Title:           Oblivious Anon: Card Game [Shining] [Braeburn]
Author:          Anonymous
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/D5eTmSPN
First Edit:      Sunday 24th of January 2016 08:34:22 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Sunday 24th of January 2016 08:34:22 PM CDT

>There are four stallions around the table
>One of them is drunk
>Three are not
>Braeburn passes a card from his hoof onto the table
>Cider burns in his gut
>"Nohw this hand here", he gulps some air "this's a winnin hand."
>The two guards laugh
>Shining Armor just glares from behind his hand
>"You've always been the worst bluff, you know?"
>Brae leans his chin on his elbows
>"An' you've always had the purtiest aeys..." he croons
>Shining goes red
>"See what I mean? Worst bluff," he mutters in denial, though his face still warm with embarrassment
>One of the guards slides his chips onto the table
>"All in." He declares
>The other guard follows suit
>The only ones left out of the pot are Brae and Shining
>They glare at eachother, Shining nervously, his jittery hoof betraying his meager hand
>And Brae sucking up another mug of cider
>He stares at Shining before letting a grin spread across his face
>"Why gentlemen, this hand right here." He pauses for dramatic effect, glancing between the three players
>"Is SO good, ah'll even bet ma' own hat."
>As proof of his faith he removes his dusty brown hat and places it over the center stack of chips
>"That's not fair," Shining whines. "Who wants a musty old hat?"
>"Yer only sayin that cause yer yellow. Like a chicken!"
>Shining scowls as Braeburn attempts to imitate a chicken, sputtering excitement and spittle
>The guards laugh at his imitation
>"Fine," Shining pushes his stack into the pile. "All in. I'll take your stupid old hat."
>Braeburn's eyes narrow and he leans forward. "The hay you' will pretty boy."
>His last comment is followed up by a confident smile
>Once again Shining blushes, his eyes this time dart to the table
>The silence hangs in the air. Creakig chairs in the barracks could be heard. Around them faces had gathered, faces outside the arena of light, generated by one measly torch
>The game was on
 
>"FLIP EM!" Brae declares
>A fluttering of cards
>Their faces revealed
>They scan eachothers hands, glancing back at their own for assurance
>Braeburn's mouth drops open
>"Yer kiddin' me!"
>Shinings fragile demeanor had been shattered and in place was framed the marble white smile of a victorious stallion
>"You've always been the worst bluff." Shining extends his hooves and rakes in the pile, hat to boot
>Braeburn scowls. "H-How did you guess?"
>"You're not very subtle, about...anything." Shining winks at him.
>With Braeburn's hat securely on his head, Braeburn leans back, blowing puffs of air at his head trying to make the brim shake
>"Fun game fellers, fun game. Now, may I have my hat back, please?"
>Shining's chair tilts back onto two legs
>"Why? I wont fair and square. Besides, I like it. Makes me look 'rustic'."
>There's an odd silence for a second before Braeburn asks again.
>"Now shinin' you know that hat is special ta me. You know that. How long we been pals?"
>But the words are lost on shining, who's chair thumps back onto the wooden floors. He leans in slowly.
>"I dunno, 'pardner'," the guards chuckle. "There outta be a trade here. I did win afterall."
>Braeburn sighs. "I'll buy you a cider, sound fair to ya?"
>Shining straightens out and looks up at the ceiling, digesting the proposal
>"Hmmmmmm- no." He concludes before shooting Braeburn a cocky grin.
>"Actually old buddy old pal, here's what I'll do. Seeing as how I'm royalty and you're country folk, I think I ought to be treated with a bit more respect than a first name. From now on, you shall refer to me as 'Your highness', sound fair?"
>Braeburn sighs, exhaling a knot of anxiety. What if he didn't get it back?
>The guards are laughing, their unseen faces and humiliating chortles force the words from Braeburn's lips.
>"Y-Yes your majesty." The words come out crooked and awkward, tasting strange in Braeburn's mouth. He guesses he deserved this humiliation.
>"Oh, and another thing...."
 
>"Hold it, you said that if I called you some fancy thang I could have it back!" Braeburn protests
>Shining twists the hat, knotting its' leathers up and cracking their weathered skins.
>This earns a desperate squealing of chairs from Braeburn who melts slowly in his seat.
>"One secret, out here, in front of us. One. That's all. But it has to be true." Shining says.
>"One secret?"
>"One secret" Braeburn echoes. "And you shall have your hat back."
>Braeburn looks around. He cannot see, but he feels the room stuffed full of onlookers. It breaths. It watches, waiting for anticipation
>Vague outlines and shadows within the shadows are shifting, all eyes upon him, all eyes beckoning for some blackened char to be coughed up for all to admire.
>One secret?
>Braeburn's face turns stern. He glares at Shining who is now leaning forward over the table, a hoof drawn to his ear, his eyes shut and a smile across his face
>With a chest full of thundering heart beats, Braeburn summons his liquid courage.
>The secret goes down with the cider-
>He leans forward across the table
>-And out with his mouth
>"I always thought you were mighty cute," he whispers at shining, before planting a small kiss on his cheeks
>His hoof delicately lifts the hat off shining
>Like shattering glass Shining's eyes pop open
>He practically falls back in his chair
>There's confused whispers dancing about the room, quiet and discontent murmurs
>With a relieved sigh, Braeburn places the hat back onto his head.
>He had felt naked without it
>"What did he say?" One of the guards turns to Shining.
>"Everyone go back to your bunks." Shining commands. He hides his blush behind his stern voice
>Giggling, Brae watches Shining melt in his seat
>Slowly the guards all file out of the room, those in this barracks return to their beds
>Shining turns to Braeburn, his face still a hot mess
>"Y-You do?" he asks
 
>"Now don't you think much of it. I just wanted my hat back, s'all" Braeburn tips his hat at his defeated friend
>Shining deflates. "Very clever..." there's a hint of sadness in his voice
>Something had been crushed
>"Well I think that's enough poke for one night, almost lost something very dear to me." Braeburn stands up and slowly nestles his chair back under the table
>"Yeah, you did..." Shining looks rather defeated
>Braeburn pauses for a moment, studying his friend. Something is very off.
>"Lissin', shinin?" He manages. "Why don't you see me off? Jus' ta the front gate s'all."
>The royal stallion perks up at this. He gives it a little phony consideration before agreeing
 
>Tonight there was a fat moon pinned onto the sky
>The stars really opened up like a thousand pinholes into heaven
>The two walked in some glum silence
>Shining's lip was tight but itching with something on it
>Brae trotted alongside him uneasily, stealing some glances
>"Sumthin eatin' you?" he probes
>"DO YOU REALLY THINK I'M CUTE?!" Shining blurts out without even thinking
>"What?!" Braeburn echoes his volume.
>Quietly now, Shining repeats himself. "Do you really think I'm cute..?"
>They slowdown to an even pace
>"I..." The words now are harder to get out.
>That's the thing with these nights, with these empty skies. They make you more honest. They force you to purge and shed that traitorous thought
>"Ah suhpose you've always been, ta me that is."
>It shouldn't be this way, but it is. Brae's heart thunders and wildly leaps against the cage of his chest
>"Ya know, I think that the other mare's are drawn to ya of course!" His recover is poor
>Shining nods slowly
 
 
>They reach the gate
>Two guards stand by, their faces like statues, eyes unmoving and unshifting from their directive.
>"Would you please leave us for a moment?" Shining asks
>Wordlessly the guards depart, trotting across the lawn
>They walk out into the field, so green and lush, whispering at night softly.
>A thousand crushed diamonds were sprinkled upon the grass and were caught glittering against the bone-moonlight
>There was silence
>The hill where they used to come, back when they were but Colts
>Back when things were easier and life came a whole lot slower
>You could digest it like a good meal, could sit and talk with your friends about how it had just tasted and they knew all that you knew
>Before tastes change
>Before people change
>This hill, so locked in the years past, was testament to this
>It was as they left it. A single bump across the great flat plains
>A single hill for flight, for rolling and rollicking and galloping down
>They stopped at the top, both gazing intently at the stars and the moon, wishing to drink them all down like the desert of a childhood meal they once dined fatley upon
>Wordlessly, Shining and Braeburn both turned to one another
>"I guess this is where I leave you," Shining said.
>"Guess' so." Braeburn confirmed
>But they could not leave. Rooted in place into this grass a thousand years older than their own friendship, they could not feel the muscles in their legs
>Only the quivering panic of their hearts
>Both took rising breaths into their nostrils
>And leaned forward
>It was mechanical, unplanned. Like a great urge, as easy as a breath
>Their lips pressed gently to one another
>Soft and plump, cheek's radiating a powerful warmth
>Their eyes pressed shut and they held this for some time, no sound, no motion
>The moon light drizzling down on them, the thousands of diamonds in the grass catching this light and turning it back tenfold
 
>If time could be stopped there it would have ended between them
>Locked forever with one another, two dancers caught in a pose, frozen into perfect crystalline statues
>Slowly they pulled apart from each other, at long last braving the world and opening their eyes
>"Braeburn..." Shining began
>But nothing could be said, words trembled in fear of this great moment, this monstrous expenditure of love
>All that could be said was written against their eyes in perfect calligraphy
>Gently, Braeburn lifted his hat from his head and dropped it onto Shining's
>The brim fell over his face, drooping lower
>A trail of tears cut down through Shining's pristine coat and across his face, one jewel captured perfectly in the body and let go as a diamond ring for the right person
>"You're going back now, aren't you?"
>"I'm going back now," Braeburn softly repeated.
>He too felt a knot tighten in his chest. A stinging against his eyes
>Shining could not bare to look
>"You'll come back?"
>"I'll come back."
>Another diamond to match Shining own, two brotherly jewels splitting down a caramel cheek, two brotherly jewels drawing a damp trail down porcelain white
>Braeburn started off down the hill
>It was as they left it
>Their feet could still be all over the place, could reappear as phantoms
>Something brought a smile to his lips, something perfect and wonderful, tasting sweet like a candy
>This hill, the Stallion he loved behind him
>Was still there
>Preserved in memory, in time, thought sound and...
>Touch
>The taste of another against his lips
>He turned his head to taste with his eyes once more
>And growing smaller like a marble statute on the crest of that wonderful bump in that large green field with the thousands of captured diamonds, was Shining armor
>A single hoof seeing in the air, slowly fanning back and forth
>Braeburn mouthed the words
>"Goodbye."
>And turned to the journey ahead