"Hey, Twilight!" Tempest shouted into the giant crystal castle that her marefriend called home. "I'm here!"
A lavender blur flew towards Tempest, crashing into her and enveloping her into a hug. "I missed you!" Twilight said, snuggling into Tempest.
"I missed you too," Tempest gently pushed the excited Alicorn off of her. "There will be plenty of time for cuddling after I show you your present."
"Ooh! Is it a book? Please say it's a book!" Twilight pleaded, clapping her hooves together.
"Nope! It's even better."
"...Better than a book?"
"Of course it is! Besides, you've probably read every book in existence already. I'm giving you something that uses all of that knowledge and puts it to the test."
"OOH! A test? This is going to be good!" Twilight squealed, unable to contain her excitement anymore. "So what is it?"
"Quizzical Chase: Literature Edition!" Tempest declared triumphantly as she pulled a box out of her satchel.
"Come again?" Twilight tilted her head in confusion.
"I know, board games are more Spike's forte, but I think you'll really enjoy this one. Come on, let's go play it!" Tempest dragged her marefriend to the table room.
Tempest quickly set up the game on the big crystal table. Twilight sat in her chair, and her friend sat in one right next to her. Taking out the rulebook, Tempest read the game's instructions:
"The object of the game is to collect one token of every color--red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple-- and make your way to the center of the gameboard.
"You will begin by setting the character of your choice in the center of the board. When your turn comes, you'll roll the two dice to see how many spaces you can move. Once you land on a space, you will be asked a question corresponding to that space's color. If you get the question right, you get a token of that color and your turn is over. If you get the question wrong, your turn is over.
"The six colors each represent a different category of questions: Red is poetry, orange is fantasy, yellow is comics and graphic novels, green is science fiction, blue is picture books, and purple is random. The questions will be about books and stories from each of these categories. If you answer a question from each category correctly and get a token of every color, you will begin to move to the center of the board. Once you get to the board, you will be asked a final question that will be decided by the pony reading the question. If you answer incorrectly, your turn is over and you'll have to try again. If you answer correctly, then you win the game."
"So it's about books? Woo-hoo!" Twilight said, pumping a hoof into the air.
"I knew you'd like it," Tempest smiled. "Now, we've got to choose our characters."
Tempest took out the six figurines from the box. There was a poet pony, a wizard pony, a superpony, a cartoon pony, an alien pony, a scientist pony, and a pony reading a book.
"I want to be the book pony," Twilight said, picking it up with her magic. Tempest affectionately rolled her eyes.
"I think I'll be the alien. Just for fun," The Unicorn said.
"Let us begin!" Twilight placed both characters onto the center of the board while putting the four unused ones back into the box. "Who's going first?"
"Can you? I'm not super into books, and I don't want my complete and utter humiliation to be the first thing that happens in this game."
Twilight giggled. "Okay." She picked up the two dice and chucked them across the table. They clunked several times before one landed on four and the other on two.
"Yes! Six spaces! Twilight said, moving her book pony across the colorful tiles of the board. She landed on a red space.
"Alright. Your first question is about poetry," Tempest said, drawing from a large stack of cards. "What early Equestrian author wrote the famous poem called 'The Crow'?"
"Oh, that's easy!" Twilight said, waving her hoof. "It's Edgar Allen Poeny!"
"Correct." Tempest said. She picked up a little red triangle from the box. "You see the notches in the base of your character? You stick this into one of them, showing you've gotten your poetry token."
Twilight happily stuck the triangle in her character's base. "Your turn!"
Tempest threw the dice rather violently. They both landed on one.
"Good thing we're not playing Monopony," Twilight joked as Tempest moved her alien to a yellow space. The Alicorn drew a card.
"What comic book character has super speed and is nicknamed 'The Red Runner'?" Twilight read.
Tempest's face scrunched up on thought. "Oh, I should know this... Spike ranted about him once... why can't I think of his name?"
The Unicorn sat thinking for a minute or two. "Aw man... I think... not, that's not it... geez... that's it. I'm just going with the Flash."
"Nope! His name is the Blur." Twilight said as Tempest pounded her hoof on the table in frustration.
Twilight rolled and got a two and a one. She landed on a blue space.
"Picture books, huh?" Tempest observed, drawing a card. "Don Freestallion wrote a book about a bear that wanted to be bought by a girl, but couldn't be because of his missing button. What is the name of this bear?"
"I loved that book growing up! The bear's name is Velvet!" Twilight said, reminiscing about her fillyhood. Tempest nodded and handed the Alicorn a blue token.
Tempest rolled, landing on four and five. Her character moved across the board, stopping on a purple tile.
"Oh good, random. I might actually have a chance at this one." Tempest joked sourly, making Twilight giggle.
"Name the book that this quote comes from," Twilight read from the card.
"Never mind. I'm doomed!" Tempest said, burrowing her muzzle into her folded forelegs on the table.
"The quote is:
'Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet hooves that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.'"
Tempest's head shot up from its defeated position. "I read this book! It's 'The Horse'! By J. R. R. Trotkien!"
"You're right!" Twilight said gleefully, handing the happy Unicorn a purple token. Tempest proudly placed it in her character's base.
Twilight rolled a three and a two, and moved to a green space.
Tempest drew a card. "Who wrote the original 'Star Warriors' books?"
"Oh, that's George Lucolt," Twilight said, winning herself a green token. "Spike is crazy about those movies, but he's never actually read any of the books they were based on."
Tempest laughed about that as she rolled the dice. She got a five and a three and moved to a red space.
"Crap. Poetry," She griped as Twilight drew a card.
"Robert Frosty wrote a poem about two paths that split in a forest. What is the name of this poem?"
"Paths of the Forest!" Tempest shouted sarcastically, throwing her hooves into the air.
"It's 'The Path Not Taken'," Twilight said, throwing the card at Tempest as a signal to stop being so dramatic.
The Alicorn rolled two sixes, allowing her to move her character a long ways on the board. She landed on a purple space.
"Alright then. Let's see what your question is," Tempest said, drawing a card. "Seriously? It's a grammar question."
"Grammar is very important when you're writing a book. Otherwise, it wouldn't make any sense!" Twilight explained.
"I thought that was the plot's job. Oh well." She turned back to the card. "Is the following a complete sentence, sentence fragment, or run-on sentence: She was so happy that she couldn't think straight she packed a bag and grabbed her tickets happily laughing all the while."
"That is definitely a run-on sentence." Twilight said, her face scrunched up in disgust as Tempest handed her a purple token.
After rolling another snake-eyes, Tempest moved to an orange square.
Twilight drew a card and read, "In the Harry Trotter series, who is the main antagonist?"
Tempest had to stifle a yawn. "Why are those books so popular? They're not even that cool."
"You sound like Rainbow Dash," Twilight pouted. "Please answer the question."
"Isn't it Mold Wart? That sounds right."
"That's because it is," Twilight said, looking surprised. Tempest looked equally shocked as she was handed an orange token.
Twilight rolled and ended up on the same space as Tempest. The Unicorn drew a card.
"In the book 'Eragallop', what is the name of the dragon that Eragallop hatches?"
"Oh! It's been a while, but I think it's... yes! It's Sapphire!"
"Once again, correct." Tempest said, giving the Alicorn an orange token.
Tempest rolled the dice. She got a three and a five and moved on to a blue space.
"I must warn you, the highlights of my fillyhood were losing my horn and running away from Equestria, so forgive me if I get this wrong," Tempest teased as Twilight drew a card.
"Mo Whinnyems wrote the book 'Don't Let the blank Drive the Bus'. What goes in the blank?"
"Ummm… I don't know... maybe... pigeon?"
"No, silly! It's 'Don't Let the Pony Drive the Bus'! Who would let a pigeon drive a bus, of all things?"
Tempest simply shrugged as Twilight readied herself to roll the dice.
"I need to move three spaces to get to a yellow space and get the last token I need," She said. She threw the dice on the table.
One landed on a one. The other landed on a...
...two!
"YES!" Twilight shouted in triumph as she moved her character to the space. Tempest simply looked amused. She drew a card.
"What is the name of the famous comic book hero that uses detective skills and dresses like a flying mammal?"
"Woo! The only comic series I actually read!" Twilight said. "It's Batpony!"
"What do you mean, 'only comic series I actually read'?" Tempest asked as she handed the yellow token to Twilight. "I thought you read everything."
"Eh, not everything," Twilight said. "I prefer books with lots of words and maybe a few pictures. They just appeal more to me."
"Okay then," Tempest said, rolling the dice. She got a five and a six and moved to a red space. "Here goes nothing."
Twilight drew a card. "What poet wrote the poem 'Schoolwork Machine' from his book 'A Candle Upstairs'?"
"Oh, I think I heard about this one," Tempest said, tapping her chin. "Isn't it... Shell Silver Stein?"
"That's right!" Twilight clapped, handing Tempest a red token.
The Alicorn then grabbed the dice and rolled. Two threes was what she got, and two threes was all she needed to win.
Twilight's character landed in the center of the board, and Tempest drew a card.
"Let's see what we should do... ha! The purple one is about the dictionary!"
"Ooh! Do that one! Please!"
"Nah, I think I'll be evil instead." Tempest grinned. "Here's the yellow question: What is the name of the comic book hero that has the powers of a spider, such as shooting webs?"
"Ack!" Twilight said. "I can see who you're talking about in my head, but I just can't get their name!"
"Come on, do it for Spike!"
Twilight banged her head on the table a few times. She scratched her head. She shook her hooves in the air and cried out in agony. Tempest merely laughed a little.
"Fine!" Twilight said, tired of the horrid feeling of not knowing. "I'll just go with... Spider-Mare!"
"Ding ding ding!" Tempest said. "You won!"
'YES!" Twilight yelled with glee. "Yes! Yes! YES! I did it!"
"I knew you'd beat me," Tempest said. "I prefer other things to books."
"Such as?"
"Cuddling with you."
Twilight blushed, but didn't mind. "Find us a place to sit together. I'll make tea."
So, after the kettle whistled, the tea was poured, and the ponies were snuggled together with a blanket and their treats, they enjoyed the rest of the night together, happy as could be.
THE END
Author's Note
Allusions
- "The Crow" by 'Edgar Allen Poeny' references "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.
- "The Blur" is a reference to "The Flash" [DC Comics].
- 'Don Freestallion' and the bear Velvet refer to Don Freeman and the bear Corduroy.
- "The Horse", 'J. R. R. Trotkien', and the quote are a reference to J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit". The quote is almost direct, but I changed "feet" to "hooves". (See centered quote to see what I mean)
- "Star Warriors" and 'George Lucolt' refer to "Star Wars" and George Lucas.
- "The Path Not Taken" and 'Robert Frosty' reference Robert Frost and his poem "The Road Not Taken" (I didn't try very hard on this one; sorry).
- 'Harry Trotter' and 'Moldy Wart' refer to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and Voldemort.
- 'Eragallop' and 'Sapphire' reference Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Saphira.
- "Don't Let the Pony Drive the Bus!" and 'Mo Whinnyems' are references to "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" and Mo Willems.
- 'Batpony' refers to Batman [DC Comics].
- "Schoolwork Machine', 'A Candle Upstairs', and 'Shell Silver Stein' refer to Shel Silverstein's poem "Homework Machine" in his book "A Light in the Attic".
- Spider-Mare refers to Spider-Man [Marvel Comics].