7: Guy’s Night
A couple of days later I managed to return to Ponyville, this time refreshed. Of course, I did help Twilight with the preparations for Hearth's Warming as to order for presents, plan out the annual part, taste test new recipes and so on. Twilight and Starlight did ask me how things went between me and Thorax after my visit and I told them that things were looking promising. Thankfully neither of them inquired if we did anything that was… intimate, so at least the awkwardness levels were at a minimum.
Even with Hearths Warming that had come and gone, I admit that I was truly missing the Changeling King. On that day when friends and family celebrated, the plays about the holiday were performed, presents and the feasts were shared, it all felt empty to me that year. I was longing to have Thorax come popping in to maybe lighten up my mood a little. Yet, from that festival of light, it all seemed dull to me.
This was why that the very next day, I’ve decided to write to him an invite for him to come on New Year’s Day for Guys Night. I thought it would be fun for the guys to have an extra player and a good enough excuse seeing him again. Within days, he responded through a letter that he’d be more than happy to come.
If anything, New Year’s Day was perfect timing since the rest of the guys were through with their parties the night before. So before sundown, they came by train, hoof and interdimensional hoping to come to the Castle of Friendship. Big Mac, Discord, Sunburst, Shining Armor, Fancy, and Blueblood had gathered, but I was still waiting on the balcony looking at the sunset.
“Where is he?” I muttered to myself, tapping my claws on the icy railing. Nervously I peered through the falling snow at the gray sky in hopes to get a glimpse of Thorax flying in. “You’d think he should be here by now.” I remember rubbing my claws, breathing fire into them as I stood there, waiting anxiously for any sign. Then unexpectedly, a pair of hooves covered my eyes.
“Guess who,” and I didn’t need to as I flung around to revealingly find Thorax there. He was the first to hug me, “I missed you.”
“There you are,” I replied hugging back. “I was getting worried that you won’t show up.”
“Shame on you for thinking such, I wouldn’t miss an invite from you for anything. So what’s this about a guy’s night?”
“Oh! Right,” I said as I directed him towards the inside. “To tell ya the truth, I’m rather glad that you have the time for this. Because Guys Night is pretty much when we get our male friends to come and play the best game ever made, plus with a huge improvement from Discord.”
“Discord?”
“Uh-huh,” I nodded. “Yeah, I know playing any games with him does sound off-putting at first, but trust me when he’s in the game, it becomes like a thousand times cooler.”
He tilted his head, “I don’t think I’ve caught on as to what exactly this game is.”
“You know what a role-playing game is, right?”
He stopped in the middle of the hallway. “Okay, before I jump to conclusions, define 'role-playing.’”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at what he was getting at. “It’s not what you think,” I told him. “And it’s not that kind of party. Trust me, if that were even remotely the case, Pinkie would have delivered some phallic shaped cakes at our door by now. No, by role-playing I mean using our imaginations to have fun, like playing pretend in a way. Only with Discord around, we won’t have to bother with envisioning it. Trust me, you’re gonna love it.”
We then went into the throne room where the others were waiting. Discord was in a massage chair floating in the middle of the room with a black book in his tail. Big Macintosh and Prince Shining Armor were sitting on their sister’s thrones who sat in between Sunburst that was in Rarity’s. Fancy and Blueblood were talking about something as the Prince was on Pinkie’s throne while his husband was sitting in Fluttershy’s.
“Is it sunset already?” Discord asked, peeking over the book he was reading.
“Just about,” I told them. “Guys, you all know King Thorax? He’s here for our game tonight.”
“Thorax huh?” Blueblood got up from his seat to proceed to shake his hoof and giving a nod. “Long time no see, Your Majesty. How is the Changeling Kingdom coming along?”
“It’s been busy, how are things with you and Fancy? I haven’t seen either of you since the wedding.”
“Going splendidly,” Fancy shot over. “Still it’s refreshing to see a new face around here.”
“So what are you two doing here anyway?” the Changeling King asked.
“We’re here for our monthly guy’s night,” Blueblood replied. “Still, it’s refreshing to see a new face in tonight’s activities.”
I put a claw to my chin, “Ya know Thorax, now that I think of it, apart from Shining, Discord, and Sunburst, there’s someone else that I don’t think I’ve introduced you to.” After walking him over to AJ’s throne I said, “King Thorax, this is Big Mac, the longest member of this game that I had the pleasure of playing with.”
The red stallion nodded, “Howdy there sir.”
After the two of them shook hooves, my coltfriend greeted him. “You know, I don’t think I’ve seen you before, how do you know Spike?”
“Ah been a friend of his here in Ponyville. If anythin’, Ah know him through a friend of mah sister’s.”
Discord got up from his massage chair in which he had it turned to flies to have it buzzed out, he said. “Well I think that’s enough introductions, don’t you think? I think it’s about time for our game.”
“That’s the thing I wanted to ask,” my Changeling said as he looked around the table. “What game is it anyway? I mean, what’s it even called?”
“Ogres & Oubliettes!” the whole room replied.
“The greatest, longest and most influential fantasy adventure game ever conceived,” Thorax explained. “That is until Discord made it better.”
Thorax blinked, “Um… okay? How do you play it?”
“First thing’s first,” Discord slithered through the air over him. “You need to come up with a character,” he then opened up the back book. “And depending on what you become, it may change in how tonight’s game will end. Oh, and a little hint, don’t go as yourself, it just won’t work.”
“You could be pretty much anything you want,” Shining said. “Like for example, my character is Al Makhlab Alsulb, the last desert gryphon and ex-assassin that is a level twenty-seven warrior that is gifted with stealth and observation.”
“Mine is Count Orlock of the Shadow Hills,” Sunburst informed. “A vampire that at night has great endurance and speed that is a level thirty-one warrior. My strengths are illusion and stamina. Big Mac’s is Sir McBiggen, a level twenty-nine black knight unicorn. Discord is a level eighteen immortal archery elf, known around as Captain Waz. Blueblood is Sir Snowrose, the white pegasus knight at level twenty-five. And Fancy is a level twenty-four Shaolin monk known as Master Tí Shǎndiàn.”
“What about Spike?” Thorax turned to me, “What is your character?”
“In this game, I’m Garbuckle the Magician, a level thirty-seven enchanter. You can be any character you want, but no gods allowed though, because that would be cheating.”
Thorax thought for a good minute. “How about this?” he suddenly burst into green flames. And there was saw him transformed into something of a ghost that hovered above the floor. His orange moose-like antlers were morphed into ivory white thin deer ones, and his fur had turned phantom white. Around his neck were vines and he had a crown of leaves on his head. When he opened his eyes, they were a wintery blue. “Call me Erlkönig, the spirit of the forest from the west.”
“A forest spirit, eh?” Discord inquired as he circled around him. “Not bad. If anything, it fits perfectly with the storyline from last week. Where us the heroes were fleeing into the forest after a devastating attempt to continue on our quest. So, King Thorax,” Discord rose above us in the throne room. “Are you ready to enter into the world, of Ogres & Oubliettes?”
And just like that in a flash of light, the crystal throne room had been transformed into a nocturnal forest of origami cards and dice boulders. All of us have been transformed into our respected characters, except for Thorax who stayed the same in his disguise that was sitting in a tree. I looked around to see that we were in the same battered state as we were the last time. Discord’s voice was heard all around.
“Our chapter begins in the Forest of Phantoms, where our heroes have fled for safety from the unexpected ambush of the New Moon Cult. Battered and bruised, they dared to seek shelter in the forbidden forest of the Erlkönig.”
Thorax in spirit form looked up to the sky, “Um… what do I do exactly?”
“Since you’re new, you’ll go first. Just remember, you’re the king of the forest, just play along. You see these battered guys show up to your forbidden kingdom, so what do you do?”
“I guess investigate,” Thorax shrugged. “See what they want.”
“Don’t say it, do it! And stay in character!”
“Okay, fine,” he rolled his eyes as he flew down from the trees. “Uh… H-Halt! Who is it that walks on these sacred grounds?”
With a limp, I walked forward, “Please, we do not mean to trespass spirit of this forest. We are seeking food and shelter.” I winced and hissed in pain, “Not to mention a place to heal. We have been caught off guard by the New Moon Cult and were ambushed. If you give us sanctuary, we’ll be out of these woods by morning.”
The ghostly Changeling raised an eyebrow, at first I couldn’t read his face as he drew closer to me. “I do not know who this New Moon Cult is, but there is something… familiar with you. Have we met before?”
“Uh… I don’t think so…?”
Thorax narrowed his eyes before replying. “I am Erlkönig, the spirit of the forest and king of those who live within the borders of my realm. For tonight, I will allow you to rest underneath these branches – but at the same time, I warn all of you, if you lie about who you claim to be, there will be consequences.”
“Your kindness is much appreciated,” said Fancy, who by now had taken up the form of a balled Earth Pony in torn, silken robes. He bowed to the forest spirit and added, “For you have our word for us to honor by.”
From there, as Count Orlock (also known as Sunburst) perched on a tree to act as a lookout, the rest of us tended to our wounds. Many potions and bandages were used, and all the while we kept our eyes peeled and ears perked for any sign of our attackers. Since it was a moonlight night, and we didn’t want to attract the wrong attention, we decided not to light a fire much to the spirit’s relief.
Erlkönig asked us how we came into such a predicament. So we explained to him of the key events of what was going on in the game. Of how after the fall of the Squidzard, there was peace in the land until a new dark order had risen up, the New Moon Cult – a secret society set to restore and go further than what the last villain had done. And that is to bring the land not only into eternal night, but to encase it forever in darkness. We explained to the phantom Changeling that we were on a quest to reach the rumored Solar Stone in which may defeat this cult once and for all.
“Ah, and this leads to the ambush?” the Erlkönig questioned.
“It was a humiliating defeat,” Snowrose (also known as Blueblood) nodded. “We’re lucky to escape with our very lives; although, I’m not so certain of how long our luck will last.”
“Oh crap,” our vampire overhead called, out. “They’re coming this way!”
“To arms!” Captain Waz quickly picked up his bow and arrows while the rest of us readied our weapons. From the shadows of the pale moonlight, dark hooded figures galloped through the woods with war cries on their lips. At this point in the game, we were weak and many of us haven’t fully recovered as we drew our weapon of choice and I readied myself with a spell.
They rushed towards us with swords and spears. Although made out of paper, the swung and stabbed at anyone one of us nearby. At first, I was worried that Thorax wasn’t going to come to help us until one of the villains had accidentally missed me and swung his ax against a tree. “You dare!” an unholy shriek echoed in the forest as the Erlkönig galloped through the air, roots springing out from behind him like a sea monster from the ground. One of the roots swiftly reached out and choked the one responsible until the paper tore in two. “You demons dare to harm my friends and this forest!” Thorax’s character roared, his eyes turned from a spectral blue to a nightmarish red. “There is one penalty for harming my trees, and that is death!”
All around us, the guys stood back in both awe and terror as the origami trees swung its branches, uprooted its roots to grab hold of our attackers to crush and tore them into pieces. Once it was over, the Erlkönig hovered over to me, with that fire still in his eyes. “I will not let anyone hurt you.” He told me.
I put my staff away, “You are indeed a powerful being,” I said. “In all of our travels and adventures, never have we encountered one who can command the trees before.”
Thorax’s character was able to calm down as his eyes returned to that same blue color. “They are my responsibility. Since these fiends have attacked you, I believe in your story. What’s more, as innocents, I place you under protection as I cannot let those that are noble as you are to be harmed.”
“Ya know,” Sir Mcbiggen commented as he put away his sword. “With someone like ‘em, he’d be incredibly helpful with our quest.”
“I agree,” the dessert gryphon, Al Makhlab (or Prince Shining) approached him. “Tell us, good sir, do your powers only exceed to that of this forest?”
The Erlkönig snorted, “I am nature itself. Wherever there is flora, there is my subject waiting for my command.”
“Garbuckle,” Captain Waz turned to me. “I think I speak on behalf of everyone here that this is the warrior that we are looking for. Why, with magic like his, it may be just enough to turn the tide in our favor.”
Everypony there agreed, but I felt that I needed to further persuade him. “This world is in danger Erlkönig. If the cult is successful, everything, including this forest will wither away into an abyss. Your power is promising in achieving our goal. So will you join our quest?”
The spectral Changeling thought it over for a moment, “Very well. Rest now tonight, for, on the morning, I shall join you.”
“That was surprisingly fun!” Thorax told me. We had concluded our game that night, and the guys had begun to either return to their homes or stay overnight at the castle. Thorax and I were snacking in the kitchen at this point with him digging out a tub of ice cream and I a bagful of gems. “It makes me wonder,” he said between spoonfuls of the strawberry swirl. “How come you haven’t told me this before?”
I admit that I did feel sheepish at that moment, “Sorry dude, considering of what has happened to you, I thought that you might have been too busy with what happened at the Crystal Empire and the Hive.”
“But I could always set some time aside for this. I mean, all that pretending stuff was really fun when it’s not for hunting or resonance stuff.”
“Yeah, you were a natural,” I nodded in agreement with an emerald in my cheek. “Thanks for coming over, by-the-way.”
“I’d do anything for you, Spike.” After setting his spoon aside, he added. “And I meant what I said back there.”
“Huh?”
“That I won’t let anything harm you.”
Now I set the bag on one of the counters. “Awe, c’mon dude, it was just a game.”
“I know. But I also meant it in a real sense. You know how much you mean to me that the last thing I want is for something bad to happen to you.” I reached over to rub the top of his head, to which he smiled at me. “Thanks.”
“Thorax, I get all of that. Trust me, this isn’t the first time that I had fallen in love with someone.”
“Yeah, with Rarity.”
I shook my head. “It’s not just her.”
“Huh?” he raised an eyebrow.
“To be honest, once Prince Blueblood unintentionally helped me put two-and-two together, I had realized that I had crushes on other ponies too. For instance, have I told you that my first guy crush was on Big Mac?”
“I don’t think so?” his eyebrow hadn’t come down. “So what’s the story behind that?”
Rubbing my neck, I told him. “Well, after that fiasco at the Grand Galloping Gala, and realizing that I wasn’t just attracted to females, I slowly realized that I had felt with my first guy friends in Ponyville. Apart from… physical traits, I saw how similar we were at the time. He was a closeted nerd that is not only well read, but he’d had an interest in fantasy stuff too so it wasn’t hard for me to introduce him to the game as Shining did with me. Well, after some encouragement from Twilight, she helped me to go up to him and tell him how I felt. And before you start getting jealous, after I told him he said that although flattered, he already had his eye on somepony else. I mean, sure it was pretty awkward after a good month or so, but we still remained friends.”
“Oh, I see,” he nodded.
“Still, I can take care of myself. I am a dragon, after all, so unless by accident, nopony stupid enough is going to hurt me, even if they tried.” From there, I grabbed hold of the ice cream and put it back in the freezer. “You know,” I said, letting my eyes drop halfway. “Since you’re staying the night here, how about I return that favor I owe you.”
He tilted his head. “Favor? What fa-” I picked him up before he could finish. “Oh… That favor. Spike, you don’t have-”
I put a claw to his lips. “No. You helped me when I needed the most. And I cannot thank you enough for doing so. Besides, I want to… well, if you’d let me.”
The Changeling King kissed me, “Fair enough, my chevalier. I suppose I can stay for that kind of game.”
“It’s the least I can do,” I told him as I carried him off to my room.
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Okay, loved this chapter. I can so imagine Thorax being as nerdy as the rest of these guys. (Wonder what things would be like if his brother showed up...) Should point out one small error here.
Pretty sure those first two lines should probably be said by somebody like Spike as Thorax is then asking himself about a game he just told himself about. ...More confusing when I try to explain it... Nervous laughter
8512136
Woops! Another example of having my own brain thinking quicker then my typing. Fixed and thanks.
squee! read the latest two chapter last night while being logout(with most I have accounts to! strange...?) thorax's protective nature is so adorable. i'm sorry to be crude but are you going to let/have spike & thoraxfuck/buck! p.s: think I mentioned in one of your stories or someone else's that squee it is from fullmetal alchemist (2003 anime)
8516488
If you’ve read between the lines from the last and this chapter, I think it’s pretty clear on that subject.
8516724 Oh i should've been a bit more clear...are we ever gonna see them in 'the act' of doing it! sorry if that sounds or came off blunt knowing your stories you have done it before(with sombra) and the rape with note in tovarian (sorry i'm butchering the main character's name!) it's been so long since i read those stories:)