A Friendly Game by Junketh71

[Burke_Rakers]

A Friendly Game (WG, Race Change, etc) By Junketh71

None of the characters are really mine.

The six friends entered two by two, in three pairs each. In the front were the cheery newlyweds, Chandler and Monica Bing, proud owners of a new suburban house and soon-to-be adoptive par-ents of a child.

They were followed by Ross Geller and Rachel Green, pushing their baby daughter Emma in a pram. Though still not married (or still divorced – it was hard to tell with the two of them), they were currently very much together and obviously intent on staying so.

Finally, Joey Tribbiani and Phoebe Buffay came in. Definitely not a couple, they still entered together because it seemed to be the appropriate thing – and the doorway was wide enough for both of them.

“Nice apartment you got there,” Monica said, subconsciously casting a critical eye around her surroundings in regards to dirt. “Very clean, too.”
“In other words, it doesn’t have the same zest that your own house does,” Phoebe shrugged ab-sently. “Sorry about this, Mon, but I just don’t have your drive for cleanliness.”

“Yes, well,” Monica said, blushing from slight embarrassment, “I am still sure that you try your best-“

“...no, probably not,” Phoebe shook her head. “I am just not you, you know?”

“Ah girls? Can we actually start to celebrate...whatever it is we want to celebrate?” Joey asked, as it became clear that the two of them could go at it for a long enough time.

“We just want to re-connect with each other one time before we all go our separate ways,” Phoebe shrugged. “Since we don’t want to through a really big blow-out, we decided to play just a simple game...with some snacks along the way.”

“What sort of a game?” Chandler asked, as he sat into an armchair and looked at the same board game that lay before him. It consisted of a spinning wheel divided into about ten segments and a stack of question cards.

“A reconnecting sort of one,” Phoebe explained, as she and others sat onto a nearby sofa instead. “We all guess a number and give the wheel a spin. When it stops on one’s number, that person will take a card and ask another person a personal question. And then, when the question is an-swered, another person takes their turn.”

“We need to hide our numbers and take a spin?” Ross asked, incredulous as always whenever Phoebe tried to explain her view of the world her friends. “Why can’t we just go alphabetically instead?”

“Wouldn’t that make you the last?” Chandler asked.

“And you the first, so why don’t I ask you first?” Ross replied back, as he reached to take a card. “Nobody will mind, I hope?”

“No, not really – in fact it will be a good practice,” Phoebe replied, as she sat on the other side of Rachel, who sat next to Ross. Joey and Monica sat on the other side of Phoebe, with Monica sit-ting closer to Chandler’s armchair. “Ross, take a card and say what it says!”

“A path is branching through the glade, winding and confusing. Tell us, oh traveller, to where do you seek for it to take you. Oh and there’s something else – tell us the name of the person you’re thinking about and who is waiting for you. Well? Who’s that person?”

Unfortunately for Chandler and Monica, it just so happened that they had had a run-in with Chandler’s old girlfriend, Janice, a woman with extravagant fashion taste and an extremely loud and annoying laugh. Her relationship with Chandler has been rather long and confusing, and Chandler would rather have nothing to do with her, but whenever the two met, Janice would stay for a long time on Chandler’s mind; and so, when Ross read the card and asked the question, Chandler instinctively answered:

“Janice...”

There was a pause as reality froze on Chandler’s response and then burst with a pop.

The next moment, however, all seemed back to normal – with slight altercations. The wedding ring was gone from Monica’s finger, though its’ counterpart stayed on Chandler’s. Their content looks were gone too, replaced by a slightly disgusted one on Monica’s and a discontented one on Chandler’s. And as the last piece of the change, Janice walked into the room from Phoebe’s kitchenette, bearing bowls of onion-flavoured chips and dip.

“Well, here’re the snacks,” she said in her usual loud manner as she put the bowls next to the game and sat next to Chandler, onto an arm of his armchair. “So, are we ready to play?”

“Oh, sure,” Chandler said in a vague, almost emotionless voice as he took another card from the stack. “Get ready to answer. A path is going through the lands you’ve never seen before, ending at a shore upon which sea waves break-up with a hiss... Tell us the place where you would want the most to go to.”

“Australia, just before the colonists arrived and changed everything”, even as Joey said the first place that came to his mind: “Ethiopia.”

There was a pause as reality once more froze when the pair said their answers and broke apart with a pop – twice as loud as before.
The next moment, Janice began to change, as her skin gradually darkened to a darker, browner colour, her hair grew shorter and slightly curled, and her facial features shifted and widened, re-sulting in a completely different-looking person than the one sitting next to Chandler moments ago.

Meanwhile, on the sofa, Joey too changed, as his skin darkened to a dark black colour and his hair too turned curly from straight. In a matter of moments, even as Janice turned into an Austra-lian aborigine, Joey turned from an Italo-American into an Afro-American instead.

However, these weren’t the only changes took place, nor were Janice and Joey the only ones to change. The formerly disgusted look on Monica’s face now got replaced by one of sad resigna-tion, and the discontent on Chandler’s face now got softened to a look of vague disquiet and confusion, as if he wasn’t sure whether he had done right or wrong.

Even the objects in the room changed – the bowls of chips and dip got replaced by one big bowl of popcorn instead.

“I think it was my turn,” Janice said, oblivious to her metamorphosis, as she turned to an equally oblivious Joey. Incidentally, though she still wore some rather extravagantly colourful clothing, her voice was no longer as nasal or jarringly loud. Also, the clothing now seemed to suit her bet-ter, than before, when she was a native of New York City through and through.

“Yeah, I guess,” Joey shrugged, still very much looking like himself, except for skin colour and the hair style. Even his clothing stayed the same. Italian or African, Joey was still very much the wannabe actor-playboy. “I just got confused.”

“So, why don’t you skip your turn this time and ask Monica a question instead?” Phoebe spoke-up from Monica’s other side. “I want to have my turn too, you know!”

“Yeah, Joey, why don’ t you ask me a question next,” Monica said, her eyes sad, as she saw the wedding rings on Chandler and Janice’s fingers still, despite the previous change.

“Well, all right,” Joey nodded, picking up a card, somewhat disquieted now, as he caught onto Monica’s definitely not-quite-party mood even through his thick skull. “Uh... the road is winding through the pristine steppe and to a desert oasis, where the gentle breezes play over the surface of a crystal-clear lake. Take a look and tell what you see. Wait, there’s more... Tell us, what kind of personal qualities you value the most in a person.”

“That’s simple,” Monica said quietly. “That kind of personal quality that allows a person to see past the appearances into the true character of the person inside.” She seemingly wanted to add something, but stopped after this sentence. Chandler half turned to her away from Janice, who was busy passing onto him some popcorn, but at that moment the reality froze and burst apart with a pop.

Throughout her childhood and, in fact, most of her adult life, Monica Geller chased after appear-ances – her own appearance, actually, as the heavyset young woman was determined to be slim, popular and good-looking instead. Now, however, this state of affairs changed, as her dress and blouse outfit got changed to a simple sweat pants and sweater, and every trace of lipstick, nail polish and other cosmetics vanished completely. Even her hair was now cut short, in a rather se-vere, Dutch boy style.

However, that wasn’t all. Monica’s body expanded with fat, as her legs quickly reached an indi-vidual width almost equal to that of Joey’s body, and her ass now grew even wider than both of her legs put together. Her arms bloated too, until they were thicker than Phoebe’s legs, and so did her torso, as it reached the width of the butt. In front, the stomach pillowed out almost to Monica’s knees, and her breasts were only a little bit shorter than her stomach. Finally, Monica’s eyes, nose and mouth became partially obscured by the massive jowls and multiple chins that dropped down almost to her chest.

In place of a fashionable woman now sat a completely different one, a modern version of a Pa-laeolithic “Venus”, occupying almost the whole sofa. Joey now sat at one of the sofa’s arms, Ross – almost on the other, with Rachel sitting on a carpet next to the sofa instead, and Phoebe standing behind the sofa instead.

Finally, the big bowl of popcorn was also gone, instead replaced with an equally big plate of croissants or similar baked goods that were now partially gone, with Chandler and Janice now holding one each instead of smatterings of popcorn.

“Well, sis, I got to tell you, you know your answers to such questions,” Ross spoke up, as he shifted his position between the end of the sofa and Monica’s right flank. “Guess you thought a lot about it, hah?”

“Not my fault if everybody – except for my co-workers and colleagues – sees me as a fat sea cow and not as a master chef that I am,” Monica said, seemingly unconcerned by her massive poundage. “Incidentally, how’s my baking? Up to everyone’s liking?”

There were general sounds of consent in return, and Janice leaned forwards, even as Monica shifted and tried to reach the table herself. That wasn’t easy, as her stomach constantly got in her way, and the sofa groaned in protest. “Do you want one yourself?” the other woman asked kindly.

“Oh no, not this time,” Monica said, apparently no longer bothered by Janice and Chandler’s wedding rings or even interested in Chandler. “I believe it’s my turn to read a card.”

“Oh, allow me,” Joey hurriedly said, as he jumped off the groaning sofa, grabbed a card and put into Monica’s pudgy one. “Here, read it.”

“Let’s see,” Monica shifted slightly, causing the sofa to groan ever louder and now also to shake somewhat. “Your trail has led you to a glade in the forest, lit by the silvery light of the moon. As you look at it, you see your dream reflected in the moonlit pool. Take a look and see what it is. Uh... the card says to tell the others your dream. Phoebe, it’s your turn. Tell us your dream.”

By this time, Phoebe felt more than a little bit mischievous, and felt that some fun would liven up the game somewhat. And since Phoebe’s sense of humour was just as eccentric as the rest of her character, naturally her fun took-on a rather bizarre turn. “Oh, I don’t know,” she whispered softly, as she leaned over to Ross, who still managed to sit on the sofa next to his corpulent sister and whisper into his ear, trying to be sultry and not break out into giggles. “I am guessing Ross, the kids...”

“What?” Ross whirled around, his sense of humour failing again to understand Phoebe’s joke or hear the giggles in her voice. “Wha-?” He whirled around too fast and smashed his face into Phoebe’s before she could lean away or finish the sentence. Everybody froze...and then reality burst apart with a pop.

Emma and her pram vanished without a trace, but the living room around the six friends changed, as the formerly nearly stark place now acquired several books cases with various books, and there were several diplomas on the wall, and a small desk stood in the corridor. Leaning next to it with Phoebe’s guitar, as well as a smaller version of that instrument and a drum. The floor was covered in several colourful carpets; there was dark green wallpaper on the walls as well as a framed family photo over one of the walls. The furniture too looked to be of a sturdier and better-upholstered version, including the sofa that now endured Monica’s weight without as much groaning, the armchairs upon which sat Chandler, Janice and Rachel, and the table, which now looked like a rather ordinary table, draped with a similarly dark green tablecloth. In short, the room – in fact, the whole apartment – changed from a bachelor’s pad to a family’s home and acquired a certain lived-in look.

As the surroundings changed their appearances, so did the people. Rachel was no longer sitting next to Ross or even near him, but rather in an armchair on the opposite side of the game table, dressed in typical businesswoman attire – a mahogany-coloured jacket and a matching skirt, plus a blue-white blouse with a matching brooch. She did wear lipstick and similar make-up, but these made nothing to alleviate her stern and scowling face with a look of something of a mix between disdain and jealousy in her eyes.

On the other side of the table, Phoebe and Ross were kissing each other – for real. Their clothing has changed to a domestic attire – a flowering-print dress for Phoebe, pants and a chequered shirt for Ross – and there were wedding rings on their fingers too, not so shiny as Chandler and Janice’s either, suggesting that the two have been married longer than the other couple.

The other four people didn’t change as Phoebe, Rachel and Ross did, and when Rachel inter-rupted with a sharp cough the kissing between the other two, the rest did just some good-natured chuckles instead.

“If you two are finished, we might as well go through the rest of the game – and look, it’s Ra-chel’s turn to go,” Monica said with a belly laugh. “That is to say, it’s Phoebe’s turn to read a card to Rachel.”

“Why, so it is,” Phoebe nodded, as Ross passed her the next game card. “Rachel, are you ready?”

“Yes, certainly,” the look of Rachel’s face bordered between boredom and impatience. “Let’s hear it!”

“Your trail has led you deep into the woods. Everything seems uncertain and double-meaning; everywhere you turn you can swear to hear the laughter of the fairies. But the trail under your feet is sure and straightforward, it will lead you to your destination. Tell us your innermost thoughts and your eternal goal.”

“What’s an eternal goal?”

“I have no idea,” Phoebe shrugged. “I didn’t make this game, I just got it off from some garage sale that Ross and I have attended few months before today. Why don’t you start with your in-nermost thoughts instead?”

“Well,” Rachel shrugged, “I guess my innermost thoughts are that people should always be true to themselves at least, not trying to hide themselves to themselves behind false augmentations or something. Is that good enough for the card?”

“And your eternal goal?” Phoebe pressed on, ignoring Rachel’s rather snappish attitude.

“To strive being a model for those self-deluding folk,” Rachel shrugged. “Not a perfect model, just a model, because there cannot be real perfection, now can there?” She snapped her fingers, and the reality came to pieces with a pop.

Rachel Green changed once again. Her professional attire was gone; she now wore a much looser skirt and a matching fuzzy sweater – both of them being domestic-dye jobs, the skirt of a fawn-brown colour, and the sweater in a more wildly vivid raspberry-red one. Her make-up was gone without a trace, and her hair was no longer done professionally, but instead it just cascaded be-yond her shoulders in a mane-like wave, and her nose-job was gone. Instead, her original nose was located firmly in the middle of Rachel’s face – a massive, beak-like protuberance that domi-nated her face and made her look plain, or even homely as opposed to beautiful or even good-looking. Still, the mouth under the nose was smiling, and Rachel’s eyes twinkled with good cheer – much more so than when Rachel was a teenager, in fact...

The silence was broken by Monica this time. “I see that you still stick your guns, Green,” she said with another belly laugh. “Glad to see your tenacity is still holding on!”

“Right back at you, Geller,” Rachel replied with a patient smile of her own – and a voice that was much more nasal than what it used to be. “Glad to see you still holding on too.”

“Can you two stop flirting long enough for us to finish the game?” Chandler spoke up from his seat.

“We’re not flirting, we’re just friends,” Monica rolled her eyes at the man who several realities ago was her spouse. Now, however, she didn’t feel anything for him one bit and probably never had – and the same was probably with him.

“Yeah, just friends who share the same apartment and have gone on dates between the two of them how many times? Probably fewer times than the number of my toes, that’s how many!”

“Hey, not everyone’s as lucky as you and Janice!” Monica sat in a huff. “You two may be at it and at each other like-“

“It’s my turn!” Ross said quickly. “Let’s just finish the game and then start to talk about our per-sonal lives.”

“When it comes to personal lives, Ross, you, your missus and the kids have got us all beat,” Ra-chel said calmly, smiling slightly at Ross. Apparently, whatever she felt for Ross had also van-ished alongside her initial rhinoplastic surgery and her way of thinking. “Where are they, any-ways?”

“We’re here!” A trio of children popped their heads out of the next room – a boy and two girls. “Mom and dad told us to do our homework first, so there we weren’t!”

“Ben, Emma, Phoebe, why don’t you come out here and say hi to the grown-ups?” Ross said with a fake groan.

With excited shouts, the three kids ran to join the adults at the game table, each with dark hair like Ross, but as long as their mother’s instead. Ben still looked rather like Ross, but the girls, especially the slightly taller one, were more like Phoebe in their facial features as well.

“Hey you scamps,” Monica said fondly as the kids joined the adults around the game. “How are your studies?”

“Fine, Auntie Monica!” one of the girls – Emma – beamed proudly. “Can we have some of your croissants?”

“Just one each,” Monica said jovially. “You don’t want to end up like Auntie Rachel over there, now do you?”

Rachel, who acquired a moderate tummy pouch at the same time as her oversized nose has re-turned to her face, glared at the other single woman across the table. “Kids, don’t listen to her – it’s her own fault, hers and her masterful cooking that could turn any snow maiden into a Mrs. Claus!”

“Auntie Monica makes the best Santa Claus on Christmas!” cried the shorter girl. “She really does!”

“Thanks, kid,” Monica said, as she ruffled her niece’s hair. “You always say the best things. Ru-dolph down there is just jealous.”

“Ha-ha,” Rachel rolled her eyes and made a large nasal honk that made the kids giggle.

“Can we finish the game now? Let Ross go and we can just put it away and continue this talk,” Joey said from his position between Janice and Monica. “What do you say?”

“A game? Can we play?” the children immediately asked.

“Well, it’s one of your mom’s games, so... why don’t after my turn you each get a turn asking the adults a question each?” Ross said cheerfully.
“Cool! Daddy, go!”

“Rachel – read my question.”

“Fine,” Rachel nodded and took a card. She squinted at it, then shrugged and put on a pair of specialized reading glasses. “Right then. Your trek has led you to a place full of rainbows and fountains – a very joyous scene. As you look around, you see the source of your happiness. Um, it also says that you should tell the others your best reasons of happiness.”

“That’s easy – it’s you all, people,” Ross said immediately. “My family and friends – what other reason for happiness do I need? That’s my final answer.”

Once again, the universe broke apart with a pop, but now the only thing that changed was the game, which had disappeared without a trace. Instead, the table was now occupied with several video and DVD boxes, and the whole gang was currently located on one side of the table - oppo-site to the one with the television set. The kids sat on the carpet before the adults, with Monica still dominating the sofa. Rachel, however, now sat next to her, her hand on one of Monica’s thick legs, while Janice and Phoebe sat on the laps of their spouses. Joey was the only one with-out a date and clearly thinking about how to rectify this situation next time.

“Boy, these were fun movies,” Ross finally said, as Phoebe began to act naughty on his lap again. “We really should hold another marathon next month – what do you say, people?”

This question was responded by several sounds of genuine agreement.

“But now,” Phoebe’s voice had changed somewhat with the last reality pop, becoming more me-lodious than before, “Ross and I got some kids to put to bed.”

“And that’s our cue to leave,” Chandler said with a small laugh of his own. “Joey, do you want us to give you a lift?”

“Sure, just let me help Rachel lift Monica.”

“I can do that by myself,” Monica huffed, but didn’t protest further as it took combined efforts of Joey and Rachel to get her off her seat. “Big brother, thanks for having us here, though.”

“You’re welcome. Come on - let me help you get to your cars while Phoebe puts the kids back to bed.”

The End.