//------------------------------// // Chapter 1- The Docks // Story: The Last Casino // by WeirdBeard //------------------------------// The Last Casino by WeirdBeard Triumphantly edited by magicllama and TheOnlyWes Chapter 1- The Docks You'd think I'd learn. The sudden crash of ocean waves against the wooden docks disturbed the earth pony's musing. He opened his stark green eyes and gazed westward at the low hanging moon. Jackpot was once again reminiscing over everything that led to this point. Not just the loss to the princesses, but his actions that preceded. The ash-gray stallion had learned from his mistakes; the years had tamed him as he kept watch over the mares. He felt the wind lightly tussle his slicked-back, white mane. The stallion closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The salty and damp smells of the ocean assaulted his senses. This was one of the few moments where he could find solace. Even though the weather was tumultuous and untamed, Jackpot found a strange peace behind it. It always stormed in Trace. There were two pegasi that could control it, but they weren't likely to help with that anytime soon. The earth pony's thoughts returned to the six. "A dragon giving away his hoard was more likely than these mares helping anypony but themselves," he thought. Their complete lack of morality still annoyed him. True, Jackpot wasn't the most outstanding pony himself, but he still maintained a basic sense of decency. His mind drifted back to the instructions that Celestia and Luna had given that fateful day. They had insisted that it wasn't foalsitting, but it might as well have been during the first year. Figuratively dumping the six little oddities into his hooves and being taken to Trace; all because the princesses couldn't do what really needed to be done. Jackpot sighed and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Living in Trace did have a few benefits, the first example being the zebras' herbal creations. The city was home to many of the specie, all outcasts from their homeland in the far-off south. They were not the only ones, of course, that had taken Trace as shelter. Diamond dogs, griffins, all manner of creatures; except for ponies. It was another reason the six duplicates were sent here. Equestria would never find out about them not only because of the distance, but because the inhabitants kept to themselves and their own foul deeds. The city was never officially founded either. Even when the vastly diverse settlers began construction, there was never any form of leadership. It was a dog-eat-zebra-eat-griffin-eat-... you get the idea, world; and it still continued as such to the present day. However, the city was even more split now. It had taken some time, but the six mares had created their own factions within Trace. Each was hungry for power and their conflicts had severely escalated more recently. Which was why Jackpot was out in the cold, bleak evening instead of resting. The stallion had summoned the six to meet at this neutral point of the city. He had grown tired of their antics and hoped that anything drastic could be delayed for the time being. Dragging a cigarette to his lips, Jackpot patted his vest in search of a lighter. He didn't usually dress at all, but this occasion called for a bit more presentation. The vest was neatly pressed, boasting a deep black in color with white-pinstripes. A subdued white tie completed the ensemble, complimenting his own mane quite well. He grunted as his search yielded no sign of any means to light his cigarette. A blast of navy-shaded flames flew inches past Jackpot's face. He blinked in momentary surprise as the small roll was a lit. A snort that originated from behind him notified the earth pony of the new presence. "Evening, Fang," he quietly said. Sitting down beside the earth pony, a cobalt-scaled dragon stared out into the ocean. His frame was twice as big as Jackpot even though he was still a youthful creature. The dock creaked under the dragon's weight, but soon settled as it relaxed. Fang glanced back to the stallion, silent for a moment, before replying, "Hey, Jack. Been out here long?" "Just waiting for those clowns to show up," Jackpot muttered, keeping his eyes to the crashing waves. He finally peered over to his assistant after a few minutes. The dragon looked bored, his gray irises scanning the surrounding docks. He absentmindedly scratched at the smoke-colored fins atop his head before leaning back and ruffling his wings. Fang was a curious case, much like Jackpot. The dragon was born within the confines of Celestia's private school. His egg had been the runt of the litter, many of his brothers awakened before he was. It was one peculiar unicorn, who ended flunking out of the school much later, that performed the spell to crack his egg. He served as her assistant until she disowned him and left for a life of show business. Fang would occasionally mention how much he hated her, especially when she went on and on about being great and powerful. After being abandoned, the princesses brought him back to the castle and insisted he would be chosen again. However, the continual rejection and passing of time had hardened the young dragon. It wasn't until Jackpot came along and Luna assigned Fang to become the earth pony's assistant. The dragon would send his reports through his magical fire-breath as well as keep an eye on Jackpot's own conduct. The two shared a mutual respect, though, each being outcasts of their own species. The ash-gray stallion took a drag of his cigarette, pulling it away from his muzzle and blowing out a stream of smoke. The chemicals and herbs warmed his insides and he could feel the bitter scent stick to his nostrils. Fang disturbed his wandering thoughts when he asked, "What's the violin case for?" Jackpot glanced at the specified item near his hooves. His eyes returned to meet the dragon's, simply replying, "Persuasion. I hope you're ready; they should be here any second now." Bizarrely on cue, the factions began filing into the area. Each group appeared from different directions and circled around the dock where Jackpot and Fang sat. The earth pony spat his cigarette away, pushing himself to his hooves and approached the intruders. His assistant followed closely behind. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light radiating from the overhead poles. The first faction he recognized was that of Fluttershy's, deemed "The Hornets." Tonight it was only her right hand who had arrived, a colossal minotaur that towered over Jackpot. The beast's crimson fur covered many of its past scars, but his face still showed more than a hoof-ful of cuts and gashes. It snorted angrily, its breath rancid with the scent of blood. A pale yellow hornet was carved into the center of its chest. Jackpot bit his lip, annoyed by the presence of a goon instead of the leader of the Hornets. "Where's Fluttershy?" The minotaur didn't respond, merely staring at the stallion. An eerie voice chuckled out from his far left instead. "Hate to break it to ya, but none of the mares are coming tonight!" Jackpot's eyes left the minotaur's gaze to search for the source of the jeer. Hovering above them, a trio of copper-feathered griffins smirked at the stallion. The three belonged to the Shockers faction, all led by Rainbow Dash. They each carried curious weaponry, from crudely designed explosive devices to blunt sledgehammers. The center griffin, decorated with a lightning bolt tattoo along her cheek, glided down and landed not too far from the stallion. "You've just got us, Jacky! We're their representatives, after all." More and more intruders entered into view, representing their groups: the Novas, the Cooks, the Diamondbacks, and XXX. They comprised of zebras and diamond dogs that gathered in the remaining spots around the circle surrounding Jackpot and Fang shared a glance before assessing the immediate threats. Several of the cronies snarled at their rivals, brandishing their own weapons of choice. None of their leading mares had shown up. "Figures they'd pull a stunt like this," the earth pony muttered to his assistant. One Nova- Twilight Sparkle's peculiar zebra followers that specialized in alchemy- trotted forward and glared at the offending Shocker. "What's wrong, cloud humper? Is your big, bad boss too afraid to show her face here?" the cloaked zebra questioned. Her robe was splotched with chemical burns and pinched down by star-studded saddle bags. "Shut your mouth, dirt sucker! Your boss isn't here either!" the head griffin growled. Tensions were already mounting and the meeting hadn't even begun. The Nova zebras snarled at the Shocker griffins, causing the other factions to poise defensively with their weapons. Jackpot's grip on his violin case tightened while Fang snorted and rolled his eyes. The chilling sea breeze cut into the escalating situation, ruffling the pink-tinted manes of the Cooks. These zebras that hailed Pinkie Pie were even stranger than Twilight's Novas. Despite their mild appearance, they were probably the most dangerous of the factions. It was impossible to predict what they were planning; the element of surprise was always included in their schemes. The remaining two groups belonged to Rarity and Applejack: the Diamondbacks and XXX, respectively. Both consisted largely of diamond dogs. However, Rarity's followers were strictly all females. Their slender, alluring frames were not to be trifled with though. They were frighteningly skilled in close quarters combat, trained by their leader herself. The five that represented the selfish unicorn, each bearing a rose that pinned back their ears, barked at the dogs of XXX. In the past, the two factions of diamond dogs had once been a unified tribe. That all changed when Applejack's deception and Rarity's malice split them apart. The dogs of XXX, Applejack's devoted, glared at their former mates. Their tangerine fur bristled with anticipation for a fight. Finally, Jackpot loudly stomped and shouted, "Enough! I need to speak to your leaders, all of you. I'm not here to watch you have a pissing contest, nor do I want to speak to you "representatives" !" "Who said we want to talk?" a large, enraged diamond dog of XXX asked. The beast unsheathed its claws and reared back on its hind legs. It snarled, muscles coiling in preparation to propel forward and attack. Jackpot rotated his neck, the vertebrae cracking loudly from the twisting movement. "I don't have time to deal with you goons right now. So,would kindly you go home and tell your bosses that I will meet with them? Individually if I have to," the earth pony explained. Fang crossed his arms over his chest, glowering at the surrounding factions. "Please let this mutt not be so stupid," Jackpot inwardly pleaded. "We don't take commands from you!" the diamond dog yelled. He sprung high into the air, teeth bared and ready to sink into the stallion's neck. Jackpot calmly lifted the violin case and aimed it at his attacker. Upon smacking a hoof against the side of the case, a long cylinder protruded from the tip and shot forth an arc of lightning. The beam connected with the dog's right paw, causing it to spasm in mid-air. The beast collapsed heavily in front of the stallion, still twitching from the electricity. Its left paw smoked from where the lightning exited and left a hole in the center. The problematic griffin that voiced for Rainbow Dash and the Shockers shot forward. "That's the missing Thunder rifle! You stole that from the bos-" "Correction! I am the boss!" Jackpot shouted back in frustration. He hooked a hoof around the shocked diamond dog and dragged him to the edge of the dock. The stallion held onto the scruff of its neck and pushed the beast's head underwater. He stared blankly at the surprised faction members while the diamond dog thrashed wildly. Jackpot's eyes seemed to bore into each of them, a powerful intensity behind his gaze. After an agonizingly long minute, the gray earth pony pulled the diamond dog back up. He threw the beast away to his fellow pack mates, its breath ragged and gasping for air. Jackpot pointed at hoof at the factions and stated, "You answer to your leaders. Your leaders answer to me. Ergo... you listen to me! You would do well to remember that if you cherish your miserable lives at all. Now, go to the holes you crawled out of and tell the mares that I'm coming to meet with them very soon." The stallion glanced back at the still wheezing diamond dog. "We'll start with your little shack. Make sure AJ has hard cider cold and ready," he commanded. "Now, all of you... get the hell out of my territory." The factions exchanged glares, but slowly departed from the area. The XXX dogs heaved their injured comrade onto their shoulders before bounding away. Within a few moments, Jackpot and Fang were left alone again. The dragon yawned and glanced to his friend. "A bit over dramatic, don't you think?" he asked. Sighing, the earth pony's eyes drifted skyward to the night sky and admired the cloud-less, starry view. "Believe me, that's the only way to get their attention now. If there was any other way, I'd do it," Jackpot replied. "Should I send a report to the princesses about this successful meeting?" Fang sarcastically inquired. Jackpot was about to retort until he noticed how unusually quiet it was. His swept his gaze around them, but nothing alerted him. "This wasn't a meeting. Hold off on anything for now, I'll confront each of the six," he replied. When the dragon yawned a second time, the earth pony rolled his eyes. "You look exhausted, Fang. Go ahead and take the night off. I'll start the rounds alone." The cobalt dragon scoffed and shook his head. "I guess I should be thankful," he responded before launching himself into the air. His leathery wings caught hold of a rising thermal as he flapped higher away to the night sky. Jackpot ran a hoof through his mane, discouraged from the failed meeting. He felt like he should have seen it coming, but had still hoped that things would have been easier. The earth pony grunted and picked up the concealed weapon that he had used earlier. "You're fortunate that the meeting didn't go worse," an elegant voice called out from the shadows. The stallion's back stiffened and he whirled around to face whoever spoke. However, he was still alone at the dimly lit docks. The being that spoke still hadn't appeared. Jackpot chuckled darkly and muttered, "There was nothing fortunate about tonight, just a big waste of time as always." "We both know that's not true. You're not hindered by luck, after all. You control it," the voice beckoned again. The gray earth pony grunted, his green eyes still scanning around. "I'm really not in the mood for this cloak and daggers crap, lady. What do you want?" he asked, irritation dripping from his voice. Not sure what to expect, he readied his weapon once more. After a moment, a flutter of wings from above caught his attention. Jackpot was met with surprise as a large pony glided downward and landed soundlessly before him. Of course, this pony was not ordinary. The stranger bore a dark, sage-colored coat with enormous wings and a long, pointed horn. "Another alicorn... great, just what I needed," Jackpot thought sarcastically. The alicorn in question shifted her hooves and more of the dim light revealed her form. Her mane flowed unnaturally, much like the princesses, and held a curious mix of shimmering gold shades. The most peculiar feature about her was a strange, black blindfold around her eyes. However, even with her vision blocked, she somehow looked directly at Jackpot. "I've come with a warning. Things are going to get worse here" the alicorn said. "Well gee-whiz, that's real helpful and all, but in case you haven't noticed, this is Trace. Everything's already worse here; nothing is even remotely good," the stallion snapped back. His patience was wearing thin for the evening and he really didn't want to deal with this. The alicorn sighed. She waited a moment before replying, "It can always get worse. Just be careful, Jackpot. You're still useful to me alive." At that quiet statement, her horn flashed brilliantly and temporarily blinded the earth pony. When his vision returned, there was no sign of the sage-colored alicorn. Jackpot shook his head angrily and began trotting away. He sullenly muttered, "I hate this city."