convince miss Rising Sun and her guard to join."

"I would be honored."

Four heads swiveled up to see the unicorn mare stepping down the stairs, her mane and tail looking pristine and perfect.

Golden Graham, ever the conscientious one, was the first to speak up.

"Oh, we're sorry, ma'am," he said, flustered. "We didn't mean to talk about you behind your back."

"It is no matter," she responded curtly. "I greatly enjoyed watching you all last night, and I have given much thought to this. I do not wish to remain a passive observer while I remain here. So if you would have me join your weekly gathering, I would be honored. And I will implore Mister Steel to accompany me."

The other three ponies just exchanged glances before smiling.

"Well then," Graham said, enthusiastically. "I guess it's settled then."

"Awesome!" Creme grinned as she wrapped her arms around both Graham and Meringue. "Same time next week?"

The yellow mare smiled and nodded. "Same time next week."

Rising Sun inclined her head low to the ground in a Haysianese fashion.

"I look forward to learning from you all," she said somberly.

"Now then..." Graham said, flipped one of the pancakes on the griddle. "Who's hungry?"

Author's Note:

End of Part 1.

This is what I originally joined this site to write. I wanted to create my own MLP story with my own cast of characters. The cast of the show might make occasional appearances, and certainly be mentioned often enough, but ultimately, this is a story about a different group of six friends whose motivations are of a more pedestrian nature than saving Equestria, who all come from various backgrounds, and are united by a common interest. Through this interest, they will learn more about each other, come to appreciate one another, and grow as a group. Some friendships may blossom into romance, others may become strained by tension, but ultimately, it is the characters that will make this story, and not the other way around.

That said, you'll find a lot of aspects of the main cast of MLP in these characters. Creme de Menthe has Pinkie's boundless energy and Rarity's inclination for perfection in her craft, for instance. There are probably many similarities and parallels that could be drawn between my characters and other characters in the show. They're unavoidable - though please let me know if any of the names I've chosen have already been taken if you notice any!

All in all, however, I hope that this fic is able to stand on its own. If all goes well, its characters should develop naturally on their own, and the story will have a distinct beginning, middle and ending, and ultimately, will exist for its own sake.

Comments

[The Guardian and Friends]

SWEET CELESTIA!

TOO MANY OCS!

[Kanzuke]

Alright, I started reading this to see if it deserved the rating, and actually wasn't disappointed. Sure, it is a lot of new characters to take in at once, but my only major gripe would be lack of a real hook. To put it simply, we need a reason to want to read about the interactions of your more pedestrian characters, because often the stories about the less pedestrian are more interesting. We're still pretty early into this, and your 'Meet the Cast' chapter has already revealed some of your plans romance wise, but it comes down to whether this will be more entertaining to read than an equivalent story, except with the Mane 6 in the same scenario.

I think I will continue to read this, if only to see where these characters go, but I can understand the rating. You certainly have talent as a writer; I only spotted two potential errors, and these OCs aren't actually that bad. Not paragons of originality by any means, but they're a far cry from the Mary Sues you tend to see in fics with an OC main cast.

I have no complaints with your storytelling, only the story you're telling

[Winree]

I find myself liking this a surprising amount. Well done.